So why is their work so important?

Here are 7 reasons why:  Every day, in-patients and out-patients across the globe receive enormous medical diagnostic, therapeutic and remedial treatments for a wide range of symptoms and illnesses. From a joyous obstetrical ultrasound producing your child’s in-utero first ever photo, to a depressing diagnosis of cancer followed byradiation treatment planning, these are all “critical care” aspects of healthcare that require reliable, accurate medical technology equipment. Precision calibration of medical technology is life sustaining. Which one of us would want to find ourselves in the situation to have received too large a dose of radiation (for example) because of faulty equipment? Not anyone!

Without precision calibration deployed by highly skilled biomedical engineers, these types of situations could well occur. Allowing equipment to run out of a Service Warranty with little or no Biomet support is a poor strategy. As patients and healthcare consumers, most of us want to know that we are safe when we go into a facility for treatment. While the public at large knows nothing about what is required to repair, calibrate and provide preventative maintenance on sophisticated medical technology equipment, it is “mission critical.” Some healthcare facilities take unwarranted risks by allowing their medical capital equipment to run out of their manufacturer’s service warranty without any extension or other coverage. While not publicized, this does happen in many institutions.

Clearly, this practice is not even remotely related to “best practices” or “best patient care” or quality “accountable care.” The proverbial “band-aids” stuck on high technology equipment makes the medical technicians administering care very nervous and uncomfortable.  Nuclear med techs, ultrasound techs, x-ray techs and doctors are always concerned about the safety and efficacy of the treatments that they deploy with their patients, so they tend to be very “hands on,” cautious and thorough. This means that any faulty function can put them at high risk, especially with repeated exposures from treating multiple patients, as well as risk the patient’s health. When equipment PM stickers fall off of the equipment and/or service dates are missed, this can make the techs uncertain about correct dosage of treatments and reliability of diagnostics.

Sticking “band-aids” or faulty stickers on equipment that is questionably calibrated or maintained is a prescription for great unrest with healthcare professionals who administer care. If it “can’t get repaired,” look out! Medical equipment malfunction events can have costly ripple effects, triggering more than just hold-ups, even impacting the institution’s bottom line. The hold-ups may extend patient anxiety over treatments or feared outcomes, increase patient waiting room times, and even force rescheduling of critical diagnostic or treatment sessions.

These situations can damage the healthcare institution’s reputation very quickly. In today’s world of widespread social media interactions and online review sites, all immediately available on cell phones, bad reports tend to spread across social networks virally, almost instantaneously, and could ultimately damage an institution’s bottom line. Without a competent team of Bmets on staff (employees, responsive outsource clinical engineers, or an “in-sourced” team of experts who manage your business in-house with great care) to review, maintain and repair all medical equipment, healthcare facilities are “open season” for delays and confusion between the original equipment manufacturer and the healthcare provider “end user.”

If a medical facility is unable or afraid to perform certain processes on systems and equipment, how can it ensure patient safety and that privacy laws are not violated? How can it maintain regulatory compliance? The manufacturer who could provide the technical solutions on the “devices” or “systems” may not be available 24/7 when an urgent requirement emerges. The right engineering consultants can be. Biomedical engineers who are technically and competently trained to ensure that medical equipment is properly maintained to stay “up and running” are “mission critical.” This is the opposite of healthcare environments where an audit can discover after-the-fact equipment that is not properly calibrated, preventatively maintained against failure, and/or updated to regulatory compliance standards. “Having potential to run” and “can’t get it repaired fast” scenarios for medical technology just do not cut it in today’s healthcare environment.

There’s a host of reasons for delays. These may even include conflicts and negotiations that get stalled between healthcare providers and equipment manufacturers, e.g., contract negotiations, service warranties that may be out of date, or even equipment obsolescence where decisions on new pricing, budgets and other factors come into play.

