An Insider's Guide to Philips Refurbished Equipment
Is "New versus used" the right question?
Not sure whether to go with new or refurbished equipment? Start by looking at the needs of your facility. What's your budget, volume of service, rate of growth, and long-term plans for service offerings? These and a host of other operational and clinical concerns unique to your facility should ultimately determine your buying strategy.
A common assumption is that new equipment will always outperform refurbished equipment—but not all previously owned equipment is reconditioned to the same standards.
The total cost of ownership of the purchase over time is another important consideration—a less expensive option that fails to perform to today’s standards could turn out to cost a fortune in maintenance and repair costs, not to mention downtime. So, don’t look at new and used equipment as directly competing alternatives, but as options that give you much-needed flexibility in equipping your facility.
What should I be looking for?
The marketplace can seem somewhat confusing where refurbished medical systems are concerned. First of all, there are the name variants—from refurbished to remarketed, previously owned and used. All can leave you wondering what the differences mean. More important than the naming conventions—most of which are simply synonyms—are concerns around what it is you’re actually getting. We'd like to offer the following criteria, applied to our own Diamond Select program, for evaluating the quality of refurbished systems:
Stringent selection criteria:
Is the equipment intended for resale as a prime performer with a reliable track record or is it in reality a partially operable dinosaur? A solid refurbishing program implements scrutiny and shouldn't accept anything sub par. It needs to start with sound equipment.
Careful de-installation:
Medical systems are highly sensitive. The way in which they are de-installed and transported can mean the difference between maintaining the system’s integrity and reducing the life and usefulness of the machine.
Complete refurbishing:
There are varying levels of refurbishment, from making the machinery look like new all the way to making it run like new.
Does the system in question perform to its original specifications?
Does it have the latest upgrades?
Are worn or defective components replaced with original parts from the manufacturer?
Are the vacuum components essential to image quality (e.g., X-ray tubes and image intensifiers) replaced with new parts from the manufacturer?
Installation logistics:
What is the timeline for installation? What are the technical qualifications of the installers? The answers to these questions play a large role in your satisfaction with the purchase. Project management that ensures safe installation and fast uptime allows you to put your new equipment to use without delay.
Support services:
Cost effective maintenance and a comprehensive warranty make the difference between a risky and risk-free investment.
Look for a vendor that refurbishes their own systems (not via third party contractors). Finally, investigate the financing options—ideally you’ll be able to get in-house financing similar to what you’d expect when purchasing a new system.
(Publish Date: November 16, 2004)