Service partnership with Imagex Medical will deliver productivity benefits to hospital radiology, EBME & procurement departments
A new multi-vendor service partnership has been announced into the UK health marketplace by equipment manufacturer Canon Medical Systems UK and specialist, independent ultrasound service provider, Imagex Medical. The unique offering will provide cost, operational and administrative benefits to time pressured NHS and independent hospitals by streamlining productivity in the way maintenance and repairs are carried out on frontline diagnostic ultrasound imaging systems.
The offering will change the way ultrasound imaging servicing can be handled. Instead of 2-4 different Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) visiting hospital departments at different times to service systems or undertake repairs, one specialist engineer trained across many different OEM systems can undertake all the equipment service needs. This delivers many time, administrative and cost savings for EBME (Electro-Biomedical Engineering) and health estates & facilities departments managing the maintenance of systems.
It will also minimise impact on the associated clinical departments of radiology, obstetrics and cardiology that experience equipment downtime whilst planned or unexpected ultrasound repairs are undertaken. At the same time, back office administrative burdens of multiple vendor reviews, contracts and invoices generated by procurement or finance teams will be reduced by simplifying equipment maintenance to one specialist organisation.
“Productivity and efficiency are ongoing mantras in healthcare as we enter 2019, especially in light of the NHS’ new long-term plan. As an equipment manufacturer we understand how important it is for our customers to receive high quality servicing quickly for diagnostic ultrasound systems, to not only maximise the life and uptime of the imaging system, but also to meet operational targets and patient needs. By entering into this partnership with Imagex Medical we can broaden our specialist service offerings to our installed base and reassure them that we’re working in partnership to meet the challenges of today’s healthcare industry head on,” states Paul Parsons, Director Service & Technical Support at Canon Medical Systems UK. “One quote, one contract and a single point of contact for all ultrasound equipment concerns will be beneficial for many healthcare providers.”
Jeff Norrie, Chief Technician, Medical Engineering Department at Good Hope Hospital, part of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust states, “We have 45 ultrasound systems at Good Hope Hospital serving a patient catchment population of 450,000. Smooth maintenance and servicing is essential to have good service audit trails and ensure equipment health is kept at an optimum level to meet increasing clinical demands.”
Jim Lowbridge, Commercial Director at Imagex Medical states, “We’re excited to be entering into this multi-vendor partnership with Canon Medical Systems UK and supporting the UK healthcare marketplace with an alternative to OEM service support or managed equipment providers. As an independent specialist in ultrasound service support we focus on keeping equipment running to meet all clinical and operational needs.”
Photo caption: A new multi-vendor service partnership has been announced into the UK health marketplace by equipment manufacturer Canon Medical Systems UK and specialist, independent ultrasound service provider, Imagex Medical.