Is your hospital  endeavoring to stay abreast of the enormous demands in healthcare which are now the “new normal”? Chances are your facility may be considering outsourcing  the  clinical engineering  function.  With today’s healthcare economic pressure,  this consideration  is being given more scrutiny than ever before.

Should this  describes  your healthcare facility, here are some top considerations to consider as you proceed in “picking” a partner.

#1  Talk with respected  biomedical  engineers via the healthcare provider grapevine. Ask them who they have found to be reliable and provide maximum equipment up-time. Take copious notes

#2 After coming up with a short list of biomedical equipment providers,  consider interviewing the managing principals of the   biomedical equipment services company under review.

#3 Ask questions. Make an inquiry about current and/or past  healthcare provider partnerships and get some tangible feedback as to how relationships were facilitated and clinical engineering “best practices” were facilitated.

#4. Request samples of customer surveys that attest to satisfaction with the biomedical equipment service providers rankings by various healthcare facilities.

#5 Seek the best cultural fit for your organization.

#6 Look for individuals who will manage up and down the chain of command in your healthcare facility

#7 Avoid being dazzled by “big company bundling” of other, non-related,  healthcare services into contracts such as facility maintenance or  food services along with biomedical equipment services. Upstream, the perceived “benefits” could  result in having one’s  hands tied were there to be displeasure with the quality of the biomedical equipment services rendered.