Equipment training: Do it now to save later
May 27, 2011
This report originally appeared in the May 2011 issue of DOTmed Business News
By William Gulley
It’s well known that proper imaging equipment maintenance will extend the usable life of equipment, increase revenue-generating uptime and decrease the total cost of ownership. The question then becomes, what is the most cost-effective method to develop qualified technicians to maintain the equipment at peak efficiency?
Technical training provides clinical engineering departments the skills and techniques needed to maintain and preserve the equipment. Properly trained technicians ensure patient safety by maintaining equipment to operating specifications and assist in compliance with all relevant accreditations. Benefits of training include:
1) Recognize potential issues before they become problems. Technicians trained to perform preventative maintenance can recognize issues before they become catastrophic events. For example, trans-esophageal transducers (TEEs), used in cardiac imaging, have potentially high repair costs. Properly trained technicians can detect early signs of damage due to improper use or storage. If caught in time, the device can then simply undergo low-level repair, instead of requiring a costly complete rebuild.
2) Repair, don’t replace. Trained technicians develop troubleshooting abilities narrowing issues down to one or two areas. They can diagnose, determine parts requirements and repair the issues themselves, thereby reducing or even eliminating OEM service calls. This increased internal capability will save the hospital thousands, even hundreds of thousands of dollars, on potential equipment replacement costs. A new ultrasound machine, for example, may cost upwards of $150,000 to replace.
3) Increased uptime. A medical device exists for two very specific purposes inside a hospital. The first is patient care; the second is to generate revenue. Every day a piece of equipment is out for maintenance is a day not spent generating revenue. A well-trained technician with the ability to diagnose and repair equipment internally significantly reduces downtime, allowing for higher patient throughput and more revenue for the organization.
4) Patient safety. This is arguably the primary purpose of all equipment maintenance. Compromising patient safety can expose the organization to many risks. Beyond possible litigation, when equipment is not in working order or maintenance of the equipment is improperly documented, your organization may fall out of compliance with regulatory agencies such as The Joint Commission.
Getting the training you need, even with tight budgets
Department managers and other administrators must provide more services with fewer resources. Hospitals recognizing the value of proper training must not only budget for the cost of training, but also budget for travel to attend the training.
Understandably, “free” training seems like an attractive option. Of course, there’s often a catch. While many of these courses can increase a technician’s knowledge, it’s unlikely they’re being provided for altruistic reasons. In many cases, they may be used to advance areas of the provider’s business, such as parts sales or repair contracts. Quality training teaches the technicians troubleshooting techniques as well as preventative maintenance steps to reduce the dependence on OEM service contracts and service calls.
What to look for in a training program
A technician’s work is not limited to looking up items in a service manual. A good technician works with his hands and figures out solutions to the problems presented to him. Therefore, you should look for a hands-on training program– if the training is book-only, it won’t be complete. Also, don’t overlook the experience of the trainer. During your conversation with the training provider, be sure to ask about the trainer’s qualifications. Helpful questions include:
• Is the trainer a current or former technician?
• How many training classes has the instructor conducted?
• How many years experience does the instructor have in the service field?
Training as a retention tool
All businesses measure costs and their impact on budgets. However, a stealth area of increased costs exists inside a clinical engineering department that does not show up clearly on a budget analysis: turnover.
There are real and tangible costs to losing a valuable technician, such as increased workload on others causing overtime, recruiting costs, basic orientation costs, and the hardest cost to calculate —a reputation inside the industry as a department to be avoided by qualified technicians. Sending technicians to a proper training class shows the value the organization sees in its technicians and demonstrates a level of commitment to career development recognized and valued by technicians.
Training as an investment
Training the clinical engineering department generates significant ROI. That’s good news to the financial experts at a facility, so a manager must understand how to speak the language when discussing the value equation for training. The ROI is based on the revenue lost (or cost avoided) if that equipment is not available for revenue generation or the cost of replacing a technician. The calculation for ROI is:
ROI= Revenue lost - Training Costs/Training Costs x 100
An example of this calculation demonstrates the ROI on a hypothetical training class.
The tuition for the class is $2,000 and a day’s lost revenue for the device is $10,000. The ROI for just one instance of reducing the downtime on a device one day is:
ROI = $10,000-$2,000/$2,000 x 100 = 400%
An ROI of 400 percent will convince the most stringent financial professional that training is worth the investment in the organization.
In summary, proper training provides benefits addressing numerous pain points inside a department:
• Recognizing issues before becoming significant problems
• Repairing not replacing
• Increased uptime of devices
• Patient safety
Training brings other tangible benefits to the department such as increased technician retention and an ROI a hardened financial professional will appreciate. Conduct due diligence, research the content and understand the training philosophy of the provider to ensure all the areas needed for your department are addressed to immediately improve your department. Training exists to help you; please ensure it does.
DM15892
William Gulley is the executive director of Axess Ultrasound, an Indianapolis-based company that provides comprehensive ultrasound services, including parts, probes, equipment, service and training.
