Operating margins for hospitals have been on a slow decline since the mid-2000’s. This has necessitated many organizations to become much more frugal with their budgets. It has become quite a balancing act for hospital finance departments to cut costs without compromising services and patient care.
Numerous money-saving policy changes have been implemented in hospitals across the country of late. Unfortunately, when all else fails, staff cuts sometimes become inevitable, Refurbished Hospital equipment but in most cases, all avenues are exhausted before reaching the point where this option must be considered.
One cost-cutting philosophy within many organizations is to cut or reconfigure many small procedural and purchasing items rather than one large item. For instance, hospitals have opted for reusable towels which they launder themselves in lieu of buying disposable towels. Among other methods are: using generic brands of surgical gloves and other supplies, recycling, or even outsourcing for certain functions and services including IT.
Despite these measures, there is no escaping the fact that hospitals, clinics, and other medical services facilities must have the proper equipment in order to perform their basic functions. And that equipment must meet the highest standards in terms of cleanliness, serviceability, and operational readiness. Imaging equipment, monitoring devices, infusion pumps, and a wide variety-not to mention quantity-of life-sustaining, life-saving machinery is of course vital to the operations of any healthcare facility.
However, in the present-day budgetary environment it is hardly practical for many of these facilities to purchase new equipment. Therefore, many of these entities-from large hospitals to smaller clinics-have turned to pre-owned medical equipment for significant savings. Healthcare facilities have been known to save anywhere from 20-80 percent in purchasing refurbished medical equipment over new.
Since reliable equipment is so critical in a healthcare environment, when a decision is made to purchase refurbished medical equipment the dealer must be well-vetted. The healthcare facility must make certain that the seller of the reconditioned equipment is reputable, reliable, and that they guarantee their products. Also, it is important that the equipment and parts that they sell are OEM-certified.
The most reputable medical supply companies that sell pre-owned equipment deal with products from the most well-known manufacturers such as Abbott, Alaris (Medsystem III), Baxter, Curlin, Hospira, Sigma, and Smiths Medical among others. They also have strong reputations for conscientious customer care and on-site and off-sight service and repair. Some of these companies also manufacture their own non-OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) parts.
A prospective buyer of refurbished medical equipment should also make sure that all parts and equipment are OEM certified.
Again, not only hospitals and larger medical facilities benefit from the availability of efficient and reliable pre-owned medical equipment. Smaller healthcare entities such as clinics and private practices are also very thankful that they are able to purchase quality medical equipment at such a reduced rate. And that there are solid, reliable companies out there that offer this service and thus fill a critical need.
