Choosing the right service plan for your medical imaging equipment is critical for maintaining efficiency and minimizing downtime. Whether managing a high-volume clinic in a bustling city or a smaller rural practice, understanding the differences between full coverage and preventative maintenance can save your practice time, money, and stress.
Each option offers unique benefits tailored to varying risk tolerance levels, patient volume, and budget considerations. This guide explores these two service plans, helping you make the best decision for your clinic’s needs.
A full-service coverage plan involves preventive maintenance to keep your machine running optimally but also adds in parts, labor, and travel expenses for an engineer to come and repair your machine should a breakdown occur. It's like having an auto insurance plan that includes oil changes and tire rotations.
They also typically come with a 24/7 service line where you can reach a designated real person to manage your account and call the engineer if emergency repairs are needed. It protects you against unplanned emergency expenses since instead of paying a sudden repair bill, you simply make monthly payments.
Medical equipment contains numerous parts that generate heat and cooling systems that need maintenance to perform optimally. Over time, dust and debris accumulate, moving parts require more lubrication, and parts eventually fail after long periods of use.
These can all result in critical failures leading to downtime, frustrated clients and staff, lost revenue, and, most importantly, negative impacts on patient care. Fortunately, most issues can be prevented.
This is where preventative maintenance plans can ensure optimal performance and longevity of your equipment. It can also help you avoid that costly downtime if your machine needs repairs, leaving you without diagnostic capabilities for your patients.
It involves regular visits from a service engineer to clean your system, test the components, and look for any parts showing signs of wear and tear so that you can repair or replace them before they break down.
How often these visits occur is based on your manufacturer’s recommendations and your needs and budget, but they generally happen quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. The primary difference between this and full coverage is that if a sudden failure occurs, the repair cost will be your responsibility.
Yes, full coverage includes maintenance and cleaning, but it also offers additional services like insurance against breakdowns, which covers the cost of replacement parts and labor. That extra service does come at a higher cost.
Which type of plan is right for your clinic depends on different factors. Let’s look at the factors that may help you decide.
High-volume clinics like those in busy urban areas will typically have a lower risk tolerance than less busy rural clinics with a lower workflow to manage. The full-service plan offers complete coverage to protect you in emergencies but is more expensive.
Smaller clinics with a higher risk tolerance may not want to pay for the extra cost of that plan and may be best served by a preventive maintenance plan instead.
Patient volume is closely tied to risk tolerance. High patient volumes mean your systems must always be operational to avoid that dreaded downtime that can negatively impact patient care and revenue streams. Clinics with lower patient volumes generally have more flexibility in which type of plan they choose.
Budget is a factor for many clinics, especially smaller clinics in rural areas with lower revenues. If you are a smaller clinic, consider if you can afford to handle and pay for unexpected repairs or if making higher monthly payments is better for you.
Maven Imaging’s digital X-ray preventative maintenance is available on all systems with 24/7 online support. Here are the steps involved in this comprehensive service:
Step 1 Verify All Functions: First, they will verify that every element works as it should to get a baseline of your system's performance. They will then do an image quality check with reference objects. After ensuring proper performance of all functions, they will do a second quality check to ensure the image is as good as/better than the first.
Step 2 Cleaning the Interior: The tech cleans any dust and debris inside the system that could interfere with movement, cooling, or create artifacts on images. They will also wipe the X-ray tube and replace any worn O-rings. All high-voltage cables will be inspected, cleaned, and regreased, and rails and gears will be cleaned and lubricated.
Step 3 Testing Electrical and Mechanical: This involves inspecting and testing the safety interlock, sensors, warning lamp, mounting hardware, and wire terminations. If the X-ray system has motion manipulation, the technician will test the entire range of motion and set crash limits accordingly. They will also adjust motors, limit sensors, encoders, and test workstation functions.
Step 4 Potential Failures: This includes looking for worn parts that could fail before the next maintenance visit. The tech may suggest what parts to replace or spare parts to keep on hand in case of a breakdown.
Step 5 Calibrations: The technician will confirm that everything is calibrated correctly on the X-ray machines and generators to ensure equipment longevity and patient and staff safety.
Step 6 Software Updates: Finally, the technician will also ensure that all of your software, applications, and DR platforms are updated as needed.
Both types of plans have advantages, and the right choice depends on your clinic’s needs, budget, and risk tolerance. High-volume clinics or practices with a low tolerance for downtime might benefit more from full coverage, while smaller clinics might find preventative maintenance more cost-effective.
Maven Imaging offers a robust digital X-ray preventative maintenance program designed to ensure optimal performance and longevity for your equipment. Contact Maven Imaging today to learn how our services can keep your clinic running smoothly and effectively.