Finding a mobile medical van can be a complicated task and a significant investment. Many organizations begin searching for mobile medical vans having no idea what the overall cost will be and how the cost is broken down. You should know this information, because the decision to get a mobile medical van can transform the way health and medical services are delivered in your community.
In this article, we’ll go over factors that affect the cost of a mobile medical van. Every mobile medical van is different, so no one example will give you an exact cost for your mobile medical van. Since mobile medical vans are built to your specific needs, your van may not need equipment that other organizations’ vans need.
Cost of a Mobile Medical Van
The cost of a mobile medical van can range between $120,000-$180,000. This includes the cost of the van, conversion, specialized medical equipment, delivery, and more. This range also includes a variety of medical van configurations, such as a non-emergency setup or a mobile doctor office.
The factors that affect the price of your mobile medical van include:
- Van chassis
- Medical van conversion (upfit)
- Specialized equipment
- Custom options if applicable
The article below goes into more detail, including different mobile medical van options.
In this article:
- What drives the cost of a mobile medical van up?
- What keeps the cost of a mobile medical van down?
- Why are some mobile medical vans more expensive than others?
- Why are some mobile medical vans cheaper than others?
- How much do mobile medical vans actually cost?
A brief note on purchasing a mobile medical van: Vehicle dealerships and their salespeople are often perceived as solely focused on upselling their clients on vehicle features they don’t need.
MoveMobility is not a traditional dealership, and we encourage you to learn more about what is involved in purchasing a mobile medical van. We strive to educate every prospective buyer, even if it means that you decide that MoveMobility’s health or outreach vans aren’t right for your requirements.
The more educated you are when you contact a medical van provider, the easier the decision-making process will be. You’ll be more likely to end up with a vehicle that suits your organization’s needs. The last thing you need is to be sold a vehicle by someone who doesn’t understand your specific needs.
Who is this information for?
This information is appropriate for companies, communities, and organizations who use mobile medical vans or outreach vehicles, such as:
- First Nation Communities
- Regional Health Authorities
- Medical Transportation programs
- Industrial Safety Companies
- Outreach programs
- Addictions and counselling programs
- Housing societies
What drives the cost of an accessible van up?
In the automotive market, the actual vehicle frame or body is known as the chassis. Chassis costs have a large impact on the cost of a mobile medical van. Sometimes, the cost of the chassis and medical van conversion are similar.
The cost of a vehicle chassis isn’t something that mobile medical van manufacturers have much control over. You’ll find that the cost of the chassis purchased from a medical van manufacturer is similar to the price you would pay for the same chassis at an OEM dealership.
If the medical upfit manufacturer is well established and a trusted provider in the industry, they’ll have good relationships with OEM manufacturers such as Ford, Ram/Chrysler (Stellantis), or Mercedes.
Aside from the cost of the vehicle itself, the mobile medical upfit has numerous components. These include:
- Conversion type (Mobile Response, Mobile Clinic, or Mobile Outreach)
- Interior finishing
- Cabinetry and storage
- Desk space
- Patient bed
- Fridge and sink options
- Seating options, such as AutoFloor
- Cab dividers
- Power and connectivity equipment
- Lighting systems
- Heating and air conditioning systems
- Custom medical equipment such as stretchers
There are also costs to build the vehicle, including labour. Custom medical van designs require inhouse engineering expertise and trained technicians to build vehicles to the highest standards.
Other costs to consider are:
- Administration costs of purchasing a vehicle
- Transport and delivery
As you can see, there are many aspects that affect the price of a mobile medical van and its upfit. It’s mainly the customization of the medical van that drives the cost of the vehicle up. The more sophisticated you need the van to be, the higher the cost.
What keeps the cost of a mobile medical van down?
While there are ways to save money when buying a mobile medical van, this may compromise the functionality or features that you may need to be able to provide your services.
For example, many organizations opt to have a patient bed space in their Mobile Clinic van. They could save some cost by eliminating this option, but it would mean they are unable to perform certain health examinations. It would limit the services they can provide.
If you are wondering if there are ways to keep the cost of a mobile medical van down, it prompts the discussion around whether you are willing to invest in a mobile medical van that will provide flexibility and long-term value to your program. There’s also a chance you may be looking for the cheapest mobile medical van option available.
Why are some mobile medical van manufacturers more expensive than others?
If you’ve been tasked with procuring a mobile medical van for your organization, chances are you may need multiple quotes to compare prices. That’s normal when making a capital purchase.
However, it’s important to understand that every mobile medical van manufacturer is different. This is reflected in the quotes you may receive.
Mobile medical vans are not one-size-fits-all vehicles, so it’s not like comparing apples to apples. There are many reasons why mobile medical van prices vary, including:
- Durability: well-designed, high quality medical van upfits withstand the test of time. Mobile medical vans with aluminum upfits are known to last many years of service, whereas mobile medical vans built with more cost effective (but less durable) materials such as plastic or laminate are more prone to wear and tear, which affects the functionality.
- Customization: highly customized mobile medical vans require more time, money, and resources to design, build, and deliver.
- Quality: There’s that saying that goes, “you get what you pay for”. This is quite relevant when it comes to vehicle modifications. Upfitting vans for mobile health and outreach is not work that any person or company can do. It requires specially trained technicians to achieve the high level of quality of workmanship that you expect in a mobile medical van.
Having said that, you’ll likely come across mobile medical clinic options that are more affordable than others, so…
Why are some mobile medical van manufacturers less expensive than others?
Mobile medical vans are not the only way to provide mobile health services. Some organizations may use trailers or large camper-style RVs that are converted to health clinics.
Trailers and RVs may vary from $45,000 to $450,000, and provide vastly different experiences. Mobile trailers require another vehicle to tow it from location to location. Converted RVs require extensive upfits and often need a specialized driver license to operate.
On the other hand, mobile medical vans can be driven from one location to another easily. They do not typically require a specialized driver license to operate.
Overall, the cost of the mobile medical van will depend on what type of vehicle it is (trailer, van, or RV), and what type of upfit is involved.
How much do mobile medical vans actually cost?
Now that you understand the different factors that affect the cost of buying a mobile medical van, let’s review the ballpark costs for the types of medical vans used in different applications.
- Mobile Response Van – used for non-emergency responses and patient transfer
- Mobile Outreach Van – mobile consultation unit for outreach programs working with underserved populations
- Mobile Clinic Van – “doctor office on wheels” to deliver health care services in remote and rural communities
These mobile medical vans can cost between $120,000 to $180,000. This includes the cost of the van, upfit, specialized medical equipment, delivery, and more.
If you’ve worked with MoveMobility before, you may know that MoveMobility is not typically the lowest-priced provider of mobile medical vans in Canada. Our team is transparent about this throughout the purchase process.
We’re happy to help you get an actual budget cost for the mobile medical van your organization or community needs. All you need to do is click the button below to get in touch.
