HTM professionals share the hand tools, test equipment and digital resources shaping medical equipment service today — and the technologies changing the toolbox for the future.
The tools healthcare technology management (HTM) professionals rely on are changing as quickly as the medical equipment they maintain. From traditional hand tools and test equipment to remote diagnostics, artificial intelligence and 3D printing, today’s HTM toolbox extends well beyond screwdrivers and electrical safety analyzers.
TechNation asked HTM professionals at different stages of their careers to share the top tools they rely on today and what they want in the future. Meet them below, then explore the tools and solutions companies offer to help biomeds keep pace with increasingly sophisticated medical devices.
HTM professionals at different stages of their careers share the three tools they consider most useful for biomeds today.
1. Pronk simulator kit
2. Laptop with internet access
3. A good relationship with customers
“The Pronk simulator allows you to go to a patient room or device and pretty easily test a device’s function, accuracy and its accessories (cabling, etc.),” said Crissey, known to colleagues as UCHealth’s “Director of Tool Management.” Good customer relationships help, too: clinical staff keep him posted on upcoming projects and help locate hard-to-find equipment.
1. Remote diagnostics
2. PartsSource Uptime Monitoring
3. PartsSource Punchout
Remote diagnostics, Sutton said, “allows for more efficiency in prioritization and diagnosis of reported issues,” especially with imaging devices. WakeMed helped develop Uptime Monitoring as an Alpha Partner to track the status of down and limited critical equipment, and Punchout makes ordering parts “very Amazon-like.”
1. Ball-end metric and standard Allen wrenches
2. Wera multi-bit screwdriver set
3. Pocketknife / scissors / Leatherman
“A lot of times, as a biomed, you are being called because something is moving that shouldn’t, something should move that isn’t, or a new device has been purchased that needs to be opened,” Woolford said.
1. Fluke 179 True-RMS Digital Multimeter
2. Fluke Safe-T Sim
3. Precise toolkit
With five years of HTM experience, Stewart puts the focus on the physical tools biomeds carry into the field every day.
1. Electrical safety analyzer
2. CMMS (Accruent TMS)
3. Laptop
An electrical safety analyzer is “absolutely non-negotiable for ensuring patient and provider protection,” said Fowler, who started his HTM career this year. With a laptop, “the world’s information plus CMMS access plus work order details provide the puzzle pieces and my job becomes simplified: put them together.”
“As technology advances, the way biomeds approach and perform these repairs must advance as well,” Woolford said. Instead of component-level board repairs, techs now replace whole multilayer PCBs, and rooms full of manuals have given way to video chats with tech support and AI-powered search. “Virtual reality devices are further transforming the profession by providing immersive training opportunities for new and prospective biomeds,” she added.
At WakeMed, Sutton’s team is using more AI tools to make troubleshooting knowledge more accessible and keeps three 3D printers in the shop to “print solutions to non-critical or low-risk problems such as cable management or mounting needs.”
Tools and solutions companies offer to help HTM professionals keep pace with technological advances, increasingly sophisticated medical devices and the challenges they encounter every day.
Designed for evaluating the condition of rigid endoscopes, the EndoPro-Cam® is a portable endoscopic video system providing 1080p high-resolution HD imaging that assists healthcare workers with inspection of their facilities’ rigid scopes to check if a device is damaged. The lightweight, ergonomic EndoPro-Cam allows for image capture and recording, and adapts to C-Mount couplers.
HTM Jobs is a specialized career platform connecting healthcare technology management, biomedical and imaging professionals with leading healthcare organizations and industry employers. The platform provides job seekers with access to targeted career opportunities while offering employers advanced tools such as a specialized Talent Network, AI-powered candidate matching and automated job management. Built specifically for the HTM community, HTM Jobs creates a centralized space for professionals to explore new career opportunities and employers to connect with qualified talent.
The BC Biomedical SA-2600 is a fully automated, microprocessor-based electrical safety analyzer built to streamline biomedical equipment testing. It integrates a complete safety analyzer, an internal ECG patient simulator and 10-input patient lead testing, so technicians can run many tests with one unit and one set of connections.
A 4.3-inch color touchscreen replaces physical knobs, while Bluetooth and Micro USB connect to the myBC Mobile App. Custom and fixed auto-sequences, including AAMI and NFPA-99, complete full protocols with minimal intervention. True RMS measurements cover ground resistance, leakage current and isolation testing. Made in the USA, the SA-2600 is an indispensable tool for HTM professionals.
Powered by patented Yuvee™ technology, Chronos® is the first UV-C high-level disinfection (HLD) system to receive FDA De Novo granting in the U.S. It provides automated, chemical-free HLD for compatible lumen-free external, transvaginal and transrectal ultrasound probes. A reflective chamber eliminates shadowing, while three photodiodes control and independently verify each UV-C dose. Cycles take about 90 seconds(2) with no soaking, rinsing, drying or test strips.
Validated to AOAC and ASTM standards, Chronos® is effective against HPV-16, HPV-18, HIV, bacteria, fungi, mycobacteria and spores. Its solid-state design supports 99.8% uptime(1), backed by a five-year all-inclusive warranty. Included Germitrac software creates audit-ready records.
(1) Based on Germitec internal field data since 2019. (2) Internal data: Average cycle time is 90 seconds.
Measure Smarter. Test Faster. Deliver Better.
The DPM5 Digital Pressure Meter features an advanced internal pump that eliminates manual pressure generation, delivering consistent, repeatable results while minimizing human error. Its dual-port design measures dry gas and liquid pressures across wide ranges, making it ideal for testing blood pressure monitors, infusion pumps, dialysis machines and ventilators. Lightweight and battery-operated, it performs reliably in the lab or field. An intuitive touchscreen with preloaded apps for occlusion, leakage, valve and atmospheric pressure tests reduces training time and lets users set parameters, monitor real-time data and review results quickly.
ReadyFix™ is GE HealthCare’s remote fleet management solution for MAC VU360™ resting ECG devices, helping HTM teams overcome limited visibility, manual troubleshooting and inconsistent configurations. Near real-time device information lets professionals proactively identify issues and monitor performance across locations.
Organizations with MAC VU360 V3 software can start with View-Only access, viewing device status, faults, alerts and fleet-level insights from a centralized dashboard using existing MyGEHealthCare credentials. A full ReadyFix subscription adds remote configuration management, software deployment, log retrieval and advanced troubleshooting.
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