By William Gulley
It’s well known that proper imaging equipment maintenance will extend the usable life of equipment, increase revenue-generating uptime and decrease the total cost of ownership. The question then becomes, what is the most cost-effective method to develop qualified technicians to maintain the equipment at peak efficiency?
Technical training provides clinical engineering departments the skills and techniques needed to maintain and preserve the equipment. Properly trained technicians ensure patient safety by maintaining equipment to operating specifications and assist in compliance with all relevant accreditations. Benefits of training include:
1) Recognize potential issues before they become problems. Technicians trained to perform preventative maintenance can recognize issues before they become catastrophic events. For example, trans-esophageal transducers (TEEs), used in cardiac imaging, have potentially high repair costs. Properly trained technicians can detect early signs of damage due to improper use or storage. If caught in time, the device can then simply undergo low-level repair, instead of requiring a costly complete rebuild.
2) Repair, don’t replace. Trained technicians develop troubleshooting abilities narrowing issues down to one or two areas. They can diagnose, determine parts requirements and repair the issues themselves, thereby reducing or even eliminating OEM service calls. This increased internal capability will save the hospital thousands, even hundreds of thousands of dollars, on potential equipment replacement costs. A new ultrasound machine, for example, may cost upwards of $150,000 to replace.
3) Increased uptime. A medical device exists for two very specific purposes inside a hospital. The first is patient care; the second is to generate revenue. Every day a piece of equipment is out for maintenance is a day not spent generating revenue. A well-trained technician with the ability to diagnose and repair equipment internally significantly reduces downtime, allowing for higher patient throughput and more revenue for the organization.
4) Patient safety. This is arguably the primary purpose of all equipment maintenance. Compromising patient safety can expose the organization to many risks. Beyond possible litigation, when equipment is not in working order or maintenance of the equipment is improperly documented, your organization may fall out of compliance with regulatory agencies such as The Joint Commission.
Getting the training you need, even with tight budgets
Department managers and other administrators must provide more services with fewer resources. Hospitals recognizing the value of proper training must not only budget for the cost of training, but also budget for travel to attend the training.
Understandably, “free” training seems like an attractive option. Of course, there’s often a catch. While many of these courses can increase a technician’s knowledge, it’s unlikely they’re being provided for altruistic reasons. In many cases, they may be used to advance areas of the provider’s business, such as parts sales or repair contracts. Quality training teaches the technicians troubleshooting techniques as well as preventative maintenance steps to reduce the dependence on OEM service contracts and service calls.
What to look for in a training program
A technician’s work is not limited to looking up items in a service manual. A good technician works with his hands and figures out solutions to the problems presented to him. Therefore, you should look for a hands-on training program– if the training is book-only, it won’t be complete. Also, don’t overlook the experience of the trainer. During your conversation with the training provider, be sure to ask about the trainer’s qualifications. Helpful questions include:
• Is the trainer a current or former technician?
• How many training classes has the instructor conducted?
• How many years experience does the instructor have in the service field?
Training as a retention tool
All businesses measure costs and their impact on budgets. However, a stealth area of increased costs exists inside a clinical engineering department that does not show up clearly on a budget analysis: turnover.
There are real and tangible costs to losing a valuable technician, such as increased workload on others causing overtime, recruiting costs, basic orientation costs, and the hardest cost to calculate —a reputation inside the industry as a department to be avoided by qualified technicians. Sending technicians to a proper training class shows the value the organization sees in its technicians and demonstrates a level of commitment to career development recognized and valued by technicians.
Training as an investment
Training the clinical engineering department generates significant ROI. That’s good news to the financial experts at a facility, so a manager must understand how to speak the language when discussing the value equation for training. The ROI is based on the revenue lost (or cost avoided) if that equipment is not available for revenue generation or the cost of replacing a technician. The calculation for ROI is:
ROI= Revenue lost - Training Costs/Training Costs x 100
An example of this calculation demonstrates the ROI on a hypothetical training class.
The tuition for the class is $2,000 and a day’s lost revenue for the device is $10,000. The ROI for just one instance of reducing the downtime on a device one day is:
ROI = $10,000-$2,000/$2,000 x 100 = 400%
An ROI of 400 percent will convince the most stringent financial professional that training is worth the investment in the organization.
In summary, proper training provides benefits addressing numerous pain points inside a department:
• Recognizing issues before becoming significant problems
• Repairing not replacing
• Increased uptime of devices
• Patient safety
Training brings other tangible benefits to the department such as increased technician retention and an ROI a hardened financial professional will appreciate. Conduct due diligence, research the content and understand the training philosophy of the provider to ensure all the areas needed for your department are addressed to immediately improve your department. Training exists to help you; please ensure it does.
DM15892
William Gulley is the executive director of Axess Ultrasound, an Indianapolis-based company that provides comprehensive ultrasound services, including parts, probes, equipment, service and training.