Sponsored by Innovatus Imaging
By Matt Tomory, Vice President of Sales and Marketing
A year ago, our world of health care started feeling the impact of COVID-19 on our operational processes and systems. And most of us scrambled to do more with less to provide life-saving diagnostics and care to patients in dire need. While we’re still adjusting to the impact of this pandemic, one adjustment we’ve had to make that will not likely change anytime soon is the need to operate at exponentially higher efficiencies. At Innovatus Imaging, we call it “working at the speed of life” because people’s lives depend on our ability to work smarter and faster even when we thought we’d already reached the limit.
Whatever your role may be within your imaging department or health care facility, operational speed is becoming increasingly important for your patients’ safety and your career path. Yet operating an imaging facility at higher speeds than normal is like operating a train. The greater the speed, the harder it is to operate accurately, and stay on track.
Fast turn-around times are only as successful as the performance and sustainability of your repaired imaging device. Following is a brief checklist of the elements of speed you should look for to assure your quick repair is safe, effective and sustainable.
Measurement of Applied Technology
Many imaging professionals inherently trust repair providers and assume the technology behind their repaired and exchanged products has been authenticated, yet in many cases, it is not. The reality is that the quality of a repair is only as good as the quality of the technologies and methodologies used to execute the repair and the outcomes that document performance, efficacy and safety. Items such as acoustic power measurement, radiation force balance, pulse echo testing, transducer face temperature and cable flex testing are items that are typically only performed by manufacturers as part of the design or regulatory process, but they are performance metrics that can degrade over time. While medical device manufacturers may be required to document these metrics, repair providers are not.
As an FDA-registered device manufacturer for ultrasound transducers and ultrasound-related products, Innovatus Imaging has invested in the tools, equipment and talent to test these critical safety parameters and is able to utilize this data to qualify components and processes used in repair. Some items to consider are:
Excessive acoustic output power has the potential to induce thermal warming, patient burns and/or cavitation.
Insufficient acoustic power can result in diminished image quality and sensitivity in all imaging modes, which has the potential to affect patient diagnoses.
Cables, strain reliefs and wiring harness breakdown with continued use and flexing.
The engineering teams at Innovatus have developed proprietary devices to perform the tests above, and more, in our manufacturing environment as well as in our repair facility. By comparing performance between new products and those from the field, it’s possible to identify the point at which components and cable assemblies should be replaced and offer quality solutions to our customers.
Acceleration of Proven Processes
In automobile manufacturing, the processes that are performed at each step of the assembly line are the same. It’s the quality of the skills and parts used during the execution that makes the difference in a Lexus versus a Kia. The same applies to repairing the various makes and models of ultrasound probes. Facilities most prepared to deliver rapid, reliable repairs are those that operate like a NASCAR pit crew. They have a highly trained staff, ready to roll out critical services, accurately and safely, in record amounts of time, the moment your probe arrives. This kind of operation is what you should be looking for in suppliers of imaging devices across all manufacturers and models of probes and coils.
By having all the above elements of speed on your checklist each time you search for and select a partner for ultrasound probe repair, your chances of securing a high first-time fix rate, sustainability for the functionality repaired, and longevity for your devices accelerates substantially.
For questions, please call us at 844-687-5100 or chat with our representatives live at www.innovatusimaging.com.
Matt Tomory is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Innovatus Imaging. Contact Matt directly at matt.tomory@innovatusimaging.com for more information. The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of TechNation or MD Publishing.
