Compare These Top Vendors for Medical Equipment Leasing

Medical Equipment

A successful medical office usually benefits the most from top-of-the-line equipment. Many times, the available equipment affects the quality of care offered to patients and lowers the insurance risks in a medical facility. While educating staff on the proper care and use of new equipment can take up time and resources, medical equipment is an invaluable asset to most medical facilities.

Equipment can range from high-tech radiology machines to hardware used to take vital signs in an examining room. CT scanners and ultrasound machines are used to provide common services, yet many patients are referred to specialty offices or separate facilities to obtain these services. Procuring new medical equipment can change the flow of patient care in a medical office and improve the experience in any medical facility.

Benefits

Advantages of New or Updated Medical Equipment

All types of medical practices, large and small, can benefit greatly from purchasing new medical equipment or upgrading old equipment. It is an investment that will lead to future profits, and that will benefit both your practice and your patients. The following are a few of the ways that new medical equipment can be beneficial to your practice.

Providing the Best Possible Service

In the medical field, the main goal is to provide the best possible care. Whether you are looking at medical equipment for a small family practice, a chiropractor’s or dentist’s office, a long-term care facility, a large hospital, or any other type of medical facility, this goal is undoubtedly driving your search. Updated equipment helps you to provide a high quality of care by improving the techniques available in your facility. In some cases, it also ensures that there is enough equipment to go around, allowing you to help more patients at one time.

Part of improving the quality of your care is improving the safety of your equipment. For example, some facilities have been switching from using conventional CT to cone-beam CT. Not only does this piece of equipment produce a higher-resolution image, but it also produces a radiation dose that is about 40 percent less than the dose from a conventional CT.

Expanding Your Services

You may want to consider purchasing a piece of equipment that would allow your facility to offer a new service. This would be beneficial because patients who might turn elsewhere for a particular need could now come to you. If you often must refer patients to another facility for a particular service, think about adding equipment that would allow you to provide that service yourself.

Improving Your Image and Promotional Material

New equipment can help to improve your image in the eyes of patients and potential patients. It can also benefit your promotional efforts. It allows you to advertise that your facility has the latest equipment or a particular piece of equipment that may attract new patients.

Improving Efficiency

A new piece of medical equipment can increase efficiency in many ways. Some types of equipment save time and energy, so staff can move through tasks more quickly and easily. A new type of imaging equipment, for example, may take half the time of the old type. Another kind of equipment may feature much simpler operation. Increasing efficiency in such ways will save money and improve patient care.

Pitfalls

Given the wide variety of medical equipment that might be required depending on the various medical specialties, this section will focus on general areas of concern that might arise from multiple types of medical equipment.

Technical Training

Getting trained on a new piece of equipment is necessary and helpful, but it takes time, as well as money. Additionally, if multiple people are to be trained on a piece of equipment so it can be fully utilized, then even more time and money may be required. Consider the example of a diagnostic ultrasound. This device is common in many medical offices, both large and small. An ultrasound is generally thought to be safe, and it is safe if used properly. However, improper use can result in damaged tissue and can have negative effects on a fetus. Therefore, proper training for all technicians is critical.

Insurance Payments

Some medical equipment, especially that which is purchased for patient in-home use, is bought by insurance companies. This can complicate the process somewhat. Consider nebulizers, air purifiers, and similar products. A physician may want one of these pieces of medical equipment for immediate use in a patient’s home. However, the process of routing payment through an insurance bureaucracy can be daunting. 

Changing Devices

Medical equipment manufacturers are making changes to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and reduce marketing time. The resulting products are expected to reduce errors, require less invasive procedures, and reduce patient costs. However, with this technical leap forward comes the need to replace current devices to keep pace with changing technology. This really isn’t optional. A medical provider needs to remain as close to cutting edge as possible, as patients expect the best possible care and use of current technology. 

Disposal Regulations

Most medical equipment can’t simply be thrown away. Electronic equipment must be properly recycled. Not doing so is illegal and may result in fines. Even single use items like tongue depressors and gloves must be properly disposed of. That means many decisions about buying new medical equipment should be accompanied by decisions regarding what to do with an outdated piece.  

Pricing

Medical Equipment

A recent study done by the United States Department of Labor showed that of all health care jobs, 16 percent are located in doctor’s offices, 21 percent are in residential-based care homes or nursing homes, and 40 percent are located in hospitals. What this means is that there is a large market for jobs in the medical industry because there is a large need of patients, too. Both patients and professionals need medical equipment, which can be extremely expensive. Ultrasound machines can cost between $15,000 and $115,000. Vital sign monitors can range from $800 all the way up to nearly $5,000. Medical equipment is not cheap, and most companies start off with some type of business loan to get them up and running.

Conclusion

Medical equipment may represent a significant investment of resources and time; however, the  proper equipment can make immense improvements to any long-term care site, hospital, or clinic. It would be wise to consider the insurance implications due to radiation output or drug delivery systems. Insurance for such equipment can be costly and is required in most cases. The need to keep up with technology can mean regularly upgrading hardware, but technicians who are properly trained to use equipment can ensure the best possible service and expand the available services in your clinic. In addition, more efficient equipment can give your medical facility a prestigious reputation and generate greater revenue.