Hospitals are complex environments where the timely delivery and proper installation of medical equipment can have an impact on patient care – positively or negatively. From medical devices to furniture and fixtures, medical equipment requires specialized logistics, delivery, and installation to ensure it is properly set up and ready for use – without negatively impacting care workflows.
Seeking out and taking advantage of comprehensive, integrated medical equipment delivery services that include logistics, warehousing, assembly, staging, delivery, and installation is important to helping maintain efficient workflows in a healthcare facility.
In this article we will explore the different components of integrated, comprehensive medical equipment delivery.
- Single Point of Contact for Medical Equipment Delivery
- Consolidated Purchase Order for Medical Equipment
- Warehousing Prior to Medical Equipment Delivery
- Medical Equipment Inspection
- Assembly and Staging of Medical Equipment
- Consolidated Medical Equipment Delivery
- Medical Equipment Installation
Most healthcare equipment distributors organize orders in some way and manage to deliver the equipment, often with contracted third parties.
But managing and delivering medical equipment is about more than scheduling a delivery.
It is about integrating the components of project management, logistics, warehousing, assembly, staging, delivery, and installation into a comprehensive delivery service focused on minimizing the impact medical equipment delivery can have on patient care.
Single Point of Contact for Medical Equipment Delivery
A single point of contact is key to effective communication. These points of contact, or project managers, are dedicated to individual projects and work closely with the sales account managers, manufacturers, and healthcare facility decision makers associated with the order or project. Because they are the only point of contact, they can offer accurate, real-time information. Receiving timely information about the status of an order, status of a damage claim or backorder, and delivery schedules is invaluable.
Open lines of communication with a single point of contact also afford a hospital or other healthcare facility the confidence of knowing information they share about any constraints that may impact the delivery and installation of equipment or about labeling requirements will be communicated to the assembly, staging, and delivery teams.
Consolidated Purchase Orders for Medical Equipment
Project managers dedicated to an order or project can consolidate purchase orders for multiple vendors into a single purchase order, saving healthcare facilities administrative time and associated costs.
Consolidated purchase orders also offer the benefit of reducing the miscellaneous, and often hidden fees, associated with each purchase order sent to multiple manufacturers.
Warehousing Prior to Medical Equipment Delivery
Like anything else, the supply chain for medical equipment is fallible. Delays and back orders related to raw materials are an unfortunate reality. For hospitals, access to warehousing to hold incomplete orders until all products have been received and a single, consolidated medical equipment delivery can be made is an important benefit. Delivery and installation of medical equipment can be disruptive to patient care and warehousing orders for consolidated delivery helps minimize the disruption.
Medical Equipment Inspection
Inspection of the equipment at the time it is received at the warehouse identifies damaged items before they are installed in the healthcare environment. Damage claims and replacements can be processed immediately by the project point of contact, preventing the downtime and cost associated with inoperable medical equipment.
Medical Equipment Assembly & Staging
Prior to scheduled delivery all equipment is completely assembled by trained professionals who set up medical equipment every day, labeled as requested by the healthcare facility, and grouped according to delivery location in preparation for the scheduled delivery. Staging orders this way minimizes the risk of lost or misplaced medical equipment.
These steps ensure equipment is delivered to the proper location within the facility and most importantly, the installation of the equipment is completed efficiently to minimize disruption to healthcare staff workflow.
Consolidated Medical Equipment Delivery
Every medical equipment delivery has an impact on patient care in some way. Consolidated delivery combines several equipment orders into one, with the added benefit of potentially lowering costs. By consolidating deliveries, healthcare facilities ensure that all ordered equipment has been delivered as scheduled.
Medical Equipment Installation
Installation of medical equipment by the delivery teams around the schedules of hospital staff to limit disruptions and helps in-house facility teams maintain their own schedules. When facility staff are diverted to installing new equipment, they are unable to attend to day-to-day duties which can also cause a significant disruption to workflow.
Although most of the packing and shipping materials have been removed during the assembly and staging of orders, some are necessary to protect the equipment during travel to the facility. Removal of these materials from the site by the delivery team following installation also saves the facility team time and minimizes the impact the installation has on patient care.
CME Corp. is Your Partner for Comprehensive Medical Equipment Delivery
Choosing the right medical equipment partner is key to reaping the benefits of comprehensive medical equipment delivery - beginning with the logistics of consolidated purchase orders and ending with medical equipment installation.
Within the healthcare industry there are many medical equipment distributors. It is safe to assume all can source top quality medical equipment at competitive pricing. But how many offer dedicated project managers, logistics, warehousing, assembly, staging, delivery, and installation?
CME Corp. is the only healthcare equipment distributor with a project management team and logistics team to complement the delivery and installation teams. Working together these teams share the single focus of helping hospitals and other healthcare facilities minimize the potential disruption caused by equipment deliveries.
Project Management, Logistics, and Direct-to-Site delivery distinguish CME Corp. from other distributors.
Managing purchase orders, and receiving, inspecting, assembling, scheduling, delivering, and the installation of medical equipment without impacting patient care are all part of CME’s unique logistics and Direct-to-Site Services.
From healthcare equipment purchases to renovations and facility construction, CME Corp is your partner for seamless medical equipment procurement and delivery.
Click CHAT to connect with a CME expert and learn more about our turnkey logistics and white-glove delivery and installation services.
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.
