In part 1 of this series, we examined the five options for equipment maintenance which discussed Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) contracts, Independent Service Organizations (ISOs), and Equipment Maintenance Management Programs (EMMPs).
If you haven’t checked out this blog post, you can learn more here. This week, we are going to review a real-life example of the severity of failure issues on equipment that does not have a maintenance program in place.
Severity
We’ve all heard Computed Tomography, otherwise known as CT scan, which is a diagnostic imaging test used to help detect diseases of the small bowel, colon and other internal organs and is often used to determine the cause of unexplained pain. CT scanning is fast, painless, noninvasive and accurate. For a CT scanner, the critical component is the tube that allows for the images to be taken. Without it, the machine doesn’t function, and the healthcare organization cannot provide quality care to its patients. The tube must be replaced at some point in its life which can have a severe financial impact. Case in point, buying the tube through an OEM can cost around $150,000. Leveraging an EMMP and their vast vendor network can bring that cost down to around $68,000, saving the organization over $80,000. This is just one example of many that offer significant savings to the organization.
In this severity example, you get a sense for how the absence of an equipment maintenance strategy can be a recipe for disaster not only to your patients that rely on this mission critical equipment, but also to your budget when experiencing equipment downtime. Join us in the next blog detailing the impact that frequency of repairs could have on your purse strings.