Do you know where your medical equipment assets are located?
In a fast-paced healthcare environment, medical equipment is constantly moving—whether it’s infusion pumps being transferred between departments, patient monitors being relocated for urgent care, or surgical instruments being prepped for procedures. Having the ability to track and manage this equipment becomes more critical for healthcare providers as time goes on, specially during peak seasons when ER visits surge and patient influx is high. Yet, many healthcare facilities struggle with outdated asset lists, missing equipment, and inefficient tracking systems. And without accurate equipment data, these facilities risk delays in patient care, unnecessary equipment purchases, and even compliance issues.
NewYork-Presbyterian (NYP) faced this exact challenge and struggled with the consequence of not having an asset tracking system across its nine healthcare facilities. With over 130,000 recorded assets spread across multiple facilities, NYP needed a way to validate its equipment inventory across all its facilities, to identify discrepancies, locate missing items, and standardize asset management. That’s where CME stepped in. Over the course of 18 months, our team collaborated with NYP and helped update asset records for over 100,000 pieces of equipment, resolve over 30,000 discrepancies, implement a new radio frequency identification (RFID) tagging process—all while minimizing disruptions to hospital operations.
In early 2021, NYP’s IT Finance and Biomedical teams identified the need for a complete and accurate inventory of their equipment assets. With nine facilities, more than hundred-thousand recorded assets, and limited internal capabilities, they required an experienced partner to execute the project seamlessly. Being the only nationwide medical equipment distributor with an in-house team of biomedical technicians ready to perform asset tagging, asset validation, equipment check-in, and more, NYP called on CME as an experienced partner to assist.
We were tasked with:
Every piece of equipment needed to be located, inspected, and tagged with new RFIDs.
Avoiding Operational Disruptions: Our team had to work around the schedules of clinical staff, to ensure patient care and hospital workflows were not interrupted.
Accuracy & Attention to Detail: Our in-house team of expert biomed technicians worked through the initial asset list, identifying and resolving over 30,000 discrepancies. Each piece of equipment was inspected, RFID tags were added, and critical data—such as manufacturer details, serial numbers, and condition—was collected.
Transparency & Collaboration: With multiple departments involved, clear and continuous communication was essential. Our team members worked collaboratively with NYP biomed departments, IT, and, at times, finance teams for unrestricted access to facilities and to schedule inventory work so disruptions to patient care were minimized. We submitted daily reports to NYP, providing real-time updates on asset locations, inspection status, and discrepancies. Automated weekly email updates were also sent out to ensure transparency, giving NYP complete oversight of the project.
Effective communication was essential not only between CME teams and NYP administration but also with the clinical staff at NYP facilities. To streamline this process, NYP leadership communicated regularly with their clinical teams through daily staff emails and morning huddles, establishing clear expectations. Our team reinforced this effort by wearing NYP vendor badges and personally introducing themselves to nurses and clinical staff in every department we entered.
Flexibility in Action: Hospitals operate 24/7, and a traditional 9 to 5 schedule was not an option for a project of this scale. Since each NYP department operated independently with different operating hours and access requirements, our team adapted to their schedules—often starting the day at 4 a.m. and ending at 1 p.m.—to ensure minimal disruption to patient care and clinical workflows.
By the end of the project, we had recorded over 700,000 data points, giving NYP the most accurate asset database they had ever had. As a result, NYP staff are able to locate critical medical equipment promptly, plan equipment replacements, manage budgets, and schedule preventive maintenance efficiently.
“The biomed inventory at NYP was a complex and multiphase project that required attention to detail and flexibility... Over the course of the inventory, we faced many obstacles and hurdles weekly, and, at all times, we always had clear communication and cooperation from CME.”
– Gary Awkard, IT Project Leader at NewYork-Presbyterian
Simply put, we are truly a one-stop shop.
We don’t just distribute healthcare equipment. We are the largest specialty distributor focused solely on equipment used in healthcare. With this expertise we are able to recommend strategic solutions to improve efficiency in healthcare facilities. From procurement, project management, logistics, delivery, and installation to asset tagging, preventative maintenance, equipment repair… we do it all.
Our collaborative approach, industry expertise, and flexibility have made us a trusted partner for hospitals and healthcare systems across the nation.
About CME: CME Corp is the nation’s premier specialty distributor of healthcare, laboratory, and imaging equipment. We partner with over 2,000 manufacturers to offer more than 2 million products. In addition to an extensive product portfolio, we also offer project management, CAD-based layout, design and 3d modeling, warehousing, assembly, staging, consolidated, need-by-date direct-to-site delivery, and biomedical and technical services, all staffed by CME employees. Our mission, to help healthcare facilities nationwide reduce the cost of the equipment they purchase, make their equipment acquisition, delivery, installation, and maintenance processes more efficient, and help them seamlessly launch, renovate, or expand on schedule, is supported by service locations strategically located across the country.