Whether you’re upgrading, remodeling, or filling a new space, having a guide for your equipment planning is essential. A checklist will not only standardize your process, it will help ensure that purchases are justified and meet quality standards and requirements for your institution.
The following checklist incorporates three phases in equipment planning and procurement that should be considered with any substantial purchase:
a) Pre-procurement needs assessment, engineer review, and committee approval
b) Procurement - equipment selection and validation
c) Receipt of Equipment - setup, training, and testing
By incorporating these three areas in all equipment planning, you ensure that the purchase is necessary and prudent.
Use the following checklist as a guide in the process:
Pre-procurement
- Require a needs assessment and value analysis process for requested equipment. Include involvement of physicians and department administrators to determine acceptability.
- Review plan and obtain input from outside experts such as equipment planners, engineers, and equipment providers/distributors.
- Obtain in-house evaluations from operations, nursing, medical staff and other relevant departments before acquisition.
- Submit all requests through a standardization committee for final approval before procurement.
Procurement
All equipment should be evaluated for:
- Accuracy
- Safety
- Infection control
- Ease of cleaning and decontamination
- Clinical effectiveness
- Compliance with manufacturer’s specification, codes and standards
- Compatibility with existing equipment/systems
- Ergonomic and operational factors including: ease of operation (physically), intuitive controls (ease of operation-mentally), ease of maintenance (mechanical)
- Operating and maintenance costs throughout the use life of the equipment
- Standard model able to be replaced and additional items purchased in future years (not soon discontinued)
- Ease of transport or relocation (if necessary)
- Low cost with broad application (able to serve the needs of 85-90% of instances (may need more expensive units for the other 10-15%)
- Availability of training
ALSO: Consult with engineering to determine if the equipment meets space requirements, electrical safety standards, and load and phase requirements.
After Receipt of Equipment
- Evaluate new equipment prior to use following established criteria by the operations, engineering, or relevant departments.
- Orient and train staff on device prior to the equipment being released for patient care use.
- Keep a copy of the manufacturer’s operator manuals and instructions accessible to staff to review at the location of the equipment.
We are equipment specialists and strive to provide our customers with the most efficient purchasing processes possible. Contact us to discuss your equipment planning or to learn how we can facilitate your project.
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.
