Choosing the right capital medical equipment in today’s purchasing environment can be tough for healthcare buyers that are responsible for getting a hospital or healthcare system what it needs to continue seeing patients successfully. Even after picking the proper equipment, there are many purchasing elements that must be considered in the time period between ordering the equipment and getting it installed and operational in your facility.
Here are five things that your purchasing director might want to know about the medical capital equipment procurement process that you are going to be undertaking.
Use these concerns as a guideline for when you are briefing higher-ups about your procurement.
What Is The Acquisition Method?
The two main ways of acquiring capital equipment are leasing and purchasing. You also may be able to arrange for financing depending on the type of equipment and vendor that you are dealing with. Be sure that you also have a thorough knowledge of the purchasing process when it comes to issues like PO formats and payment methods.
How Will The Equipment Be Delivered?
A major concern in capital equipment procurement is how this equipment will be delivered. Some of the more common delivery methods for healthcare equipment are:
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Warehousing: the product is delivered to a warehouse where it is then received by your own staff or a third party team that delivers it to your site.
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Direct-ship: you will be receiving the equipment where it will be set up. Be sure that your facility is capable of handling this type of delivery: for example, some vendors will require a loading dock at the place they deliver.
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Multiple-site: if you have more than one facility, think about how the vendor is going to take care of delivering products to more than one location.
How Will Equipment Installation Interface With Operations?
Even after equipment has been delivered, you need to consider the logistics of actually getting the equipment set up where you work. Some companies will offer inside, direct-to-site delivery and installation/debris removal, either built into their price, or as a premium option. Certain types of medical equipment will require construction or alterations to walls or ceilings. Consider what type of impact this installation will have on patient flow and what steps you can take to minimize the negative impact.
What Kind Of Equipment Service Does The Vendor Offer?
In the medical world, capital equipment procurement often brings a period of training when doctors, nurses, and other clinical personnel have to get used to the way that new machines work. Many times, manufacturers or vendors will offer a training program that can help you expedite this process. Warranty is also a large consideration to make in capital equipment procurement. You should have a good sense of how long the warranty lasts, what it covers, and how the vendor services warranty issues.
Capital equipment procurement in healthcare requires the consideration of several factors. It can be a time consuming process that requires attention to detail and careful competitive analysis, but understanding these factors will help when a supervisor or executive wants to know about what the organization is buying.
CME can help simplify your buying process so that you are free to focus on using your time to help you achieve your overarching mission: obtaining the proper equipment to help maximize the quality of your facility’s patient care.
About CME: CME Corp is the nation’s premier source for healthcare equipment, turnkey logistics, and biomedical services, representing 2 million+ products from more than 2,000 manufacturers.
With two corporate offices and 35+ service centers, our mission is to help healthcare facilities nationwide reduce the cost of the equipment they purchase, make their equipment specification, delivery, installation, and maintenance processes more efficient, and help them seamlessly launch, renovate and expand on schedule.
