title: Evaluating technology service options.
abstract: Four service and support options are available to healthcare organizations for maintaining their growth arsenals of medical and information technology. These options include maintaining and servicing all equipment using a facility-based biomedical engineering and MIS service department; using a combination of facility-based service and subcontracted service; expanding facility-based biomedical and MIS service departments to provide service to other healthcare organizations to achieve economies of scale; and outsourcing all maintenance, repair, and technical support services. Independent service companies and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are offering healthcare organizations a wider array of service and support capabilities than ever before. However, some health systems have successfully developed their own independent service organizations to take care of their own--and other healthcare organizations'--service and support needs.
authors.affiliation: D.F. Blumberg & Associates Inc., Fort Washington, PA, USA.
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Blumberg
mesh_terms: D001698:Biomedical Engineering / Q000295:instrumentation; D002201:Capital Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003284:Contract Services / Q000191:economics*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004465:Economic Competition; D005377:Financial Management, Hospital; D006745:Hospital Bed Capacity, 300 to 499; D008284:Maintenance and Engineering, Hospital / Q000191:economics* / Q000458:organization & administration; D013677:Medical Laboratory Science / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014481:United States