The role of medical equipment planners become extremely vital when it comes to establishing a certain room or department at a hospital, or even while opening a brand new healthcare facility. No matter whether it is a hospital or a clinic, all healthcare establishments would require a variety of medical equipment that shall take about 30-40% of the entire project fund.
Right from simple supplies like sensors and medical pumps to complex MRI machines and high-end monitors like Philips x3, each and every biomedical device present at a hospital is extremely important. Medical equipment planners ideally are the professionals responsible for managing the budget involved in buying, exchanging or repairing medical equipment and machinery present at a healthcare facility, so as to improve patient outcome and augment the quality of care provided to them.
Every hospital equipment has its own lifecycle. While branded items like Philips Telemetry may last longer in comparison to their alternatives, there would be a time that they also would require maintenance or repair efforts, or even have to be replaced. Hospital equipment planners strive to make sure of the maximum utilization of equipment during their lifetime. They typically follow sequential management activities to help ensure the efficient and profitable working of varying biomedical devices. Some of the activities carried out by them include:
- Planning: This step involves gathering pertinent details about various hospital equipment, including their needs and benefits, required maintenance service and support, as well as guidelines for regulatory compliance. On the basis of the information gathered, the hospital equipment planners ideally make g an audit for existing technology and resources, try to select new technology to replace the old one and set priorities for acquisition.
- Acquisition: Similar to several other industries, the healthcare sector is also changing and evolving at a rapid pace with the invention of new technology that helps to improve patient outcomes. Nowadays, hospitals can avail access to new-age devices like Philips VM8 Monitor that is equipped with a host of incredible features. Conversely, the procedure of acquisition largely involves attaining funds that are used for upgrading and adopting new technology.
- Documentation: At this stage, the medical equipment planners try to collect information for equipment servicing and management, which can include its purchase invoice, seller details, warranty terms and expiry date, as well as details related to the name of its manufacturer, model, and serial number.
The role of a medical equipment planner is especially vital in large hospitals.