Diagnostic Imaging: When Do You Need New Equipment?

In the United States, there are over 7,000 facilities that just focus on diagnostic imaging technology.

If you’re running one of these centers or working with any kind of diagnostic imaging equipment, it may be time for you to upgrade it replace it.

But how do you know when to upgrade your equipment? Keep reading to find out when to upgrade your equipment. 

When Should You Upgrade New Equipment?

According to research done by the European Society of Radiology, you should always make sure that your equipment is up to date. They say that most equipment is in perfect condition for about five years.

Between six to ten years, it’s only good to use if you’ve been properly maintaining it. However, you may need to make repairs. 

They recommend that the majority of the imaging available should only be no more than five years old. You should only have a small percentage of your equipment that is older than six years. 

You should really only have a few pieces of equipment that are older than ten years. If you want to learn more about the types of diagnostic imaging equipment out there, you should click here for more info.

Signs Your Equipment Needs Replacing

So besides the age of your equipment, how do you know when it’s time to replace it? 

Thankfully, we have a few key signs that you can use as a guide. 

You’re Always Repairing It

If you find that you’re spending a lot of money on repairs for your imaging devices, you might need to get new equipment.

Most of your new equipment will come with a warranty for about five years. That way you can focus your energy on taking care of your patients rather than constantly repairing your equipment. 

After your warranty expires, if you’re doing repairs a few times every year, you can’t take care of your patients in the best ways possible. 

It Can’t Keep Up With Your Demands

If your practice is growing, you might also need new equipment that can keep up with your demands. There are always new advancements coming out with the technology, so your equipment might even be outdated. 

If you have more patients, your standard equipment probably won’t be able to keep up with all of your new patients. That way you’d be losing more patients and are limited with how much you can grow your practice. 

However, if your equipment is still functioning and not that old, you could try and sell your equipment to save some money on upgrading your equipment.

It’s Outdated

If your imaging equipment looks and feels outdated, you may need to buy some new equipment.

Outdated machines will require a lot of maintenance, and they also run with older parts. So that’ll be harder and harder to find parts to fix it later on. 

Plus, the technology and imaging that the machine can offer may not be enough to adequately serve your patients. 

Factors to Consider for New Equipment

If you’ve decided that your practice needs new imaging equipment, there are a few factors to consider when looking for new equipment.

Make sure that you do your research to find the best equipment for your practice. 

Usage

Think about how much you’re going to use your equipment. What environment are you going to keep your equipment in?

You should make a list of what you need your equipment to do and make sure that each product can cater to all of your features. In addition to your own list, make sure that you survey your technicians to see what they need as well. 

Price

Look at your budget to see how much you can afford for new equipment. If you can’t afford brand new equipment, then you may want to look at buying refurbished or used equipment. 

You should also consider the maintenance into your costs as well. While the maintenance might be expensive, it’ll help prolong the life of your equipment which will save you money in the long run.

You should also look at how much the parts are in case anything breaks down. 

Service Contract

You shouldn’t buy any equipment that comes without a warranty. Once the warranty does expire, you should ask if there is a service contract that comes with the equipment.

If there is, you should go over the contract terms and conditions. You should also ask what the cost is for that maintenance. 

Some service contracts are also short or long-term. Some of them also come with auto-renewals, cancellation fees, and a guaranteed response time. Some businesses also include travel and parts included or added onto the service contract fees. 

You may want to consider having a lawyer look over the service contract. Sometimes the terms and conditions have conditions that will hurt you rather than help you out. 

A lawyer will be able to help you pinpoint problems in the contract and give you advice on how to negotiate it as well. For example, they may be able to come up with a different contract service, like with an Equipment Maintenance Management Program (EMMP).

Discover More About Diagnostic Imaging Equipment

These are only a few things to know about your diagnostic imaging equipment, but there are many more things to keep in mind.

We know that running a hospital or business can be stressful and difficult, but we’re here to help you out.

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