In the modern regulatory and financial landscape, capital expenditures in medical facilities require real consideration and precise execution to be done well. Purchases that once required little thought now have to be reviewed by many people up and down the supply chain—sometimes even as far up as the CEO or CFO.
That said, working in situations that can often be constrained, hospital department managers and materials management buyers may not have every piece of information they need to ensure the products they purchase will meet their specific needs. This has increased the need for someone to fill the role of healthcare equipment specialist—aka someone who can provide detailed information on the equipment being considered including specification sheets, features and benefits, comparisons of like products and IT applications (when connectivity is required).
So what is a Healthcare equipment specialist?
Essentially, an equipment specialist is a sales and marketing professional with a strong technical background—one might potentially work for a healthcare equipment manufacturer or distributor, though independent agents exist. This person works directly with buyers looking to purchase healthcare equipment and devices for hospitals, medical practices and clinics, making the process of finding the best equipment for their client’s needs easier.
Responsibilities of a Healthcare equipment specialist
An experienced equipment specialist fulfills these duties:
-
They act as major point of contact for customer accounts
-
They work with customers to evaluate their needs and devise solutions
-
They maintain a working knowledge of products and product categories
-
They understand equipment end-of-life, and know how and when used equipment is acceptable in medical settings.
-
They have a working understanding of medical facility design
-
They are acquainted with regulatory requirements for healthcare equipment purchases
-
They maintain an ongoing knowledge of industry trends and new product launches; they can run comparison reports on like-products
-
They establish and maintain working relationship up and down the supply chain with other equipment entities.
-
They identify and meet the needs of customer account key decision makers
-
They set up and conduct product demonstrations for customers
-
They can arrange delivery, setup and testing of equipment purchases
-
They follow up on all sales after delivery to ensure customer satisfaction
Many of these equipment specialists worked in healthcare fields before they became a specialist, and have experience as healthcare professionals. An in-depth knowledge of facility needs and equipment is an integral skill set for this position.
CME Corp’s Team
Here at CME, we employ over 40 of these healthcare equipment specialists across the country—all of who are highly trained in product knowledge and industry trends. Because we serve hospitals and medical practices nationwide with products, it is important that we offer not only the best products, but also the best products for the needs of our clients.
Our equipment specialists have access to manufacturers with thousands of different products, which means their expertise goes beyond medical devices and into everything from medical furniture, appliances, diagnostic and IT, wall arms, mobile solutions, and more.
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.
