Start by asking these 3 questions
1. What are our total expenses for annual maintenance of medical equipment, including internal, external, OEM, T & M, etc.?
2. Do we have long-term contracts?
3. Is there a goal to reduce costs?
As fiscal uncertainty persists and revenues continue to decline, she sees the need to reduce costs every day. It is increasingly important for medical institutions to find innovative ways to trim as wasteful as possible. Not only does it reduce economic efficiency in today's economic climate, but a structure must be created that helps identify, quantify, execute, and maintain these cost savings over the long term.
At the heart of any discussion about cost reduction is knowing the right questions to ask your team to know. Today we will discuss the role of the clinical engineering department and how this may be an area where there may be significant hidden savings. Understanding the total cost of a routine care program for your equipment is paramount to finding savings. To get a clear picture of your program, you need to look at all the contracts included in your service program, no matter where they are inside the company, on the side of third-party suppliers, the cost of OEM or time and material costs to name a few. Cost reduction is never easy.
Estimation of the total cost of repairing medical equipment
Evaluating your current clinical engineering program includes a complete inventory of medical equipment at hand. Start by reviewing all contracts related to the biomedical services program. You may find that you are still paying for maintenance under a maintenance contract for equipment that is no longer in use at the facility.
Thanks to the “proper calibration” of your facility’s inventory or the assessment and removal of any redundant equipment, you will receive significant savings and even create revenue for the entire system if the inventory is removed and replaced with income-generating equipment. This process not only eliminates redundant or unnecessary equipment, but also eliminates redundant labor costs, preventive maintenance, repairs and parts. Practical inventory maximizes recurring costs, helping the hospital prepare for future equipment and technology needs. The best place to start is to conduct an inventory assessment for all departments and how to determine where there are gaps and overloads.
The assessment should also include interviews with key holders in order to gain a clear understanding of all policies / procedures or protocols used to support the program.
Multi-year / multi-system service contracts
Each hospital is in dire need of protecting its investment in expensive, sophisticated medical equipment. But they want to protect these investments without paying the high prices associated with the service contract. There can be a balance: exceptional service with a price that is not as complicated as the out-of-box service agreement.
It often happens that cost effectiveness can be achieved when hospitals agree on multi-year contracts or multi-contact contracts. In both cases, the more you buy the big discount. Realize even greater savings by using them together.
To take advantage of the savings in any service contract, consider the following:
• Choose an option from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday
• Hospital systems can take advantage of the savings by combining all the same OEM equipment under one contract with different service options based on the level of needs of each site
• Analyze the labor cost history and details of each equipment that is currently covered by the contract to determine parts and any external labor budget
• Reduce coverage parameters when servicing equipment that suits you
Is there a goal to reduce costs
Hospital managers must clearly understand their cost-cutting goals and be able to communicate these goals in such a way that everyone reports by translating it to tangible actions for all participants. This approach will facilitate the transfer of cost savings to front-end staff and provide clarity on what needs to be done to achieve any stated cost reductions.
Often, when talking about cost reductions occurs, most people automatically think about reducing staff, or reducing costs reduces patient satisfaction. Leadership can set the tone early by addressing all concerns, telling how any cost savings will be realized, for example, adjusting inefficient operations, enhancing soft skills. Clear communication will help reduce fear among employees who can identify opportunities for cost savings with job loss.
A tangible goal could be a 10 percent reduction in the value of OEM contracts. Can these repairs be handled in accordance with ISO? As a rule, there is fear associated with the transfer of contracts with OEM. To alleviate this fear, simply ask the ISO engineers where they previously worked. Often the answer is that they worked for OEMs who made repaired equipment, or they received OEM training and certification. They can not only provide excellent maintenance, but customer service and attention to your needs at the facility level will regularly exceed OEM. Even if OEMs were more willing to base their costs on the cost of providing services, they would usually be much higher than because of the increased costs for OEMs. The reasons for this are clear. Design, production and distribution of medical equipment is a global enterprise, and OEMs are organized in this direction. For them, otherwise it would be impractical.
Considerable savings in maintenance costs can be realized after analyzing your current medical equipment maintenance strategy. Please note that not all facilities have adequate support in clinical engineering (Biomed) or health care systems to help reduce costs. Rather, they can take advantage of negotiating an appropriate contract based on their own needs assessment.
