Equipment managment: Make your equipment fleet visible

A. The methods of keeping organized equipment service records are as varied as the companies themselves. When we consult with our HME customers regarding equipment service and the related service records, we find organization methods that include records in spiral notebooks, Excel sheets, three-ring binders and, of course, files in filing cabinets. The most important elements of a robust service records database are:
• Complete and accurate service records on all your clinical equipment.
• The immediate availability of those records for both internal and external stakeholders.
In today's digital world, maintaining these records in a secure, digital format, allowing for immediate availability, is your best alternative. However, that is just a portion of an effective equipment management program. Here are a couple of other areas to consider when thinking about your visibility of your equipment fleet:
What do I have? What is its status?
Far too often, business managers don't have a handle on their assets and are paying the cost of inefficiency, as a result. By using systems and processes to improve your visibility into your equipment fleet, you will save money, improve management efficiency, and reduce the risks that are associated with out-of-compliance assets.
Monitoring service trends
Lemons happen! The goal is to reduce their impact on patient care and your bottom line. Systems that provide good visibility can help you keep eyes on the problem devices before they become a problem for your business. Again, this involves maintaining records over the life of the asset and being able to review these service records in a matter of minutes. Otherwise, the time needed to simply collect and review these records will likely prevent you from doing this on a periodic basis. hme
Will Ross is vice president of marketing at Quality Medical. He can be reached at wross@qualitymedicalsouth.com.