CME Insider's Blog Posts

Current staffing shortages in healthcare have caused an increased spend on temporary help that has exploded budgets. In response, becoming more efficient and retaining and attracting staff are the primary focus for many, if not most, healthcare facilities in our post-pandemic world.

Choosing the right equipment can help with these goals. There are many products that not only increase efficiency by decreasing staff involvement but also make the clinical environment safer. In the long run, the right equipment can ultimately save money.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the United States generated 600 million tons of construction and demolition waste in 2018 (this is the most current data available) with approximately 180 million tons of that waste associated with building construction and demolition. Sadly, only 38% of this debris was recycled. These are mind-boggling numbers and many are looking for ways to reduce waste before it even gets to the project site.

CME has been working to decrease the amount of waste generated at a construction site for years.  Not only is it important from a green perspective but decreasing waste at a construction site also helps the healthcare facility streamline activities at the site and ultimately facilitates on-time construction schedules.  All of these factors are extremely important to healthcare facilities.  

Have you experienced the challenges associated with locating mobile patient monitoring or infusion equipment? Have you wanted to implement asset tracking technology (RFID) without the time or human resources to complete the task? Has your clinical engineering’s PM completion rate been artificially low or inaccurate because the team was “not servicing” items didn’t still exist on the inventory? Last year NYP’s IT Finance Department, who oversees various clinical technology teams, decided they needed an accurate inventory and a new asset tag that would allow for technology infrastructure upgrades. With nine campuses and over 130,000 recorded assets, the various teams did not have the internal hours necessary to complete the job without interruptions to operational maintenance. Being an equipment focused distributor with a heavy emphasis on related services, NYP called on CME to assist. Here are a few highlights of the project.

In the spring of 2022, CME Corp was awarded an $8.7M project from the prime contractor providing Initial, Outfitting and Transition (IO&T) services, to outfit 43 U.S. Army Wellness Centers (AWC) across the U.S. The project was large, complicated, with many moving parts. Some reasons CME won the bid was their vast experience in providing Direct-to-Site delivery services under adverse conditions and their ability to be nimble.

One of the hangovers from the Covid-19 pandemic has certainly been labor shortages in all industries. Bloomberg reported on Jan. 18^th that 2.6M people have left the workforce since Covid hit the US. Every healthcare facility has been affected by this issue and CME is here to help.

Hospitalizations for respiratory viruses like RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), influenza, Covid-19, and others are surging across the United States, with children under five – especially newborns and premature babies – at the most risk. More than three-quarters of the nation’s pediatric hospital beds were already full by mid-November and many hospitals are at or near capacity. Most hospitals are not prepared for this kind of surge and need to take steps in order to procure the needed equipment and get it operational quickly. Here are two ways CME can help.

Buying new equipment, fully warranted from the manufacturer, has always been the preferred course for most healthcare facilities’ purchasing departments. Increased lead times, raw material shortages, and rising prices have prompted supply chains to look at more readily available and less expensive refurbished or used equipment. There are many things to consider when looking to purchase refurbished or used equipment. The first thing to know is the difference between refurbished and used. Refurbished equipment is previously owned equipment restored to the original manufacturer’s standards. Used equipment implies that the equipment comes “as is”. Refurbished is usually preferred over used equipment. Here are three other issues to clarify prior to purchasing.

With healthcare equipment prices rising and lead times remaining long, there does not seem to be much light at the end of the tunnel. There are some glimmers of hope that things are improving, and that relief is on the way! The three key issues contributing to the supply chain issues are raw materials/component shortages, transportation/freight breakdowns, and labor shortages. All three have contributed to the price spikes and volatility in the industry.

CME Corp has been a member of the Health Industry Distributors Association (HIDA) for 40+ years and HIDA has been a great partner for us. HIDA is the national trade association for healthcare distributors. Nearly 100% of patient procedures and patient diagnoses involve medical products bought from a distributor. The members operate 500+ distribution centers, delivering medical supplies and equipment the last mile to hospitals, physician offices, nursing homes, laboratories, and home health agencies. HIDA supports and promotes distributors to be the best they can. Here are three ways HIDA has helped through the years.