From the December 2016 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine


How many people will be needed for the job? Will any other departments be impacted? Will patient areas be impacted? Does patient data have to be removed from the machine and who is responsible for that?

Will any construction be required? Since the time the equipment was installed, have any plumbing fixtures or electrical conduit been installed? Is there an outdoor chiller or even an indoor chiller? Who is going to recapture the glycol and how do we avoid having it spill on the floor?

Are there cables running through the floor, and is access required from the floor below? Will the floor be damaged when the equipment is moved down the hallway? Are the doors wide enough? Is the ceiling high enough? Is the freight elevator wide or big enough? Can the freight elevator hold the weight?

Will riggers be involved? Will a crane be needed? Is the loading dock the right height? Is there a dock plate? Who is bringing the pallet jack? Who is supplying cardboard boxes? Who is supplying the packing material?

Will spaces be needed in the parking lot? Is the loading dock team aware of the removal? Will a hospital electrician be needed? Is there equipment in the room that is not included and has to be removed? Who is going to remove it? Do gases have to be disconnected? Will a plumber be needed? Do windows have to be removed? Is there a glazier standing by? Does a door have to be removed? Must concrete blocks be removed?

Are any permits required? Can work take place after hours? Is vendor credentialing required?

And, of course, that all-important question, do the vendors have the proper insurance, and do you have a copy of their insurance certificate correctly filled out?

All of this is a lot to keep track of and it does not apply to each deinstall, but it is not uncommon in the case of X-ray, MRI or CT for all of these disciplines to be involved. Once the customer or the vendor answers these questions, the extent of the challenge begins to take shape.

If you are the customer, chances are you are going to hold someone else responsible, but if you are the person in charge, and if they screw up, you are the one with the black eye, so you probably want to satisfy yourself that your vendor has taken all of this into account.

I have learned the hard way
I have learned the hard way over the years to document everything. It is so easy to have a conversation and not really be listening. As I am walking out the door to the grocery store and my wife reminds me to pick up some cucumbers, I nod my agreement while I am really thinking about the olive oil and batteries and toilet paper I have to buy. I do not mean to forget to pick up the cucumbers, but I do. That is why I always put everything in writing. Yes, it is a pain in the neck and yes, it is time consuming, but by documenting the process and outlining who is responsible to do what, you create an added layer of mental responsibility in everyone’s mind. The vendor knows that the hospital is responsible for the disposal of the glycol, and the client knows that the vendor has to bring their own pallet jack and their own cardboard boxes, and not borrow a pallet jack from the loading dock.

December 2016 Magazine

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