Purchasing medical equipment items for your lab, clinic, or hospital can be a stressful task. Most buyers will only consider brand-name, thinking that they are the best without taking the time to research. Since the industry you are in relies on giving correct diagnostics and services, doing your research is essential for buying any medical device.
If you need to purchase your facility’s medical equipment, below are the essential factors to consider. However, researching the best brands and looking for genuine feedback from actual customers would still be ideal.
The Reputation of the Manufacturer or Supplier
First and foremost, you need to consider the supplier or the manufacturer’s reputation in the industry. With thousands of medical equipment manufacturers nowadays, it gets pretty hard to identify fake and authentic products, especially now that most transactions are done online.
Therefore, taking it slowly and researching the manufacturer’s reputation is highly imperative. Networking with people in the industry can help you find reliable contacts that can inform you about the things you need to know about the best manufacturers and their products. Don’t just rely on the quality. Find out about other factors like the manufacturer’s technical knowledge, post-sales service, and customer satisfaction.
Variety of Offered Equipment
Medical facilities need various medical items, from diagnostic tools to physical tests and treatments. When it comes to finding a supplier, it’s best to find one that offers a wide range of products for clinics, labs, and hospitals.
A good supplier with complete equipment products can make the purchasing experience more manageable. In most cases, here are the items you will need:
- Storage and transport equipment (aluminum medical supply carts, utility carts, case carts)
- Diagnostic equipment (stethoscopes, thermometers, X-ray machines, etc.)
- Durable equipment (wheelchairs, hospital beds, lifts, ventilators)
- Electronic equipment (medication pumps, defibrillators, pacemakers)
- Acute care (minor procedure trays, monitoring equipment, general-purpose trays)
- Surgical equipment (mayo stands, hampers, arm supports)
- Procedural equipment (gloves, scalpels, headlights, operating scissors)
Equipment Quality
Product quality is probably the most crucial factor to consider. Make sure to buy products with ISO Certification and warranties to ensure that you get your money’s worth. But what is ISO certification? This is a certification granted by external bodies unrelated to the company or the manufacturer. They ensure that the products are of excellent quality and are safe to use for medical purposes.
In general, they attest to the reliability and quality of the manufacturer or the equipment without being biased.
Technical Knowledge
Technical knowledge is also a crucial consideration in buying medical equipment. OEM service training is available to in-house bio meds or third-party directly from the manufacturers. If the technicians of your supplier cannot give you proper OEM training, how will you know how to operate the equipment or fix it on your own?
The performance and quality of the item you will buy will depend on the technical knowledge of the maintenance workers. If this is a service they cannot provide, the productivity and efficiency of your facility will be significantly affected.
After-Sales Service
Even the best medical equipment products have the chance to fail in about 30 to 90 days. The problems you will face may differ. But no matter how simple the problem may be, receiving support from your supplier is important. So, find someone with good after-sales service.
Make sure to get the warranty of the items you bought in writing. Get their direct contact number or who to call in case you need support when a machine breaks down. Doing so is imperative to ensure that a broken machine will not delay your operations.
Testing and Reviews
You’ll know that a manufacturer or supplier is one of the bests in the industry when they pride themselves on customer gratification. Customer gratification is accomplished by the services and equipment meeting the buyer’s needs, budget, and demands of the buyer. A supplier that commits itself to providing an excellent customer experience often boasts about its positive reviews on its social media pages and website.
Read the testimonies of their previous customers and dig deeper. Your supplier should understand all your needs and work with you to achieve those things so that you can be a happy and fulfilled customer.
These are the key considerations to remember when buying equipment for medical facilities. In summary, you need to consider the reliability of the supplier and manufacturer, check equipment quality, ensure great after-sales service, test the provider’s technical knowledge and the range of products they offer.
As you can see, it’s not an easy process. But if you consider these things, you will have a smoother buying experience.
