By Jim Fedele
Even after 30 years in this industry, it is still puzzling to me that OEMs resist permitting local biomeds to repair their equipment. Given the challenges the pandemic caused on getting outside services into hospitals, along with a real shortage in qualified service techs, now is the time for OEMs and biomeds to form a partnership to ensure equipment is repaired quickly.
We have all seen how the pandemic put extraordinary demands on service techs, especially regarding equipment needed to treat affected patients. Ventilator manufacturers scrambled to meet service demands. Delays in service were common for any hospital that didn’t have an in-house biomed team that could service the units. In some cases, OEMs did permit local teams to do software upgrades and repairs to get units back in use. Although this is encouraging, I have not seen any indication that it will be implemented going forward.
I think a larger issue is the shortage of qualified techs. Hospitals and OEMs are being challenged to find talent to back fill positions vacated by a seemingly never-ending wave of retirements. Within my own system, I know of at least four techs retiring this year. The challenge in filling these positions is that there seems to be a huge deficit of talent that has 7 to 14 years of experience. Most applicants are entry level or people trying to jump from another career. We have gotten some applicants with experience, but there aren’t many of them.
I know OEMs are struggling also. We have had several instances where the OEM could not send someone in for a week because of vacations and openings. We also have had issues with new OEM techs who struggled to repair equipment. These issues have caused extended downtime. It has also hurt their reputation with my customers. This issue is becoming an important factor when we are researching new equipment purchases.
The pandemic shined the spotlight on the OEMs inability to keep up with service demands. The pandemic also illustrated that local biomed teams can service equipment just like the OEM. Local teams came to the rescue in the name of patient care to repair equipment that the OEM couldn’t get to. The OEM really came out ahead, the facility is paying for a contract but had to use their own labor to fix equipment. I didn’t see any refunds for that service.
I have always struggled with the OEMs’ resistance to partnering with local teams. Some of them offer small discounts for a “first-response” agreement or charge an annual “recertification” fee for techs who repair the equipment. I have not seen too many real partnership agreements that recognize the value of local support. In my mind, the brand loyalty alone would be worth working with the local team. However, I do recognize service contracts generate a lot of revenue for OEMs. In some cases, hospitals do not have a choice. They are forced to purchase service agreements in order to receive responsive service. Some OEMs will not train or sell parts to a local biomed team. These are often the companies that have 100 percent of the market share and don’t have to worry about competition.
This issue is going to become worse. The talent entering the workforce can’t keep up with the number of people retiring from this industry over the next five years. The OEMs aren’t going to be immune to this issue. Personally, I make this an issue whenever we are meeting with vendors. I let them know that if we must sign a full-service agreement, we won’t bail them out. This is an empty threat; in the end we will always do whatever it takes to ensure our patients get care. Too bad OEMs don’t feel that way.
Jim Fedele, CBET, is the senior director of clinical engineering for UPMC. He manages six Susquehanna Health hospitals. He has 30 years of HTM experience and has worked for multiple service organizations.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of TechNation or MD Publishing.