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E Q U I P M E N T
R E P A I R
• Original equipment manufacturer. Many view sending
equipment to the original manufacturer for repair as something of a
last resort. "It's usually our last option because of cost," says a hospital instrument room supervisor. "Only when the equipment is under
warranty or biomed doesn't perform repairs on that piece," says
Casey McFarland, MHA, administrator of the Georgia Endoscopy
Center in Alpharetta, Ga. Adds Nicole Booth, surgery specialist at
Barrett Hospital and Healthcare in Dillon, Mont., "If it's still under
warranty, or if we purchased a service contract when we purchased
the item, them we'll send it (to the OEM)." At Harper University
Hospital in Detroit, Mich., once the service contract expires, "we'll use
either in-house biomed or send it to a third-party repair facility," says
Michael S. Seator, MBA, BSN, CNOR, Harper's director of surgical
services.
Others will only use the OEM for repairs if the equipment is newer,
complex and expensive, or beyond the scope of the biomed staff's
training. "If it's a delicate piece of equipment, we send it back to the
manufacturer so we're sure it will be repaired properly," says an ASC
director of nursing. "If it is a very expensive piece of equipment, we
feel more comfortable sending it back to the manufacturer," says
Drew Mays, materials manager at St Mary's Surgicare in Evansville,
Ind.
• Third-party repair facility. Talk about convenience. Charlene
Goff, RN, director of nursing at the Pasadena (Calif.) Plastic Surgery
Center, says her repair vendor is local and inexpensive, does the
repairs on site at her facility, and gives the center loaner equipment or
instruments if needed. Many survey respondents rely on third-party
repair vendors once their service contract with the OEM has expired.
"But only if they have a good reputation," says one.
"We use a local repair provider that also sells refurbished equipment
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