Sponsored by Avante
By Ric Downs
As the health care industry seeks to cope with increased regulations, lower reimbursement, shifting payment models and new competition, organizations are seeking new strategies to reduce expenses without impacting the delivery and quality of care.
In the field of radiation oncology, where the cost for leading-edge equipment easily runs millions of dollars, it’s imperative to seek ways to cap costs and reduce expenditures.
1) Curtail Equipment Expenditures
Recent technology advancements in radiotherapy have improved safety, allowed more precise treatments and streamlined workflow. This can create a competitive advantage for your facility but doesn’t necessarily reflect the realistic mandates of day-to-day treatment needs.
An alternative to investing in a new system is to examine the possibility of purchasing a refurbished linear accelerator. This can be a particularly attractive alternative if you match it with a similar model that is already in use at your facility. This allows you to leverage the knowledge base and training of your treatment team while reducing the adoption time for a new technology. A refurbished LINAC can offer the same performance and reliability as a new model if you choose the supplier wisely.
Questions you should ask prior to purchasing include:
- What is their refurbishment process?
- Will this equipment perform to the original manufacturer’s specifications?
- Does it include a warranty or guarantee?
- Will the organization also perform installation?
- What is their experience with this model?
- Do they have a radiation test cell, and will they do full beam testing prior to installation?
2) Keep Your Existing Equipment Longer
Postponing capital expenditures allows you to funnel more funds into your medical team, facility and patient care. Regularly updating your software, adding equipment that expands the treatment capabilities of the system and ensuring your maintenance is up to date are tasks that can help keep your equipment operating longer.
One thing that you cannot afford to skimp on is meeting manufacturer’s requirements for maintenance. At the end of 2013, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a directive that allowed hospitals to adjust maintenance, inspection and testing frequency on much of their equipment. However, the memorandum specifically called out imaging and radiologic equipment as exempt from deviations and stated hospitals must comply with manufacturers’ recommendations. With that caveat in mind, it’s important to ensure your equipment is being serviced by someone who has been appropriately trained on a particular model.
3) Consider an ISO for Maintenance and Service
Historically, choosing an OEM for service has been a safe, but also expensive choice; however, as health care organizations seek to reduce costs, the selection process isn’t as simple. An ISO can offer substantial cost savings while ensuring you have the quality performance and uptime you – and your patients – deserve and need.
In addition to cost, one reason some facilities select an ISO for service is their ability to provide service and maintenance for the multiple brands that typically are found in a radiation center or department. By selecting an ISO with a wide range of experience, you have the benefit of a single source for support and billing while still having skilled technicians work on your systems.
While it’s expected that a manufacturer will have parts readily available, this may not always be the case, especially if you have an older system. It’s also important to determine how many parts they actually have in stock, rather than “available.” Having easy access to parts is critical for fast turnaround on repairs.
Questions to ask when selecting an independent service organization include:
- What is their anticipated response time for your facility?
- Is there an uptime guarantee?
- Do they offer 24/7 support? What is the availability of service engineers?
- What is the training process for service engineers? Are they OEM trained?
- Does the ISO perform testing and calibration according to OEM guidelines?
- Does the organization have an ISO certified Quality Management System?
- Do they offer a range of contracts and flexible pricing?
Ric Downs is vice president of sales-diagnostic imaging and radiation oncology for Avante Health Solutions. For more information about comprehensive diagnostic imaging and radiation oncology solutions from Avante, visit avantehs.com.
