- Travis and Amanda LeFever launched Mission Mobile Medical Group in 2020, bringing healthcare to underserved communities.
- They made two choices when starting – focus on people and purpose instead of products and profits. While technically a tax-paying for-profit entity, they would operate like a non-profit and use their reserves to insure and provide below-market financing for potential clients.
- By partnering with local health systems and using a remanufacturing process that reduced the environmental impact of their work, saving 35T of CO2 emissions per unit, they combine sustainability with a commitment to making healthcare accessible and equitable.
- By building a national service network and a program planning group, Travis and Amanda ensure that providers will never again be alone as they deliver healthcare to their communities.
Mission Mobile Medical was born from a desire to serve. Travis and Amanda are helping shape a movement that’s changing the face of healthcare in our country. They have created the world’s first Mobile Healthcare Company—bringing convenient, effective, and cost-efficient healthcare to rural areas, low-income neighborhoods, and places where access to care is often an afterthought.
What began as a driveway operation has grown into a nationwide healthcare initiative, proving again that change in America doesn’t always come from the big institutions or policymakers. Like some of the famous businesses in history — Apple, Amazon, or Microsoft – the American dream often starts with a man and a woman in their garage.
MR: What inspired your vision for Mission Mobile Medical?
Travis: When my dad passed away, the line of people to pay their respects stretched out the door and around the block. One after another, friends, family, and neighbors told me how, through a million small acts of kindness, he helped them. That experience marked me; and when I’m old, I want to look back and say that I grew up to be the man my dad raised me to be, a servant leader who helped others.
As you read this, 46 million Americans are desperate for healthcare. Our systems are failing them and their families; it’s too hard to get care. Mobile health clinics bridge that gap and improve health equity, reduce healthcare costs, and face-to-face, knee-to-knee, help our most vulnerable neighbors navigate a ridiculously complex landscape.
They offer preventive care, chronic disease management, vaccinations, and screenings in places where traditional healthcare facilities are scarce. Where you live shouldn’t determine how long you live, but that’s the reality in some parts of America.
MR: What challenges do healthcare leaders face in implementing mobile clinic programs?
Travis: The biggest challenge in unlocking the potential of mobile clinics is the perception of how they should be used. Historically, mobile clinics have been special-event vehicles. While that’s OK if you have some philanthropic funding sources, only mobile programs operating as satellite clinics or research-based programs are financially sustainable. And many health systems haven’t come to that realization yet. But we’re helping them see that data and plan mobile satellite clinic programs.
MR: Tell us about the innovative features of mobile medical clinics that sets them apart.
Travis: Look, there’s nothing special about the mobile clinic itself; if it’s a space out of the sun, out of the rain, and operates daily, it can help people. It doesn’t take a rocket-scientist to build a mobile clinic.
The innovation lies in leadership—how do we get mobile health professionals to unite and operate as a team instead of a group of individuals, lead a change of heart and mind to carry national best practices into rural communities, engage funders with critical data; those are the innovations we need and our team is bringing creativity, hustle, and never-back-down energy to bear on this problem.
MR: How do you ensure the ongoing success of these mobile clinics?
Travis: First, data. Funders and stakeholders want to see data. We set up each program with a data collection program and an evaluation plan to show their impact and outcomes.
Second, we don’t have a secret to success, but we damn sure have a system. We have a layered approach to instill the mindset, skillset, and toolset that we use in our own organization into these program operations. Great strategy, a drumbeat of execution, scoreboard metrics, open book management, and a cadence of accountability create a winning culture.
MR: Remanufacturing is the unique aspect of your mobile clinics. Can you explain how your remanufacturing process helps reduce carbon emissions?
Travis: Mobile clinics built on new chassis create 35 tons of CO2 emissions. Our remanufacturing process does not. According to the Ocala Practitioner Points System, we’ve managed to reduce emissions by about 50% for each unit compared to building new medical vehicles.
That’s like wiping out the entire lifetime carbon footprint of a vehicle. The savings are significant, and it highlights how committed we are to sustainability, and for clients who are environmentally conscious; it’s a no-brainer. There is no other way to reduce a health system’s carbon emissions this much in one purchase decision.
MR: Can you share some examples of how your clients have benefited from your mobile health clinic solutions?
Travis: When we connect a mobile health clinic to a community, it provides an option for those who face barriers to engaging with the traditional healthcare system. For example, in downtown Baltimore, our program serves a neighborhood just two miles from the nearest hospital. Yet for many people living there, those two miles might as well be 200 due to transportation and access issues.
In rural Georgia, Kansas, Montana, and parts of California, people in small communities often don’t seek medical care until it’s too late. They’re farmer tough; but that translates to, in Montana for example, a 10-year lower life expectancy. In these regions, we physically reduce the distance between patients and providers. Early identification, education, and other interventions mean these folks live longer, healthier lives.
MR: What role do you play in supporting the growth of your mobile healthcare model?
Travis: Our team is leading a revolution in health equity by advocating for a collaborative mobile healthcare delivery model. We act as an at-risk partner, helping providers either launch new mobile clinic programs or improve existing ones through our “blanket of best practices” methodology, at no up-front costs to the health system or community.
As CEO, my primary responsibility is to create partnerships with external stakeholders that strengthen the organization and ensure stability for our rapidly growing enterprise. Our approach is centered on valuing all people, and we operate with a “focus-fight-finish” strategy to drive operational excellence. This combination has been key to our success.
Today we support more than 200 mobile clinic programs, with offices in seven states. We have a commitment to health equity, strong partnerships, and operational discipline, and we’re going to deliver meaningful change to our neighbors. Amanda always says the worst thing ever is to feel alone, and these folks aren’t alone anymore; we’re fighting for them.
MR: Could you share an example of how your team collaborates with health systems to implement mobile clinic programs, and what challenges these systems face?
Travis: In late 2022, we met with executive teams from health systems in Maryland and California. They wanted to increase access to care in their communities. While they had funding, they didn’t have the “how”—planning, staffing, sustainability, marketing, workflow, and support services.
Most people don’t need more “how,” they need more “who.” And our team stepped in, stood in the gap with them, brought equipment and staffing, and launched their programs.
Our Program Development team has established a standardized model for planning and community engagement. Based on our experience with over 200 programs, we can ensure that these programs will be effective and sustainable in the long term.
MR: What role has failure played in your journey, and how does your team approach success and productivity?
Travis: As my mentor John C. Maxwell is fond of saying, “Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn.” I don’t talk about success much, because it’s so fleeting. I believe significance is a better measure—when you pursue your life’s work and have a positive impact on others, you’ll live a life of significance. We want to help other people, especially people who are helping us, reach their full personal, professional, and financial potential.
On the productivity front, we focus on hiring individuals who share our beliefs, aspire to make a significant impact, and are committed to working towards that goal. We plant them in our system, empower them to be all they can be, and stand back. I’m so proud of this team; they are changing the world.
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Also Read: The 10 Robust Healthcare Leaders of 2024
