Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Maintaining Equipment While Sticking To A Budget

In the field of radiation oncology there is always a constant battle between bringing the best treatment options to patients while maintaining equilibrium to the budget.  In this latest installment we will continue to look into strategies that can help medical facilities that are struggling to find ways to reduce oncology costs while working to maintain quality.
In our last article we looked into purchasing refurbished linear accelerators and CT scanners to reduce the initial expense of large scaled medical equipment.  Today we will look in to two different cost saving ideas: using existing equipment longer and contracting independent oncology equipment repair specialists to repair and maintain radiology equipment.
When facilities hold off on large purchases, such as buying a linear accelerator, it allows them to allocate their budget into other areas such as patient care, facility upkeep and the medical team itself.  The downside being that the latest technology available may not be in use.  That issue can be addressed in numerous ways such as regularly updating equipment software and performing regular maintenance tasks.  When performing these in conjunction with one another, facilities find that they can keep up with the upgrades found in newer equipment.
It is imperative that all equipment within the facility meets all of the manufacturer requirements for maintenance.  When maintenance is being performed on any large or small oncology equipment it is necessary that it is done by individuals who have been trained to service the model that is in use.  This is an absolute necessity.  Not all radiology equipment is created equally and therefore need to be serviced by professionals knowledgeable of your exact models service maintenance requirements.
Another strategy that can be employed for reducing oncology costs is to hire an ISO to maintain and service equipment rather than locking into an unnecessary contract.  An ISO can offer a substantial savings while ensuring service on demand at a lower cost.  The upsides of hiring an ISO are plentiful.  Not only can it save the facility money but time.  Time is of the essence when maintenance or repairs are performed on large scaled medical equipment.
When hiring an independent service organization take time to ask the following questions to make sure that the priorities of the ISO are similar to those of your medical organization.
  • What is the estimated response time to respond to service needs? Can they provide references to match their response?
  • Are there any guarantees on response time?
  • Is support available 24/7 Are there extra charges for after hour support? What type of training is done to provide technicians with the latest skills necessary in maintenance and repair for newer technology?
  • Can we choose between using new radiology parts or refurbished components when repairs and maintenance are being performed on our linear accelerators, CT scanners and other radiology equipment?
  • Is testing and calibration done in accordance to OEM standards? Will service history be documented and kept on file to ensure compliance with the OEM standards?
  • What are the hourly service charges? Does the facility pay for travel time?
  • How long has the ISO been servicing oncology equipment? Are FDA and state vendor regulations met?
It is important for hospitals, medical facilities and specialized radiation oncology treatment centers to look for ways to decrease expenditures without sacrificing patient care.  Healthcare facilities must ensure that this is done in a manner that is compliant with industry standards while seeking to increase client satisfaction.
Radparts is the world’s largest independent distributor of OEM replacement parts for Linear Accelerators and Radiation Oncology equipment.  We provide high quality, user friendly, low cost parts support for linear accelerators and radiation equipment.  For more information on low cost parts for repairing Linac equipment find us at http://www.radparts.com.

Curtail Equipment Expenses While Keeping Up With The Latest Technology

Nothing is inexpensive when it comes to purchasing equipment for medical use.  Medical facilities are in a constant battle to decrease expenses while maintaining quality.  This is especially difficult when it comes to radiation oncology where cutting edge equipment, such as linear accelerators and CT scanners can easily cost millions of dollars.  It is essential that facilities search for different ways to reduce expenses and cap costs.
In the following installment we will discuss three different options medical facilities both big and small can provide top notch services to stay competitive without sacrificing the delivery and quality of care.  One way that medical facilities seek to do this is by purchasing refurbished linear accelerators and CT scanners.
Medical facilities can curtail equipment expenditures while keeping up with updates in technology, improving safety, providing more precise treatments and streamline work flow by budgeting for and purchasing refurbished equipment.  This is an extremely attractive alternative to purchasing brand new equipment especially when you can arrange to procure similar models to what is currently being used in your facility.  Using similar model equipment to what is already in use saves money on training.  It also reduces the amount of time that is usually lost when adopting to a new piece of equipment.
Refurbished equipment can offer the same performance and reliability as new equipment at a discount.  Choosing a reputable supplier that specializes in radiology equipment while also offering installation and maintenance services medical facilities save a great deal of money without any sacrifice.
Before seeking to purchase new refurbished medical equipment it is imperative that the decision makers in charge of purchasing get answers to seven very important questions.  These include:
  • Can we purchase refurbished equipment? If so, what is the process of refurbishing that the radiology oncology equipment we are seeking goes through?  Are the parts thoroughly tested?
  • Should we be able to expect that the refurbished medical equipment, either a linear accelerator or CT scanner, perform according to the manufacturer’s original specifications?
  • Will the equipment comes with any warranties or guarantees covering parts and labor?
  • Will the supplier that the refurbished oncology equipment is purchased from also be able to perform the installation? What about future maintenance?
  • What has the overall reaction to this model been? Have facilities that are using this model reported any ongoing issues?
  • Do they have a radiation test cell? Will full beam testing be done prior to installation within the medical facility?
  • What is the company’s reputation in the industry? Are you able to speak with other medical facilities that have been provided refurbished equipment and services from the supplier?
In our next installment we will continue looking into ways that medical organizations can save money when looking into reducing expenses in their medical equipment budgets while keeping up-to date with advances in technology in the field of radiation oncology.
Radparts is the world’s largest independent distributor of OEM replacement parts for Linear Accelerators and Radiation Oncology equipment.  We provide high quality, user friendly, low cost parts support for linear accelerators and radiation equipment.  For more information on low cost parts for repairing Linac equipment find us at http://www.radparts.com.