Using refurbished medical equipment offers countless benefits to both medical practices and its patients, as we’ve outlined in our blog.
Today we wanted to share an interesting case study that demonstrates exactly why choosing to utilize refurbished medical equipment can add to your company’s bottom line, as well as ensure your patients’ safety is a top priority.
Lake Charles Memorial Hospital —Serving an Increasing Population
The natural gas industry in Lake Charles, Louisiana is taking credit for causing an uptick in its local resident population. To meet the healthcare demands of this growing community, Lake Charles Memorial Health System decided to make a significant investment in technology, particularly diagnostic imaging equipment. Their mission was to provide healthcare to more patients with top-notch, reliable equipment, not break the bank with surging budgets, as well as be mindful of environmentally-friendly options.
Scott Daigle, the administrative director of Radiology at the hospital said, “Our patient load is growing an average of 26 percent per year. We’re a 24/7 facility, and we’re just as busy at night as we are during the day. That’s why we have to have dependable equipment. And the more the population grows, the more equipment we’ll need.”
The CT supervisor at Memorial, Tommy Broussard, poignantly described the situation, “Uptime is everything. If just one of the three CT scanners we have goes down for any length of time, we’re backed up for at least a day. So we need service and equipment we can count on.”
And Richard Martinez, physician and medical director of Radiology added, “We’re looking for a quality, reliable piece of equipment that meets our needs. It has to be safe, current, proven, and complete with the essential imaging features we need, plus the ability to upgrade.”
By going with an eco line of refurbished equipment, Memorial met all of its goals, and even they were surprised by the affordability of their investment.
Deciding on Refurbished Equipment
When the time came for Memorial to strengthen its radiology capacity, they tackled a significant amount of research to determine the best choices. After siphoning through several proposals, they ultimately decided on using a refurbished line manufactured by Siemens. This decision was not taken lightly; substantial savings coupled with an environmentally-friendly choice while not compromising on the latest technology was their driving motivation.
It’s no surprise that the Radiology team was nervous to procure previously owned medical equipment. In the past, Memorial used a pre-owned system and experienced trouble with that equipment; it turns out that it wasn’t actually refurbished. A vendor needed to replace essential parts, and understandably, the hospital wanted to avoid unnecessary downtime again.
The decision-makers at Memorial understood that Siemens had an ecoline, which essentially meant they would be receiving a new piece of equipment. Daigle shared, “It’s got the refurbished name on it, but it’s been torn apart and put back together. It’s been serviced, it has the newest software, and it’s upgradable. It has everything that the new machines have. You’re getting it at substantial cost savings, and there is no difference in output quality for patient tests.”
Affordability Without Compromising Quality
Radiology equipment is expected to produce excellent images, and function consistently. After experiencing their refurbished equipment, the Memorial physicians and techs rated its quality as though it is new.
Case in point, the medical director of Radiology says that he can’t tell the difference. “When I’m reading the images, I usually don’t know which machine they were done on unless somebody tells me,” explained Dr. Martinez. “That’s where the rubber meets the road. For our interpretations, when we’re reviewing images on either ecoline or new Siemens equipment, they’re the same.”
In case you missed it, be sure to check out our guide on how to go about securing refurbished medical equipment, and what questions to ask the provider.