Medical facilities and research institutions often rely on hundreds of thousands of dollars of specialized equipment. This equipment may occasionally fail. Medical practices and research facilities often have tight operating budgets, which complicates the matter. Equipment failures can become a critical budget issue. A reliable biomedical equipment repair technician can help a facility keep its equipment and budget in top condition.

4 Things to Look For in a Reliable Biomedical Equipment Repair Technician

Here are some things to consider when choosing a reliable biomedical equipment repair technician:

AAMI Certification

The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation is a consensus standards organization. The AAMI was founded in 1967 to provide better medical outcomes through safe and effective medical technology. They are a leading organization in developing improved medical instruments and safety standards.

An AAMI-certified technician will be up to date on medical technologies, regulations, and safety standards. They will also understand how your equipment should behave and how to bring malfunctioning equipment up to standard.

Getting certified by the AAMI is not a trivial matter. That is why earning and maintaining their certification is a good sign that your technician is dedicated to a standard of professionalism and excellence that you and your practice can rely upon.

Equipment Manufacturer Certification

Another thing to look for in a reliable technician is that they are certified by your equipment manufacturers.

Medical equipment is often complex and complicated machinery. Major manufacturers like GE and Mindray often offer certification programs. Certification programs like these train technicians on how to maintain a manufacturer's branded medical equipment.

A technician completing these certification courses will have detailed knowledge of how that manufacturer's equipment works. They will know which common problems to look for when diagnosing faulty equipment, and they will learn how to get that equipment functioning like new.

As with AAMI certification, a technician's manufacturer certifications also demonstrate professional standards. Just as manufacturers work to improve their equipment, a technician who works to maintain their certifications will be able to minimize time lost to malfunctioning equipment.

Timely Repairs and Maintenance

Malfunctioning equipment can lead to costly and potentially deadly delays in a patient's diagnosis and treatment. Routine preventative maintenance goes a long way toward mitigating this factor. Still, a reliable biomedical equipment repair technician will also work to minimize the downtime of their customer's medical equipment.

Around-the-clock availability is part of providing timely repair, but the technician's preparedness is a more significant factor. A reliable technician can use their training and experience as a guide to help them arrive at your facility with the tools and parts needed to repair and recalibrate faulty equipment on-site.

Service Documentation

While timely repair and maintenance are valuable considerations, keeping up with the paperwork is also desirable for a biomedical equipment repair technician.

Regulatory compliance and insurance requirements are a big part of managing a medical practice. While necessary, keeping up with these requirements may be time-consuming.

A technician who completes their repair and maintenance documentation promptly can take a lot of the hassle out of probing your practice's compliance with legal and insurance requirements.

Budget Compatibility

A medical facility's operating budget can be tight, especially if it relies on grant money or public support. Replacing specialized instruments that are not performing up to standard may not be possible, and repairing equipment often results in significant, unforeseen expenses that stress the budget and the facility's administrators.

For this reason, a reliable biomedical repair technician will provide flexible billing policies. A technician that can work with your facility's budget constraints is a valuable partner.

The best approach is to adopt a contractual relationship with a technician service. Finding a service that can reduce maintenance costs to a regular — and predictable — budget line item can save a medical institution thousands of dollars in the long run.

Finding the Right Technician for Your Practice

There are many ways to find biomedical repair services in your area, but finding the right one for your practice requires research. Whether you are using a web search, a local business directory, or word of mouth to start your search, keeping these five factors in mind while vetting them will help you find a biomedical equipment repair service that you can rely upon.