TechNation: Biomed 101 - Ultrasound Equipment Inventory

Are you over or under-equipped?

In a day of cost avoidance and reduction in healthcare, every penny counts. When it comes to ultrasound equipment, knowing what you have ininventory, understanding the inventory and being prepared for events that may occur can mean the difference between an inexpensive repair versus a costly replacement. A proactive plan can help to prevent costly repairs and replacement as well as extend the life of ultrasound equipment.

According to Axess Ultrasound’s recently published whitepaper, “Ultrasound Service and Training in the 21st Century,” being in the know and prepared, or having a plan, can mean a total cost savings of 60-70 percent. Below, we share a few key details from the whitepaper.

KNOW YOUR INVENTORY

The first step to developing a capital equipment plan in ultrasound equipment is defining your inventory.

The best way to do this is through an inventory audit. An audit is not just about counting machines and equipment or gaining basic information about the ultrasound platform. It is ultimately about gaining more knowledge about each and every piece of equipment. Since ultrasound units of the 21st Century are no longer simply boards that develop images but are now high-end computer/ software-based units that communicate across various networks and talk to other devices, biomed departments must adapt to this level of complexity.

Basic ultrasound knowledge is important, but it only gives you a foundation for ultrasound use and service. Conducting a thorough audit to will unlock the vault to system-specific knowledge that is necessary to fully service 21st Century ultrasound units.

BE PREPARED

It’s important to define your inventory so that you are prepared for events that may occur. Being prepared can mean the difference between a $500 repair and a $70,000 replacement. System-specific knowledge is critical when it comes to being prepared. Once you have properly defined and documented your inventory, the next step is to put the system-specific knowledge to use by developing a proactive plan. A proactive plan, or being prepared, can help to prevent costly interruptions in ultrasound service, so here are some things that should be part of your plan:

• Create and maintain preset disks
• Maintain a copy of ultrasound machine’s hard drive as a back up
• Map out a network design for all units
• Learn to use all necessary network tools before an event occurs work the plan.

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