3 Companies That Refurbish Used Medical Equipment
November 06, 2020
Many big companies like Canon, Siemens, Philips refurbish used medical equipment. There are also smaller companies around the US that specialize in medical equipment refurbishment.
Hopefully, this article will help you understand what refurbishment companies typically provide and will make choosing a refurbishment company an easier task.
Philips’ Diamond Select Program
Philips has two refurbishment programs: The Diamond Select and Diamond Select Advance. The main difference between the programs seems to be that Diamond Select Advance has a longer service period than the Diamond Select program, and newer, highly functional parts are used in the refurbishment process.
Apart from that, Philips gives a 1-year warranty with their refurbished medical equipment, which is typically what they offer with their new medical equipment.
They also provide flexible finance schemes – these are the same finance schemes that come with their brand-new medical equipment. So, you aren’t losing out when refurbishing used medical equipment. Plus, it’s a cost-effective way to get a highly functional piece of medical equipment.
Philips’ refurbishment process entails de-installation, decontamination, refurbishment, calibration, and then the refurbished medical equipment is transported and installed into the new facility.
Various medical equipment pieces have been refurbished in the Diamond Select Program, such as MRI machines, CT scanners, X-rays, PET scanners, and ultrasounds. So, Philips’ refurbishment process does cover an array of medical equipment.
Canon’s Secondlife program
Canon refurbishes used medical equipment in their Secondlife program. In the Secondlife program, the used medical equipment is de-installed, decontaminated, refurbished, and quality checks are performed before the refurbished medical equipment is transported and installed into the new facility.
The Secondlife program is an ISO certified refurbishment process, meaning that medical equipment is refurbished to the highest quality. Canon complies with ISO 13485:2003, which is the framework that sets quality standards for medical equipment specifically.
As well as being ISO 13485:2003 certified, Canon also complies with COCIR GRP (Good Refurbishment Practice). Therefore, Canon has a robust and high-quality refurbishment process that ensures the refurbished medical equipment meets the OEM standards.
In Canon’s refurbishment process, they only use original Canon spare parts, which means that you’ll get the best parts for your refurbished medical equipment. Fortunately, Canon provides a 1-year warranty with their refurbished medical equipment, which is useful if things do go wrong later down the line.
Canon refurbishes medical equipment pieces, such as x-rays, MRI machines, CT scanners, and ultrasounds.
Siemens’ Ecoline Systems
The ecoline systems are refurbished pieces of medical equipment by Siemens. The ecoline imaging systems include ultrasounds, x-rays, molecular imaging, CT scans, MRI machines, and C-arms.
Siemens, Philips, and Canon have similar refurbishment processes. Siemens offers de-installation, decontamination, refurbishment, and quality checks as part of their refurbishment process. They also provide transportation and installation after the refurbishment.
Siemens gives the same warranty, flexible finance schemes, and original spare parts (for at least five years) for refurbished medical equipment as they normally do for their brand-new medical equipment. So, the warranty with Siemens would last for a year.
I’ve written about the well-known companies that refurbish used medical equipment in this article. However, we shouldn’t forget that smaller, less prominent companies offer refurbishment services for used medical equipment too.
These less well-known companies can carry out different types of refurbishment: cosmetic refurbishment, parts refurbishment, or full refurbishment.
Plus, refurbishment companies usually have similar refurbishment processes:
1. An initial check-up
2. Decontamination
3. Refurbishment
4. Calibration and verification.
It is important to note that each company will have slight variations in their refurbishment process. One company might offer more, and another company might not match up. Smaller refurbishment companies generally provide a 30-day warranty, but this will vary depending on the company too.
It would be good to find out what each company offers in their packages, and then you can easily decide which company is a good fit for you.