Summarily, patients trust that their healthcare providers are looking out for their “highest and best” interests. Waiting for “not-in-repair” medical technology equipment to “get repaired” is not something anyone enjoys. From the healthcare provider’s …waiting and delays just give your patients more time to ‘tweet” and post to Facebook their complaints about your facility’s perceived inadequacies and the inconveniences to them… or worse. A word to the wise here should be sufficient.

Having entered the 21st century a while back, buying medical equipment online has become a viable and an oft used option for many. Let’s look at some of the advantages of buying medical equipment online as compared to purchasing locally. Advantages of getting hospital equipment online – One of the first advantages of acquiring medical equipment online has got to be a large selection of options. Large online stores such as Amazon have secured acres and acres of storage space where it is cheap, and have developed computer-driven distribution channels and partners to get the equipment out quickly and efficiently.

Linked to effective use of cheap storage space is the second advantage: the price of medical equipment. While a local distributor can command a much higher price on the item they have in stock, online prices are lower because of increased competition online, and because of lower storage costs. You would be surprised at how low the cost online can go for an item such as a medicine cart, or an emergency crash cart, for instance.

The third advantage is shipping. While some medical equipment may be heavy and may seem difficult to ship, over time the large online companies have figured ways to ship securely and with care. The shipping can be overnight in most cases to anywhere in the USA, and in worst cases will not take more than a few days. And, the experience shows that, large online companies usually stick with their shipping time estimates. It just makes sense, they do not have a monopoly over the service, and therefore it is in their interest to accurately and safely estimate shipping time. That is why, in most cases, you can expect your delivery sooner than promised.

Disadvantages of getting medical equipment online – Sure, there are disadvantages of buying online as well. Sometimes, you would just feel much better if you can actually see the item, touch it, before you buy. Which makes a lot of sense. However, when you are a more experienced buyer, you will figure out the good from the bad, you will be able to discern the good product from the questionable product online just by considering the brand name (a lot of large manufacturers sell directly or through large online outlets), the written customer reviews, and the shipping and return warranties from the seller.

Taken all of these into account, the disadvantage of not being able to visually inspect the item before buying are not as prohibitive as they may seem initially, even for larger items such as medical crash carts.

Things to Consider when Choosing an Equipment Supplier Some of the most important things that medical labs need to consider while choosing a lab equipment supplier are:

1. Quality of equipment – Quality is undoubtedly the most important factor when choosing lab equipment. Accurate results in lab procedures depend on the use of good quality equipment. The medical equipment supplier must be able to offer branded products that come with all necessary features and specifications. The inventory of an established supplier would offer both new and re-certified products with proper warranty. Many reliable dealers fully warranty each piece of refurbished equipment they sell.
2. Services offered – The smooth conduct of medical lab procedures depends to a great extent of the support services that the dealer offers. Reliable dealers offer proper after-sales support, material service visits, in-house service and repairs, as and when required.
3. Technical Expertise – An established dealer would also have skilled, factory-trained technicians at hand to offer labs timely repair and maintenance activities. This would minimize down time and ensure that the equipment works efficiently.
4. Product inventory – The selected dealer must be well established, with an inventory of all laboratory products needed to equip a medical lab. This would ensure that the lab would be able to source all its equipment from one store, thereby saving time and money. Good dealers would stock medical lab equipment as varied as analyzers and centrifuges, as well as small microscopes and pipettes. Most of them even offer the necessary reagents and consumables.
5. Commitment to your satisfaction – Good dealers offer products and services customized to your needs. To meet the demands of small and budget concerned labs, many of them supply reasonably priced re-certified devices. In order to improve the efficiency of laboratory procedures, they offer quality products of leading brands. If you have any used laboratory device to sell, get in touch with a dealer that can offer fair market prices for your product.
6. Convenience of purchasing – Most well-known dealers have online stores so that customers can easily select and buy the right lab equipment after comparing features and prices of different products.
7. Product delivery – It is necessary that the supplier offers international shipping and safe, timely and reliable product delivery.

