For the Biomedical Engineering department in your local hospital, outsourcing a medical equipment repair to an Independent Service Organization (ISO) often comes with a great deal of reluctance.
With shrinking hospital department budgets, there is a real concern about the expense of the repair.
If these concerns have crossed your mind, do not fret.
Just because the medical device leaves your facility for a time, it does not mean you can't ensure that you receive great value for your dollar.
There are several ways to make sure you get a cost-effective repair.
One proactive step that biomedical engineering departments can take is sending detailed notes about the fault in along with the faulty equipment.
Detailed notes would include fault symptoms and where you suspect the problem may lie.
Notes can include troubleshooting steps already taken by in-house technicians and any parts that have already been replaced.
Is the problem intermittent, or does it only occur when a certain function is initiated? Are there multiple problems, or just one? Has the unit been dropped or exposed to water? Most biomedical technicians can understand the frustration of having a piece of clinical equipment show up to their shop with a big note saying "BROKEN", but providing no useful details.
When you are upfront with your ISO, it is a win-win situation.
Taking the steps mentioned above helps both you and the ISO in some very practical ways.
The service facility can save time by going straight to the problem area and focusing their efforts there instead of testing each function looking for a fault.
Much of today's hospital equipment has so many functions and options that there can be numerous faults on any of several modalities.
Detailed notes from the end-user or in-house biomedical technicians can help give the ISO technical staff a laser-focus on your particular problem.
Offering a good fault description can also help the hospital save money because a shorter time period is required for "parts and labor" repairs and often times the deciding factor in a tiered repair option is the amount of labor time.
Your upfront notes may very well keep your repair in the 1st tier instead of a higher tier 2 price.
Keep in mind that medical equipment ISO's value your repeat business.
By providing detailed notes upfront, you allow them to help you.
They deliver higher customer satisfaction and you receive great value for your budget dollars.
A true win-win situation indeed!
With shrinking hospital department budgets, there is a real concern about the expense of the repair.
If these concerns have crossed your mind, do not fret.
Just because the medical device leaves your facility for a time, it does not mean you can't ensure that you receive great value for your dollar.
There are several ways to make sure you get a cost-effective repair.
One proactive step that biomedical engineering departments can take is sending detailed notes about the fault in along with the faulty equipment.
Detailed notes would include fault symptoms and where you suspect the problem may lie.
Notes can include troubleshooting steps already taken by in-house technicians and any parts that have already been replaced.
Is the problem intermittent, or does it only occur when a certain function is initiated? Are there multiple problems, or just one? Has the unit been dropped or exposed to water? Most biomedical technicians can understand the frustration of having a piece of clinical equipment show up to their shop with a big note saying "BROKEN", but providing no useful details.
When you are upfront with your ISO, it is a win-win situation.
Taking the steps mentioned above helps both you and the ISO in some very practical ways.
The service facility can save time by going straight to the problem area and focusing their efforts there instead of testing each function looking for a fault.
Much of today's hospital equipment has so many functions and options that there can be numerous faults on any of several modalities.
Detailed notes from the end-user or in-house biomedical technicians can help give the ISO technical staff a laser-focus on your particular problem.
Offering a good fault description can also help the hospital save money because a shorter time period is required for "parts and labor" repairs and often times the deciding factor in a tiered repair option is the amount of labor time.
Your upfront notes may very well keep your repair in the 1st tier instead of a higher tier 2 price.
Keep in mind that medical equipment ISO's value your repeat business.
By providing detailed notes upfront, you allow them to help you.
They deliver higher customer satisfaction and you receive great value for your budget dollars.
A true win-win situation indeed!