With every passing day, the dependence of humans on technology and machines is increasing. In healthcare for example, till at least the last decade of the 19th century, most diagnoses were made by doctors using nothing but their medical knowledge and skill, which wasn’t always accurate. Now, imaging systems, vital sign monitors, pathology machines, such as blood or urine analyzers, and several other electrical systems are a common sight at healthcare settings. Their importance in diagnosis and surgery makes then run throughout the day, seven days a week, which leads to wear and tear.
Preventive, operational, and corrective are the three types of repair services provided for medical devices and systems. Among these, healthcare entities in the country majorly go for preventive services, as these are provided via annual maintenance contracts (AMC), which are quite popular among customers here. AMCs generally offer numerous service cycles for a fixed payment every year, which comes out to be cost-effective for healthcare providers. Additionally, preventive maintenance is essential to keep the systems in prime operating conditions, so that unexpected breakdowns can be avoided.
Apart from the need to keep their systems in optimum condition and prevent breakdowns and operational calamities, another factor which pushes medical firms to regularly service their equipment is the strict government regulations imposed on the healthcare sector. With medical devices being used on lots of sick people every day, the chances of hospital-acquired infections (HAI) increase. As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in every 31 patients gets an HAI in the country every day. As maintenance services also include a thorough cleaning of the equipment, health centers are mandated to avail of those.
The companies in the U.S. medical equipment maintenance market provide these solutions for imaging, electromedical, life-support, surgical, and dental equipment, and endoscopes. Imaging equipment is the most regularly serviced of all, as it is more expensive than others and premature replacement due to avoidable factors would lead to unnecessary expenditure for medical centers. This is also attributed to the increasing procurement of X-ray, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), nuclear imaging, and other such diagnostically and surgically important systems in the country.
Hence, with a rise in the installation of medical equipment in the U.S., the demand for their maintenance and repairs would also increase.
