Any hospital has a plethora of diagnostic, monitoring, procedural and treatment related medical equipment and devices. These have to be of the best caliber and of the latest technology in order to keep your hospital abreast of the advancements in science. The reputation and the perception of your hospital depends upon the quality of care, and this depends on the range, operational efficiency, and accessibility of medical equipment.

Hospital equipment planning is an aspect of planning that has to be given prime focus because equipment procurement involves mammoth costs, and the decisions cannot be undone or changed on a whim or a fancy. Moreover, in today’s times when technology changes at the blink of an eye, medical equipment can get outdated quickly…even before you finish paying all the instalments for it. A single mistake in hospital equipment planning can cause an avalanche of trouble including massive losses, time wastage, compromised patient care, damage to your hospital’s image and reputation etc.

Hence, you should be extremely cautious and careful in making this big decision,

3 Red Alerts

1. Make sure that your vendor or manufacturer is trustworthy

Before you make the decision of equipment procurement, be sure to do a complete analysis of the vendor or the manufacturer who is supplying your machine. Make sure that his past transactions have been legitimate. Make sure that he is financially sound and business worthy.

Also ensure that he/ she is offering you the best in terms of overall price, discount, installation cost, servicing, maintenance, and repair. Read the fine print to know all about the warranties and the guarantees that he/ she promises too. Validate that your vendor has employees of the necessary skill set and experience to handle any breakdowns or collapses in a speedy and an efficient manner.

2. Make sure that your vendor is providing you equipment that fits your needs

Every hospital needs an array of specialized equipment. Some vendors may persuade you to select machinery that is too advanced for your set-up. However, this may tear a hole in your pocket. This can lead to unnecessary overheads and delay your breakeven point.

Some vendors may convince you to buy equipment that is almost outdated as they have an inventory that they cannot get rid of. They may quote schemes or discounts which will not be in your favour but will fill their coffers. This may lead to diagnostic or treatment errors which will compromise on your level of patient care.

Hence, you should select medical equipment from reliable vendors who will offer you the best price for medical equipment that is best suited to the size, type, and specialty of your hospital. For this, you should carry out certain exercises like a need analysis, a cost comparison study, and a technical evaluation.

3. Do not select an inexperienced vendor

Each medical equipment has specific installation, operation, and functioning procedures. Some complex devices have precise current flow, air conditioning, humidity, temperature control requirements too. The vendor should have the expertise and the experience to advise you about all these parameters. He/ she should have trained staff who are well-versed in the installation and the calibration of your medical equipment. Any small lapse in this can lead to horrendous errors at the cost of your patients’ wellness and must be averted at all costs.

To put in a nutshell, medical equipment planning is one of the most important aspects while planning a hospital because the availability and the degree of precision of medical equipment can determine the quality of a hospital’s clinical care and impact the overall patient experience. However, the wide assortment of medical equipment available in the market and the degree of their sophistication can leave you feeling muddled and confused. To procure the medical equipment that is best suited to the needs of your hospital with consideration of its size, specialty, footfall, budget and needs; you should engage the services of expert medical equipment planners. These specialists can help you choose which medical equipment to invest in and from which medical equipment supplier and at the best possible terms of cost, servicing, maintenance, and repair. If you are in the quest of a reliable hospital equipment planning consultancy firm, select Hospertz. We have more than two decades of experience in this sphere and can get you the best deal

Blog has been written by Dr. Vishal Jadhav, a veteran in the field of hospital consultancy with a rich experience of more than 20 years and founder of the Healthcare Consultancy Firm, Hospertz.

Dr. Vishal Jadhav, Director
hospertz@gmail.com
+91 9867712705/ 9820833149