How to Locate a Reliable Medical Equipment Dealer Finding a reliable medical equipment supplier is best accomplished by using online resources like search engines, web directories and the yellow pages.

The Kind of Medical Supplies to Pick-up Online: Like as any product you may think of, even the medical supplies there days have come out compact, convenient and cheap. From over the counter medicines like instant pain relievers and disease cures to high-end personal mobility assistance like wheelchairs, electric scooters etc, pain management supplies, auto recorders, home diagnosis kit and more, there is a lot the sick and the handicapped can hope for.

That’s not all, apart from the varied choice of categories one get to choose a lot more varieties within these in terms of quality, features, cost, rating and more. Look Out for Exciting Offers on Online Medical Supplies: It is true that online websites selling medical supplies often have irresistible offers on display, which your nearest offline retailer can barely match. The competition online is so high that it is often the buyers who benefit the most. Right from flat discounts of 10-50 % and more, by buying your home medical supplies online you can definitely bag a score of other benefits like free shipping on orders, door-delivery of products etc that often come handy irrespective of the order or supply to buy.

Moreover, such websites supplying medical aids frequently update their products list thus giving new and improved products and medical supplies every time you check back. Certain Points to Consider when Buying Medical Supplies Online:  Make sure that every medical equipment or product you buy online abides by the standards set by FDA.   Read the product labels to confirm and re-confirm the dates, quality etc. of the product.

Ask any query you have using the contact details given in the website; only an authentic retailer would bother to respond to your query related to the product  Before buying the home medical supply always confirm with your physician about the brand, product features and the like.  Remember, there is no thing as free lunch, so reasonable offers and discounts are great, but if you think it is overdone then it always demands a second thought

1. Check the medical device supplier’s compliance with regulations. Earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shot down the manufacture and distribution of a certain prenatal assessment device that has not been proven to be safe and effective. In a related case, a manufacturer of hospital beds ordered the recall of some models of its infant carrier beds because of structural defects in these equipment. The implication of such cases is doubly significant to online consumers who have lesser chance of thoroughly inspecting merchandise before agreeing to buy. All manufacturers, importers, and distributors of medical equipment and devices are mandated to comply with industry and government standards on safety and quality. Online buyers, therefore, would do well to make sure that the items they intend to procure are duly registered.

2. Find a proven provider. Aside from compliance with regulations, an online medical equipment company should have a proven track record for reliable product handling and timely delivery. This is an important qualification to look for in any distributor, but in the case of supplies, it is a crucial requirement considering the urgent and oftentimes critical need for medical devices or even ordinary supplies.

3. Buy Wholesale. Whether the online buyer is a small company engaged in retail distribution, community health facility, or a private individual with long-term need for medical provides, making large, wholesale purchases has distinct advantages. Online dealers of medical supplies often offer attractive discounts for wholesale procurements in addition to lower prices. They also commonly provide flexible paying options to go with shipment options that do not break the buyers finances.

4. Make online security a priority. The same issues that plague electronic commerce in general (identity theft, fraud, sabotage) also apply to the medical supplies market in particular. Online buyers should look for companies that are not only credible and performance tested, but also prove concern for their clients’ privacy and security needs. Finally, those looking to buy medical supplies online should exhaust their search options before committing to a particular vendor. It takes effort to cross analyze the performance and pricing policies of many potential online suppliers, but if buyers take the time for such exercise, it increases the likelihood of a long-term and mutually beneficial business relationship with the online company after a satisfactory first purchase.

According to non-adjusted estimates released recently by the U.S. Commerce Department, U.S. e-commerce sales totaled $165.4 billion in 2010, up 14.8% from $144.1 billion 2009. Numbers show that e-commerce is taking a huge slice of the conventional retail sales market and is growing faster than retail sales. A total of 4.2% of retail spending took place online during 2010 which increased from 3.9% in 2009. This excludes some categories not routinely purchased online such as fuel, automobiles, grocery and etc.

