For three decades, Great Lakes Imaging has catered to the diagnostic and medical equipment sales needs of a wide range of medical practices, including veterinary medicine, podiatrists, chiropractors, and more. Based on that experience, here are some particularly useful tips for purchasing medical equipment in Michigan.

Purchasing Tips for Doctor’s Offices

Small offices pose a few unique challenges of their own. Because you may be the sole doctor on-site, you may have a smaller office with fewer treatment rooms; that, in turn, creates space constraints that make careful design and implementation especially important. After all, your chiropractic adjusting tables, a gynecological practice’s ultrasound machines, or imaging equipment for podiatry is vital to your practice, but square footage is at a premium. Great Lakes Imaging provides custom medical equipment solutions for precisely this reason.

Purchasing Tips for Clinics

Clinics take many forms, from fixed operations that are pillars of their communities to pop-up clinics that are highly mobile to provide coverage to underserved communities. Because more functions are typically handled in-house (including diagnostics, some degree of testing, and treatment from specialists), a more diverse range of equipment is often required that may not find use in a GP’s office; what’s more, popup and mobile clinics may require mobile x-ray equipment and diagnostics.

Purchasing Tips for Hospitals

Hospitals, especially those operating as nonprofits, have complex procurement processes that can be further complicated by grant requirements and other forms of outside funding that come with strings attached. As with any other purchase, ensure that all relevant stakeholders are looped in and that any bidding processes are followed to the letter.

General Advice for Purchasing Medical Equipment

Now that we’ve gotten the specifics out of the way, let’s look at general advice that can apply to nearly any medical practice.

• Understand your patients and their needs before you do anything else; ask yourself what the equipment you’re buying will do for your practice and those you serve.
• Budget carefully, considering your finance options and alternatives like used medical equipment to protect your working capital.
• Plan your workflow, since new equipment brings with it changes that ripple into other parts of your practice (often for the better)!
• If you’re adding equipment that you didn’t have before, plan your space, too. Don’t forget that diagnostic equipment requires x-ray shielding, peripherals, and other ancillary equipment that takes up space of its own.
• Ensure that you comply with local building codes and health department regulations.
• Plan the delivery process, from shipping to medical equipment installation; this is especially important when you’re replacing existing equipment, or seeking to minimize patient discomfort and disruption to your practice.
• Inspect and test the equipment to be sure it’s working properly.
• Maintain your equipment to ensure accurate and reliable performance; Great Lakes Imaging performs most services on-site to minimize downtime and is capable of handling major medical equipment repairs off-site in our facility.

Medical Equipment in Southeast Michigan

One last tip: get help with each step in the process. That’s especially important for newer practices, or for those just beginning to get a handle on purchasing and procurement, where getting new medical equipment can be intimidating. The help you need is as close as your next call or email to Great Lakes Imaging. We’re happy to consult on your needs and provide you with solutions that fit your practice to a “T.”