All month long, we have been focused on the importance of medical equipment maintenance. For this #ASKAuxo blog post, we wanted to dig a little bit deeper. We asked an expert about the fundamentals of proactively keeping equipment fully functional and reliable.
1. What is your name & title?
Mark S. Fisher, Vice President of Contract Sales and Service Manager with Auxo Medical.
2. Generally speaking, how often should medical equipment be inspected?
Medical equipment should be tested for patient safety annually.
3. Of course medical equipment maintenance needs will vary depending on each individual product. How do you know which equipment needs maintenance and how often?
There is a tier system for inspection of different equipment and how often they should be tested.
4. What is the difference between ongoing maintenance/inspections (i.e. Such as getting a car’s oil and filters changed), and annual inspections (i.e. A car’s state inspection)?
Preventative Maintenance should be performed quarterly on sterilizer, boilers and washers. Annual calibrations are strongly recommended and annual descaling of boilers are strongly recommended. Monitors should be calibrated Annually and tested bi-annually. Stretchers and or tables and or lights should be checked and tested bi-annually.
5. Do You Recommend An Outside/3rd Party Professional Do Equipment Inspections, Or Can An Onsite Company Employee Conduct It?
It is required that a biomedical technician inspect the equipment.
6. In your opinion, why is it in a business’ best interest to make ongoing equipment maintenance a part of their standard routine?
It is best practice and in the best interest of the facility to have their equipment operable and fully functional for staff and patient safety. It is also most cost effective to repair and maintain equipment through the year verses a complete failure of equipment leading to costly facility down time.
7. Can Auxo Medical be outsourced for help with medical equipment inspections/maintenance?
Yes. Auxo Medical is a biomedical repair and Capital Hospital Equipment company specializing in sterilizers, washers and OR Equipment.
8. What do you enjoy most about your job/working at Auxo Medical?
I enjoy seeing my customers and helping them when they are in need. It is very rewarding when I have something back up and operational for them, and how grateful and appreciative they are when they are up and running again.