by
Olga Deshchenko, DOTmed News Reporter | August 05, 2011
From the July 2011 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Other companies strive to anticipate their customers’ needs before new medical devices even make it to market. X-ray test equipment maker Unfors Instruments has a history of partnering with diagnostic imaging companies throughout the transition process from analogue to digital.
“We continuously work with manufacturers of imaging equipment to ensure that our test equipment meets all of their new specifications,” says Kelly Fitzgerald, Unfors’ marketing director.
Not long ago, Hologic introduced its Selenia Dimensions 3D mammography system but Unfors had worked with the company for two years prior to the unit’s release to ensure its products could be used by service engineers on the system when it appeared in hospitals and imaging centers.
Other companies strive to arm biomeds with light, portable tools that not only help them do their jobs faster and easier but also enable them to spend more time rubbing elbows with the clinical team.
Pronk Technologies markets the SC-5+OXSLIM Kit, a complete vital signs simulation system, which comes in a package that resembles a small messenger bag. The portability of the product gives biomeds the opportunity to work in any part of the hospital, which increases their visibility and emphasizes the importance of their role in the health system, explains Karl Ruiter, Pronk’s president.
“I think biomed can be a forgotten department,” he says. “It’s important for biomeds to get the recognition they need because that leads to them getting the budget and the equipment that they need.”
While manufacturers offer the latest and greatest test equipment, diminishing budgets often tie the hands of CE departments when it comes to purchasing new tools. For such customers, Fluke is now offering new monthly leasing options for its products and services, according to Ivankovich.
The latest & on the horizon
Immanuel Medical Center’s Luebbe remembers the days when he walked around his facility with a clipboard, tracking all of the needed data. He then had to go back to the shop and enter all the information into the computer.
Today’s test equipment not only shortens the process but makes it more efficient. It’s automated and programmable, enabling biomeds to use one piece of equipment for several types of medical devices. Plus, the tools now effortlessly transfer the data onto the computer. “Automation makes for smoother record keeping,” says Luebbe.
In addition to automation, portability and the ability to test a number of devices with one piece of equipment, manufacturers are also improving the accuracy and efficiency of their latest products – factors that make a biomed’s job easier.
