1. What is our overall annual medical equipment maintenance
spend including in-house, outsourced, OEM, T&M, etc?
2. Do we have long-term contracts?
3. Is there a cost reduction goal?
As fiscal uncertainties remain and revenues continue to
trend downward, it seems the need to reduce costs gets more important with
every passing day. It's increasingly important for healthcare facilities to
find innovative ways to trim as much wasteful spend as possible. Not only is
reducing cost imperative in today's economic climate but a structure needs to
be in place that helps identify, quantify, execute and sustain those cost
savings over the long term.
At the heart of any cost reduction discussion is knowing the
correct questions to ask your team in order to know. Today, we'll discuss the
clinical engineering department's role and how it can be an area where there
may be significant hidden savings. Understanding the total cost of your
facility's current medical equipment maintenance program is paramount to
finding savings. And to get a clearer picture of your program you need to look
at all the contracts included in your maintenance program whether they are
in-house, outsourced, OEM costs, or Time and Material costs to name a few. Cost
reduction is never easy.
Assessing the Overall Medical Equipment Repair Spend
Assessing your current clinical engineering program includes
taking a complete inventory of the medical equipment on hand. Begin by analyzing
all the contracts associated with the biomed maintenance program. You may find
that you are still paying for maintenance under a maintenance contract for
equipment no longer in use by the facility.
By "Right-sizing" your facility's inventory, or
evaluating and removing any excess equipment, you will gain significant savings
and can even create income for the entire system if the inventory is removed
and replaced with revenue-generating equipment. This process not only removes
excess or unnecessary equipment, it also eliminates excessive labor costs,
preventive maintenance, repairs, and parts. Right-sizing inventory maximizes
the current spend while helping the hospital prepare for future equipment and
technology needs. The best place to start is by conducting an inventory
assessment across all departments and modalities to determine where there are
gaps and overages.
Multi Year/Multi System Maintenance Contracts
Every hospital ultimately needs to safeguard their
investment in high-priced sophisticated medical equipment. But they want to
protect that investment without paying high prices that are associated with a
service contract. There can be a balance: exceptional maintenance with a price
tag that's not as daunting as an "out of the box" service agreement.
Often times there can be cost efficiencies realized when
hospitals agree to multi-year contracts or to multi-system contracts. In both
cases the more you buy the greater the discount. Realize even greater savings
by using these together.
Is There a Cost Reduction Goal?
Hospital leadership needs to clearly understand their cost
reduction goals and be able to communicate those goals in a way that makes
everyone accountable by translating it to tangible actions for all involved.
Taking this approach will facilitate the communication of cost savings goals to
front-line staff and provide clarity on what needs to be done to achieve any
stated cost reductions.
Often times when the conversation about cost reduction takes
place most people automatically think staff reductions, or cost cutting reduces
patient satisfaction. Leadership can set the tone early by addressing any fears
by communicating how any cost savings will be realized, such - adjusting
inefficient operational processes, strengthening soft skills. Clear
communication will help to diminish fear among staff who may equate cost
savings opportunities with job loss.