Even after the recession, online retail sales increased 11% in the fourth quarter of 2010 from the previous year, and full-year 2010 sales were up 10% over 2009. Recently, comScore Inc. reported Fourth quarter 2010 e-retail sales totaling a record $43.0 billion, versus $39.0 billion in 2009. In 2010, online retailers sold $142.5 billion worth of merchandise, up from $129.8 billion in 2009.
What are the advantages of shopping online for medical supplies and equipment?

Here are some of the main advantages of online shopping for medical supplies. First are the return options. If the customer is not satisfied with the purchase, a respectable e-commerce store will allow them to send it back at little or no money cost to them. You get a broader selection of products from online retailers. You get to analyze and compare products from many different suppliers in the online stores. Online shopping enables you to gather reviews on the goods from different users who will give you a detail report on the goods which in turn will be helpful in making a decision to purchase. The online shopping allows you to select from a variety of products and many choices of sizes and colors. One great benefit of online shopping is its 24/7! So no more waiting for your favorite shop to open, you can just shop at any time anywhere at all leading stores, shop for all leading brands. Now no more running from store to store.

Most of the people who are confined at home due to a disability or have little time to shop outside their home or business are the ones mostly enjoying the benefits of online shopping. With a computer and internet connection, shopping, buying and acquiring almost any desired product is very easy and prompt. It surely is a great means of saving time. People with health difficulties also have trouble with conventional shopping methods. They need medical supplies such as incontinent care products, bath products, commodes, toilet seats, chairs and recliners that are offered on some respectable online medical sites. Just like the other items, they can be purchased with great warranties, quality service and can be acquired within a short period of time, and delivered right to your home taking out the hassles of traffic, gasoline consumption and time constraints.

In an emergency or a specific health related condition such as diabetes or asthma, certain medical equipment are a must have for your personal use in a family environment. Sickness often comes without notice; therefore it is best to be prepared to tackle any kind of situation. Frequent visits to the hospital may turn out to be expensive unless you have your health insurance in place. Home medical equipment kits can help monitor your illnesses like a fever, cold or other medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. Easy to operate home medical equipment is available on premium online medical supply web stores. All basic diagnostic equipment within your reach can ensure that you and your family members stay healthy, fit and enjoy your quality of life.

Nowadays, we can find all types of medical equipment from trustedonline medical stores that carry an extensive range of branded products from huge and trusted manufacturers, including laboratory apparatus, surgical instruments, sterilization equipment, dental equipment, diagnostic devices, home diagnostic kit and mobility aids likewheelchairs, canes, crutches and scooters.
Although there are still hospital, clinics and other medical institutions that haven’t realized yet the advantages and potential benefits that they can obtain when full implementation of buying medical equipment online is instituted, a large part of the medical community are able to appreciate the effectiveness, convenience and advantages of the online medical stores. Hospitals, clinics and other medical institutions can achieve cost-effective ways in purchasing medical and laboratory equipment. Some online medical equipment stores do not have to cover the expensive overhead it requires to run a business. This includes paying for sales people, infrastructure, benefits etc. Now you have a choice and get the supplies delivered from the manufacturer without covering all the costs associated with the brick and mortar stores. Shopping online can be really cost-effective and definitely, one of today’s sensible options.

Medicare Medicare is our country’s health insurance program for people age 65 or older. In certain cases, individuals younger than age 65 may be covered by Medicare if they have qualifying disabilities or diseases as designated by Medicare. Medicare covers numerous types of medical equipment and supplies where there is a documented need for them.

Often this documentation begins with a prescription by the attending physician followed by a Certificate of Medical Necessity. People in the hospital, home health care, or a nursing home are covered by Medicare Part A. Otherwise, medical equipment and supplies may be covered by Medicare Part B.

