Purchasing Your Optimal Service Plan
In this challenging economic climate, extending the life of imaging equipment through proper service and maintenance is more important than ever. Over a period of years, however, the aggregate cost of a service agreement could rival the original price tag of the equipment, making it crucial for purchasers to balance cost against their facilities’ needs.
Imaging equipment is generally guaranteed (under warranty) for a year; after that year, a service agreement usually covers the next four years, meaning that hospitals look at the five-year life-cycle cost when making purchasing decisions. Weighing the additional cost of a service agreement can be a tricky proposition, requiring facilities to accurately predict how the equipment will be used over this five-year life cycle. An improperly structured service agreement could result in unplanned downtime, making preventive maintenance crucial to ensure the equipment runs properly. Patient volume is also an important consideration. High-volume facilities may need more entitlements and coverage than those performing fewer scans.
The first step in negotiating the right service agreement is assessing your needs. Are you in a critical care facility that needs its scanner running 24/7 or in a community hospital with more than one scanner, allowing flexibility if one system is out of commission for a short time? Ask yourself these other questions in assessing your needs: What is the scanner’s average daily volume? Is the scanner regularly used after hours? For what types of studies is the scanner generally used? How many scanners do we have? Do we have our own internal biomedical-engineering team?
Having answered these questions, you will be better prepared to discuss service options for your facility with your Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). Ted Nemetz is vice president of Service at Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. in Tustin, California. He says, “What we want to accomplish on our end is finding out the customers’ needs and what their expectation levels are. At Toshiba, a standard service agreement covers service from 8 AM to 5 PM, and we guarantee 98 percent uptime.” Your facility, however, may need more than the standard service agreement. “You may need 24/7 coverage. Our objective is to provide the placement of parts and people to support what you’re paying for,” Nemetz says.
When you sit down with your OEM to formulate an ideal service agreement, factors to consider include:
- your service needs for this equipment;
- what type of coverage you will need (for example, full coverage, with the OEM providing all necessary support, or partial coverage, with in-house biomedical-engineering staff providing primary service);
- what hours of service/repair coverage you will require;
- what hours of preventive maintenance coverage you will require;
- what other system options you will require, such as coverage for coils or X-ray tubes;
- your risk tolerance;
- whether or not this service agreement will be your long-term solution.
Because your service needs can change over time, shifting with the acquisition of a new piece of equipment or merely exceeding your original estimates, Nemetz also emphasizes the importance of flexibility on the part of your OEM. “We are willing to amend your agreement as time goes on,” he says. “If we see you don’t have enough coverage, or if (conversely) you’re spending money you don’t need to spend, our management team will work with you to adjust your agreement to better meet your needs.”
Remember, as well, to take into account your geographic location, which will affect how quickly service engineers will be able to reach your facility in the event of unplanned downtime. “Most OEMs say they will respond by phone within 15 minutes and be on-site within two hours, but customers in rural areas should be sure the right people are trained and available,” Nemetz says. “Find out how close their parts depots are and how close their personnel are. Personnel and parts are not really on the service agreement, but they are a major part of the service OEMs provide.”
Click here to download a printer-friendly version.
Tags: Service
Category: Education & Training —