Sept 05

World Medical Equipment
A Nationwide Leader in Refurbishing
by Cathy Mighell, Vice President of Marketing, World Medical Equipment, Inc.

Purchasing equipment for the Operating Room is a challenging proposition. This decision may be based on a number of criteria:

• Preferred manufacturer
• Desired features
• Budget Constraints

Generally, all these considerations come into play to varying degrees. Sometimes one criteria may dominate the decision process, such as when the surgeon insists on a particular light, or bariatric procedures demand higher weight limit tables, or budget issues significantly limit your options.

Cost Versus Value
Most of us learned long ago, that the cheapest option is not always the best option. Likewise, neither is the most expensive option necessarily the best. Just as we are prudent with our own money, purchasing for a facility requires even more careful stewardship of our resources as many eyes will scrutinize and evaluate each purchasing decision. Even if the equipment budget is generous, a best-value-for-the-money decision is always a wise choice.

In addition to considering the above criteria, today's decision maker is also presented with the option of purchasing new or refurbished equipment. Both categories offer a broad range of equipment that can meet the requirements for particular manufacturers, certain features, and price range.

Within the refurbished equipment market, World Medical Equipment is one of the largest nationwide refurbishers, setting the highest quality standards in the industry for workmanship and customer service. For over a dozen years, WME has assisted thousands of customers in finding the quality of equipment they need at an affordable price.

When World Medical started in this industry, refurbished equipment was a new concept to many facilities. Over the past decade, many purchasers have embraced the idea, choosing refurbished as a best-value-for-the-money option. Outpatient surgery centers often find refurbished equipment to be an attractive option because the nature of their procedures doesn't always require cutting edge technology. As reimbursements have declined over the years and cost-containment has become a universal concern, both hospitals and freestanding surgery centers have come to recognize refurbished equipment as an important element of fiscally responsible asset management.

In the early 90's, the quality of refurbished equipment was sometimes questionable, with some disreputable companies doing the old "spray and pray" job and passing it off as refurbished. Reputable refurbishers such as World Medical have worked very hard to improve the image of refurbished equipment. World Medical completely disassembles all equipment to its component parts and rebuilds it to the OEM specifications. This method of rebuilding ensures that the equipment will be in like-new working condition. WME also cosmetically restores each piece of equipment to the highest level. By helping raise the standards in the market, WME has contributed to the rise in the refurbished industry as a whole. As in any industry, there will always be a range of quality between vendors but overall the refurbished market has gained respectability, with World Medical being a leader in the field.

Choosing A Vendor
Many people in the medical equipment industry are still confused by the differences between refurbished, reconditioned, rebuilt, and remanufactured equipment. The FDA uses the term refurbished (some companies use reconditioned and rebuilt to mean roughly the same thing) to identify equipment that has been returned to a state where it is performing all the functions for which it is designed, but has not been significantly changed. The FDA defines remanufacturing as significantly changing a device's performance or safety specifications. If a vendor claims to be a remanufacturer, the smart buyer should ask the following important questions: What was changed? Why was it changed? Was the change properly registered and approved with the FDA? Does the vendor have adequate liability insurance comparable to the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)? If the vendor can't answer these questions to your satisfaction, then consider another vendor.

Terminology aside, it can still be difficult to know where to find a quality vendor. Consideration of the following factors will help determine if a vendor has the stability and reputation you want as a supplier for your facility's refurbished equipment.

1. Look for a company that has had an established, nationwide reputation for many years.
2. Ask for details on their refurbishing process.
3. Ask for references.
4. Check that they offer a full warranty.
5. Check on their customer service.

A Leader in the Industry
For thirteen years, World Medical has offered the highest quality refurbished equipment on the nationwide market. WME built an 18,000 square foot building in 2002 to house their growing business and to help meet the needs of their growing customer base. A visit to World Medical's state-of-the-art facility proves that this company is no "garage-based" operation. There is a sense of solidity that says, “We'll still be here when our customers have a need one, two, or ten years down the road,” and in the refurbishing world, that is an important consideration.

World Medical continues to evolve in response to customer needs and requests. WME has recently introduced a Full Service Parts department as a complement to their current business. As a result of refurbishing so many different manufacturer's products, World Medical has developed sources on many of the equipment component parts. WME is now able to pass on their cost savings for parts to their valued customers. World Medical's parts technicians have factory-trained service backgrounds and are happy to assist customers troubleshoot their equipment to ensure they get the parts they need at a considerable cost reduction over OEM prices.

At World Medical, customer service is a top priority. A real (and friendly!) person answers phone calls instead of an automated message system. WME's staff return phone calls, provide information, answer questions, and provide prompt follow-up. There are no high pressure sales tactics -WME simply offers a valuable service to those facilities that wish to choose the best cost-to-value option in equipment purchasing. World Medical provides a full warranty on every piece of equipment and provides details on their refurbishing process as well as a list of references to interested parties.

As in any industry, today's discerning customer expects high quality at a fair price with attentive customer service. World Medical customers receive:

• The highest quality of refurbished equipment on the market.
• A savings of 40-60% less than the price of new equipment. Because of the quality of workmanship, World Medical doesn't pretend to be the lowest priced option, but they do offer the best price to value ratio.
• A single source for new and refurbished equipment from a variety of manufacturers.
• Expert and prompt customer service to help determine facility needs, troubleshoot equipment problems, and provide friendly answers to any questions or concerns.
• A full equipment warranty on every purchase.

The Bottom Line
Refurbished Medical Equipment has become a key element of today's fiscally responsible facility management. The high quality workmanship and expert service of industry leaders such as World Medical Equipment have enabled thousands of facilities to cut their capital equipment costs while still meeting their equipment needs. In addition, World Medical continues to simplify the equipment purchasing process by being your one-stop solution for a large selection of equipment modalities, manufacturers, and individual parts as well.

For more information on World Medical products or services please call 800.827.3747 or visit www.worldmedicalequip.com.