Medical supplies and equipment that are covered by Medicare include:

• Some catheters
• Ostomy supplies, ostomy bags, and irrigation and flushing equipment, and supplies
• Supplies required for feeding tubs (such as catheters, filters, and nutrient solutions)
• Supplies for tracheotomy care
• Dressing required for treatment of a wound caused by a surgical procedure or after debridement (removing non-living tissue of a wound)
• Diabetic supplies, glucose monitors and Diabetic Shoes
• Respiratory supplies including home oxygen equipment & equipment for sleep apnea
• Vacuum devices for impotence treatment Manual wheelchairs, electric wheelchairs, and motorized scooters
• Augmentative communication devices
• Orthotics and prosthetics, when these devices are considered medically necessary or when they replace or support a body part

Other supplies and equipment may be covered if they can be shown to be medically necessary and your doctor has documented it in your medical records. Not all medical equipment and supplies are covered by Medicare. Some are considered “personal convenience” items.

Examples of items which are not covered include:

• Raised toilet seat
• Shower/commode wheelchair
• Grab bars and other safety equipment for the bathroom
• Hearing aids
• Examination gloves
• Some catheters
• Incontinence supplies such as briefs and underpads

Be sure to research the factors that affect how much Medicare coverage you will receive. Make sure all paperwork is completed correctly and that you buy your equipment through an approved supplier that accepts assignment. Medicaid is a state-run insurance program and may differ from state to state. In most cases, you will need prior approval from Medicaid before ordering your medical equipment and supplies.

Your doctor must explain in writing:

• Your diagnosis and prognosis
• How the equipment/supplies will aid recovery and/or daily life functions
• Expected consequences of no equipment/supplies or not using the recommended equipment/supplies
• If substituting less expensive equipment is unacceptable, explain why
• Length of time the items are needed
• You have been or will be instructed how to use the equipment properly and that you are able to do so.

Physician-prescribed home medical equipment covered by Medicaid may include:

• Hospital beds
• Wheelchairs
• Speech devices, computer screen readers for blind or visually impaired users, vocal amplifiers and similar communication augmentation
• Bath or shower chairs
• Dialysis equipment
• Oxygen equipment, tanks and supplies
• C-pap and bi-pap equipment and supplies
• Walkers, crutches, and canes
• Nebulizers and medication delivery devices
• Commodes, and elevated toilet sets
• Traction equipment.

Medicaid typically will not cover items like air conditioners or exercise equipment where there is no illness or injury involved, even if they are prescribed by a doctor. Private and commercial health insurance Private and commercial health insurance, including employer-sponsored group plans and individual plans vary widely.

It is extremely important for you to diligently research eligibility, requirements and coverage criteria for your specific private health insurance. Be sure to check for specific forms and procedures for compliance with the preapproval process and the medical documentation.

It’s also important to confirm that your insurance carrier is contracted with the specific Durable Medical Equipment supplier from which you plan to purchase the equipment or supplies.

1. Bandage Scissors: Taking off a band-aid is fairly simple, if somewhat painful. However, if you have larger wounds, bandage scissors can help and be more sterile. These are different from regular scissors in that they can get under the bandage more easily.
2. Blood Pressure Cuff: The best of these are digital, though regular cuffs still exist. You may think this is only for old people, but others can find them helpful. As an example, it can help pregnant women watch for pre-eclampsia and toxemia in pregnancy. If you’ve never used one, have your doctor or pharmacist show you how to use it properly.
3. Dosage Devices: The teaspoons and tablespoons in your cutlery drawer are not a standard size, so using them to give doses of liquid medicine is a bad idea. You can use the standardized set you use while cooking, or you can get specially made dosage devices at your pharmacy.
4. Heating Pad: A hot water bottle or heating pad can help deal with such conditions as arthritis. You’ll have to use them with care, as they can cause burns or make some medical conditions worse.
5. Humidifier: Devices that control the humidity level in your home can be very useful. In winter, having the heater on can dry out the air in your home. Add a cold or the flu to it and you can find yourself very uncomfortable. Other areas are very wet, and you may need something to remove some of that humidity.
6. Ice Packs: Ice packs can be stored in the freezer until needed, then be used to reduce swelling after an injury. Flexible packs are the best, as these injuries tend to be on the limbs.
7. Thermometer: This is a must for every household. You may need more than one type, depending on the age of your family members. Infants can’t handle the “under the tongue” methods and you really don’t want to use an oral thermometer the one way you can get an accurate temperature on a baby. I find digital thermometers best, because they are easy to read. Finding the mercury strip on an older model is not easy, and the mercury in it is toxic.

