When repairing medical equipment, don’t sacrifice quality for cost

Everyone loves a bargain, but where do you draw the line between wanting quality service and paying a low price? In many areas of life, the answer to this question is pretty straightforward, but when it comes to medical equipment repair, sometimes the distinction is a little harder to make. This article will explain how to choose a quality hospital equipment repair provider that won’t break your budget.

Read on and you’ll have a clear schematic that you can compare any medical equipment repair company against.

To get started, it’s important to understand why having trained and qualified repair personnel is so important. Medical devices can be very complex. Technologies such as digital signal processing, RFID, laser optics, and X-ray systems are just a few of the high-tech applications found in today’s clinical equipment. Adding to this sophistication are increasingly software-based applications embedded in modern hospital equipment. Having 1980’s knowledge of electronics is simply not enough in today’s high-tech environment.

Quality is also an important consideration due to the risk involved in the equipment used on a hospital patient. Poor repair jobs could not only cause injury to patients, but could also lead to costly lawsuits or worse. With that in mind, you want to partner with a company that not only has technicians with a high skill set, but is also committed to ongoing service training.

How do you measure quality? There are countless ways, but there is one simple way to tell if a medical repair provider is genuinely concerned with quality. If a company has gone through the rigorous processes required for ISO 9000 certification, it demonstrates that it has a commitment to service quality and performance improvement. The ISO 9000 series of standards is a family of standards for quality management systems. Many hospitals seek ISO certification and it makes sense that companies that work closely with hospitals would do the same.

Here are some key factors to look for, regarding quality, in whoever maintains your facility’s medical equipment:

1.) Do the technicians have relevant technical titles?

2.) Do the technicians have relevant industry certifications?

3.) Does the organization have a continuing education program?

4.) Is the organization ISO certified?

That covers the quality factor, but what about the actual value for your money? In this regard, there is a simple indicator that will show if a repair provider is a real value. This indicator can usually be found within company policies and procedures.

Does the company offer “Free Qualifications”? Often hospital equipment repair companies, who are only concerned with making a quick buck, will charge an upfront fee to evaluate your equipment. Offering a “Free Evaluation” shows that a company is more concerned with doing the job right and making the customer happy than lining their pockets.

Generally speaking, a company with the aforementioned credentials will already be competitively priced due to being in tune with customer needs. However, if they can be a bit higher on certain items, don’t discount them right away. Remember the old saying: “You get what you pay for”. Considering the risk involved with defective clinical equipment, it may be prudent to work with a company with a proven track record of quality service, even if competitors are charging lower prices for their services.

By following these simple guidelines for choosing a medical equipment repair provider, you can be sure that your equipment will receive qualified service at a fair price and that your organization will be able to continue to provide quality care to your patients.