Whether it’s an external pacemaker, anesthetic vaporizer, ultrasound probe, MRI coil, or other specialized device, how do YOU choose which provider will repair your device today? What’s drives your decision? What if…you could see what’s behind the curtain; how your chosen repair provider does what they do? Could that, would that, affect your decision? Is transparency important to you? Innovatus Imaging believes that seeing is believing.
We’d like to challenge you, and more so, the providers you currently use, to share, not only, what they do but HOW they do it. As travel budgets have continued to decrease, and during the COVID pandemic, when travel was restricted, Innovatus perfected the virtual tour. Mobile phones are amazing devices! Clients can tour our facilities LIVE and INTERACTIVELY, just as if in-person. Our teams pull back the curtain and show what we do, how we do it, and, more importantly, explain why we do it the way we do. You can see our teams in-action, ask probing questions, and may even see your device being repaired. Not every repair provider is willing to go to this level to earn your trust.
Why should a provider be your first call?
Each supplier, vendor, or service provider (including OEMs) has its own pros, cons, and areas in which they choose to prioritize and focus. Very few, if any, excel at delivering all things to all customers. What’s important in your facility may not be as high a priority in another. Developing a vendor scorecard helps to normalize all the variables and helps to define what’s most important to you, your customers, your department, and your organization. Over the years, our team of industry experts have assisted many health care organizations with qualifying suppliers with respect to due diligence and research in developing effective request for proposal (RFPs).
Following are five areas on which to focus from a repair provider perspective.
Provider-related questions
How long has the provider been in business and how long have they provided the specific service? How many technicians or engineers are employed and what training do they receive? Why is the provider qualified to work on the specific device(s)? Is the provider a generalist or a specialist (providing service across a wide variety of devices, versus a focused approach). Being able to thoroughly answer these questions and provide openness and transparency should be some of the minimal criteria you accept.
Support-related questions
What are the provider’s specialties/capabilities, and do they guarantee any results? What is their annual repair volume? Do they perform ALL repairs in-house? If not, how much and exactly what is outsourced, and is that important to you? Are loaners available, what is the cost, and what fulfillment rate can be expected? What is included in the repair and what’s the typical turn-around time? With respect to ultrasound probes and MRI coils, typically, turn-around time is a function of the technical complexity of the device and invasiveness of the repair.
Quality-related questions
What warranty period is provided, and what is the current valid warranty rate on a specific product? Is the provider able to supply a service history or work history? You may not know it, but typically OEMs do not provide parts or materials to independent service organizations (ISOs) and many of the parts/components used in ultrasound probes are unable to be harvested for secondary usage. Knowing this, a good question to ask is, how are replacement parts and materials qualified? What is the process, what testing is performed, and how does the provider ensure the repaired/replaced device performs consistently with the OEM design? One type of testing used by Innovatus Imaging relative to material compatibility is to the ISO 10993 standard (which certifies biocompatibility). At a minimum, when issuing an RFP, insist that a repair provider be ISO 13485:2016 certified in order to qualify. View our certificates here.
Key Performance Indicators
First things first, establish what is important to you and your customers. Consider rating vendors based on overall quality of work, quality of communication, follow-up, call-back rate, warranty rate, response time, cost of downtime, etc. It is important to weight each criterion because your facility is unique as well as your customers’ needs and expectations. There is no universal model; however, price should never be the primary driver. Eventually decisions will be based upon price, but when choosing between repair providers, be sure to do an apples-to-apples comparison. Develop one or more very detailed scenarios, provide very specific details, and require very specific answers that all lead to the bottom line. A scenario-based comparison minimizes variables and can help normalize the data.
Seeing Is Believing
Once selections have been narrowed to a final few, insist on an in-person, or virtual, tour of the repair facilities. As travel budgets have continued to decrease, and during the COVID pandemic, when travel was restricted, Innovatus perfected the virtual tour. Mobile phones are amazing devices! Clients can tour our facilities LIVE and INTERACTIVELY, just as if in-person. Our teams pull back the curtain and show what we do, how we do it, and, more importantly, explain why we do it the way we do. You can see our teams in-action, ask probing questions, and may even see your product being repaired. Not every repair provider is willing to go to this level to earn your trust.
How this relates to ISO 13485:2016
As an FDA registered medical device manufacturer and ISO 13485:2016 certified repair provider for ultrasound probes and MRI coils, developing successful partnerships with suppliers is integral to our quality management system. Part 7 of the ISO standard states that an organization SHALL (not should) establish criteria for the evaluation of suppliers which is based on
- The suppliers’ ability to provide a product or service that meets the organization’s requirements,
- Is based on the performance of the supplier,
- Is based on the effect of the purchased product (or service) on the quality of the medical device and,
- Is proportionate to the risk associated with the medical device.
In short, Innovatus Imaging develops a vendor scorecard for our suppliers. The beauty of the ISO 13485 standard is that, even though it may not need to be totally implemented in an in-house Clinical Engineering department, the standard can provide guidance and best practices to elevate any HTM department.
Seeing is believing! Challenge your current repair providers to open their doors, pull back the curtains, clear the smoke, and break the mirrors. Getting the most of your time, effort and budget are important now, more than ever. Knowing what to ask, why it is important and how to frame the questions are key to writing effective RFPs. Reach out to the team of industry experts at Innovatus Imaging before drafting your next RFP or to arrange a virtual tour for your team.