You may want to talk to your doctor about other devices that will fill your family’s needs. There are many out there, and it can help you keep your entire family healthy.

Disposable medical supplies are one such example of taking prevention against infections. Hospitals are places where sick people are taken care of, treated and made healthy again. Ironically, hospitals are also places where infections can easily spread due to the presence of so many patients under one roof. And that is the reason there are so many infection preventive items stored there for protecting the patients and the staff. For persisting medical conditions such as diabetes, patients have to use syringes at home and such items are better used once and disposed.

Disposable medical supplies are of different types – some are meant to be used at home and some at hospitals. Some of the common items are syringes, gloves, masks, IV bags, thermometers, catheters, bags, etc. In other words, any item that has to be used on the body of the patients have to be separate and used only once and then be discarded so that if there is any infection in one patient, it does not spread to another.

Manufacturing of disposable medical supplies have to done with the best quality materials to ensure that they are safe for the patients to be used. Also, they have to be packed carefully and sealed since the patients would be using them on their body and any contact with germs or infected items have to be avoided. Doctors, nurses and technicians in the laboratory have to take care that they use unopened and safely packed items each time they use it on each patient and dispose the items as soon as the use is over.

It is the responsibility of the hospital to ensure that the staff uses only these disposable items on patients. And the responsibility of keeping oneself safe lies with the patients too. It is important that they insist on accepting only these disposable medical supplies for their use when they are in hospitals. While purchasing these products from the pharmacy, they need to ensure that they are buying sealed packets of medical supplies.

It is true that using disposable items is not exactly cheap. Initially it might appear to be expensive, but when it comes to your health it is definitely worth the cost as it ensures that you are protected from any infection or contamination and that you remain healthy always.

Medical equipment supplies that are made available over the internet will provide you with the ability to simply point and click your path through an abundance of information on all the products you may need. These websites will also provide you with information of the latest brands, functionality, best deals, ratings, reviews and much more. You may also find yourself amazed at how inexpensive the online products are in comparison to the very same ones elsewhere through traditional offline sellers.

The following are some helpful tips on purchasing quality medical equipment and supplies through the internet: First and foremost, you must make sure that you are dealing with a reputable and legal online retailer or web shop. You can inquire about this from former buyers of the retailer in question. These previous customers may be found largely in forums that talk about e-commerce and services provided by medical devices and are located all over the internet.

Referrals coming from other established retailers online are also an excellent source of information on a supplier. As well as checking the Better Business Bureau at the retailer’s official website. Another thing to take into account when selecting a quality medical equipment supplier over the internet is order quantity. A lot of retailers that can be found online will give a huge discount on top of their already low process for bulk purchases, so you may want to look into these great deals.

The geographic coverage of some internet suppliers is another one of the most important things you need to be sure of. Make sure that your area is within the boundaries of the supplier’s area of distribution. If the store in question is a world-wide distributor, consider if they are far on the other side of the world, this could mean that you have to pay extra for the shipping fee. This is the very situation wherein multiple purchases may be more cost effective.

Some online suppliers may also offer free shipping for your order, but this is usually only the case within specific geographical boundaries. Reputable suppliers of quality medical equipment and supplies that sell equipment at a very low cost are invaluable to a medical practitioner. If you are in need of quality medical equipment and supplies, at low prices, then you may want to visit some online resources on suppliers for a more information.