Ask The Expert

Hi, everyone. I know the economic times are in a downward spiral and cost cutting has become more important than ever as evidenced by this round of 

Q & A.

Are their any differences in quality of the private label brands of kit tests and the brand name ones? We are looking for ways to save money.

Most medical supply companies such as Henry Schein, PSS and Cardinal do make a generic, private label brand of test kits. The important thing to determine is who makes the kit for them? Most of the top brands do private label for these companies. Talk to your medical sales rep and find out who actually produces the kit. If it is a brand name you know and trust, you can save substantial money by using a private label version. The quality question is in who makes it.

Our lease is almost up on our hematology machine. Should we take the 10% buyout or lease a new one? Which will save us the most money?

Now is actually a great time to lease new equipment. The manufactures are feeling the pinch of our slow economy and are cutting really good deals to move their instruments. I have found one manufacturer that is leasing new instruments for several hundred dollars a month less than the same instrument lease of five years ago. I have never been a big fan of the 10% buyout at the end of the lease. Usually your instrument has seen five years of service and is moving into a time of increased service calls and breakdowns. But remember; always estimate your usage carefully when leasing a new instrument. The lease is usually set up to auto ship your reagents and supplies based on the test volume you provide. If you estimate 10 tests per day and only do 5 per day, you will soon have a avalanche of extras. It is better to estimate to low and purchase extra supplies than estimate to high and end up with a stockpile of unneeded supplies.

We are considering purchasing a used analyzer instead of a new one. We have found a great deal! Any thoughts before we leap?

Yes. Buyer beware! There are some reputable used equipment sales organizations out there but not many. Let’s look at the downside of used equipment:

1. 1. No warranty.  Almost all equipment you can purchase used is only guaranteed not to be DOA. A lot of it has been purchased as surplus and may or may not have been shutdown properly. If you buy and it doesn’t work, you then have a large paperweight.
2. 2. Service contracts. Most manufacturers will write a service contract used equipment, but not for free. They normal charge for an inspection and any upgrades to bring the instrument up to date. I know of one facility that purchased a used hematology analyzer and then spent an additional 2800.00 to have it certified for a service contract.
3. 3. Where’s the……?  Most used equipment does not come with the User’s Manual, spare parts, necessary parts, etc. A used analyzer that works perfectly is still useless if the electronic pipet needed to dispense the sample is not included. Also, if you don’t have the User’s Manual or can’t download a copy, you will have a hard time meeting regulatory requirements for a Procedure Manual.

Sooooooo, if you are set to buy a used instrument anyway, here are some tips to follow:

1. 1. Find out the serial number of the instrument before you purchase it and call the manufacturer. They can give you the age of the instrument, the service history and probably give you a good idea of how long it has been out of service.
2. 2. Ask the seller for references from other clients that have made purchases from them. This should not be a problem for a legitimate reseller. If it is a problem, move on to someone else.
3. 3. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is stolen! If the analyzer you wish to purchase sells for 18,000.00 new, then a 500.00 selling price is your clue to move on. Lines like “We normally don’t deal in medical equipment and we don’t really know what it is worth” are just ways to make a quick sell and leave you with stolen merchandise.

My doctor wants me to cut our urine dipsticks in half to save money, is this good practice and will the strips still be good?

You will incur the wrath of Beaker, the Lab God who will smite you and your doctor down with blocked reimbursements for all eternity!!!!

This is a horrible idea on so many levels.

 First, urine dipsticks are sensitive to moisture, temperature and humidity. They are not design to sit in a pile on a counter and wait their turn to be cut in half. They will deteriorate and give false positive results. This can result in erroneous results and bad treatment decisions for patients.

Second, they would have to be read by hand since no self-respecting, automated machine would touch them. You then are faced with trying to decipher the color change of the individual pads in a space that is half the normal size. Not a great idea.

Our profession is safer than most out there today. Traditionally healthcare is one of the last areas to be impacted by layoffs, etc. People will always need their doctors and all the diagnostic tools that the doctors use. I have found that if you focus your attention on helping those who are in worse shape than yourselves and focus on doing the best job possible in your corner of the world, you will feel better and make a positive impact on the ones who need it most.