by
Barbara Kram, Editor | November 06, 2007
While some hospitals donate pumps for the tax write-off, others sell the equipment to ISOs like Med-E-Quip-Locators, St. Louis, Missouri. The company also uses the Certamatic to run computerized assessments of infusion pumps. "We get the equipment in, receiving personnel make sure everything is fine. It goes to the 'cleaners' and then biomedical technicians get the equipment back up to manufacturer's specifications," said President Bob Caples.
In addition to extending the life of equipment by keeping older units in service, ISOs are a great source for back-up pumps. "Hospitals have a current model they are using and they just want to have a few add-ons to get them over the peak time," Caples said. (Industry consultants estimate that hospitals maintain around five to ten percent additional pumps in inventory and ready for use.)
Ad Statistics
Times Displayed: 19090
Times Visited: 362 Stay up to date with the latest training to fix, troubleshoot, and maintain your critical care devices. GE HealthCare offers multiple training formats to empower teams and expand knowledge, saving you time and money
Steve Stettler with
Select POS repairs the
Baxter Colleague
pumphead mechanism.
As numerous as they are, IV infusion pumps are just one type of common medical pump. Others include enteral feeding pumps, PCA (patient-controlled apparatus) pumps for delivery of pain medication, syringe pumps for precise intravenous medication, suction pumps for surgery/obstetrics, aspirators, compression devices, blanket-warming pumps used in ICU, and others. The leading manufacturers include Baxter, Alaris (IMED, IVAC), Hospira (Abbott), B. Braun, (McGaw), Smith Medical (Medfusion), Kendall, Zevex, and Compat, among others.
Industry leader Baxter has experienced pump recalls recently (DM 3438) and this points to another value in having ISOs on tap. "The recall impacted us positively because we have access to the pumps that people do want... we provide alternatives so you are not limited to one pump," said Teddy Cohen, President, Elite Medical, Staten Island, N.Y., which sells infusion and feeding pumps to hospitals and teaching institutions. "We provide a warranty on everything we send out. There is rarely a problem and we stand behind our product," Cohen said. "We sell both refurbished as well as new. The market for refurbished is greater because these pumps can be quite pricey... Customers know that even though they are paying a lower price, they are not getting an inferior product whatsoever."
