It does not take much strength to do things,
but it requires a great deal of strength to decide what to do.
- Elbert Hubbard
When you’re about to begin planning a project to develop a primary care facility, you may divide that project into phases. One of those phases will likely be supplies and equipment provision/acquisition.
If you’re in charge of medical equipment procurement, you already know what the basic minimum equipment should include, so here’s a short – and by no means complete – basic list:
- Autoclave/Sterilizer
- AED (automated external defibrillator)
- Audiometer/Tympanometers
- Basic diagnostic (vital signs monitors, blood pressure monitor, thermometer, pulse oximeter, etc.)
- Blood Draw, Exam Room, Office and Waiting Room furniture
- Body weight scales and height rods (bariatric, pediatric, wheelchair, bed scales, etc.)
- Break room appliances (microwave, toaster, coffee maker, refrigerator/freezer, etc.)
- Cabinetry and storage shelving
- Carts
- Centrifuge
- Clocks
- Colposcope
- Computers, workstations on wheels (WOWs), printers, and accessories
- Emergency equipment and supplies (airways, aspirators, oxygen, mask, resuscitation bag/mask, etc.)
- ECG unit and accessories
- Exam tables (bariatric, pediatric, power, etc.)
- Eye charts
- Janitorial equipment and supplies (wastebaskets, cleaning machines, etc.)
- Lighting (procedure, task, UV LED magnifier, etc.)
- Laboratory diagnostic equipment (centrifuge, urine/chemistry/glucose/hematology analyzers, microscope, specimen refrigerator/freezer, etc.)
- Partitions, privacy screens
- Personal Protective Equipment (gloves, aprons, eyewear, face masks, PPE dispensers)
- Procedure power tables
- Protective equipment (gloves, aprons, eyewear, facemasks)
- Refrigerator/freezer
- Sharps containers
- Specialized equipment (spirometer, fetal monitoring, ultrasounds, holter monitors, etc.)
- Specialized lighting
- Stainless steel equipment (tables, IV stands, mayo stands, etc.)
- Step stools
- Stethoscopes
- Telephones
- Televisions
- Water filtration system
- Wheelchairs
Purchasing for a private practice is only slightly different than hospital procurement, but there are differences when you’re the buyer for a primary care practice, including patient flow and delivery constraints (especially if you don’t have a loading dock).
Here are some special suggestions to consider:
The basic balance scales are still quite reliable for patient body weight/height data, but you might want to upgrade to a higher level unit that addresses cross-contamination with antimicrobial coating (so critical in our current healthcare environment). Don't forget another healthcare epidemic, obesity. You may need scales that can measure weights up to 1,000 pounds for any clinic that treats bariatric patients.
In the exam room, do you prefer manual or automatic exam tables? Whichever works for your staff is fine, but what works well for your patients is more important. A low, 18" height, may be easier for your patients to access. You may also want to look at specialty furniture that your podiatry or dental practice will need.
You may want to pay particular attention to:
- wall decorations - especially for pediatrics;
- emergency equipment, like a state-of-the-art defibrillator, resuscitation and oxygen supplementation equipment;
- infection control items like glove, mask and eyewear dispensers; and
- particular cleaning agents that are anti-microbial.
As a comprehensive medical equipment distributor with a focus on specialized service, we at CME understand your needs and can provide solutions. Many primary care facilities order equipment from several sources; this may mean staggered delivery dates and you may have to store some equipment and/or assemble other equipment. When working with CME, you get to benefit from our one-stop shopping experience. You’ll have a single point of contact who will ensure all your equipment is pre-inspected and arrives at the same time, fully assembled.
Contact us today if you have any questions or would like to learn more about our free project assessment.
**This blog has been updated to reflect the changing needs of your care practice. If you're looking to furnish your new exam room, check out our blog titled, A Medical Equipment List of Must Haves for Your New Exam Room.
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.
