Healthcare costs in the United States are soaring. Americans spend more on healthcare than people in any other nation. Health systems, too, are struggling, facing enormous administrative costs and losing money when people cannot afford to pay their health bills. So it’s understandable that many agencies want to spend as little on medical equipment as possible.
The challenge is that a few months or a few years down the line, they’re shelling out more cash. Cheap equipment is cheap for a reason. Durable equipment supports better patient care and may save you money over the long term.
Durable Equipment Is Easier to Use
Durable equipment works better. Thoughtful design means that the best equipment can work with a variety of attachments and is easier to store. Consider how much time you lose disinfecting equipment, trying to find attachments, and ensuring everything is stored safely and ready to use. If pieces break, don’t securely attach, or malfunction at the slightest movement, you waste even more time. You’ll lose precious seconds that you could have spent tending to patients, and your team will become more frustrated, potentially making them less effective.
Durable Equipment Can Save Money
Most companies invest in cheap equipment because they want to save money. After all, your organization may spend thousands or even millions on medical supplies each year. The higher that budget soars, the more you must pass on to consumers. Narrow margins reduce your ability to serve your community. Higher costs mean you have to spend more time negotiating with insurance and dealing with collections. It’s a loss for everyone.
Yet the strategy of buying cheap equipment is extremely shortsighted. Cheap equipment won’t last as long. You’ll soon be spending time researching your options and investing again in another cheap machine that is doomed to fail in a few years. Quality equipment may cost a little more, but the usage life is much longer, significantly offsetting any expenses.
In some cases, when you buy quality equipment, you may have to buy fewer machines. In others, the quality equipment will reduce the need to spend money on other equipment. For example, with access to quality suctioning, you reduce the risk of serious cardiac episodes, aspiration, and other costly and dangerous medical crises.
Durable Equipment Reduces Risk
Before cheap equipment fails completely, it often begins malfunctioning. In the case of suction machines, that may mean less consistent suctioning, parts that start to fall apart, and the endless need to rig up repairs in the field, when every second counts. This is frustrating, but it’s also risky. Medical providers who must fix broken equipment may endanger themselves because they become distracted. They may not focus as much on infection controls. And worst of all, they will not be able to spend as much time with patients. That creates significant liability and can contribute to a stressful and unpleasant workplace for your team.
Durable Equipment Saves Lives
Ultimately, the reason you buy any piece of equipment is because you expect it to work when it matters most. Any medical supply you invest in can potentially save lives. That’s doubly true for emergency equipment like suction machines and ventilators. When your equipment works, treatment plans are less likely to fail. Your patients get faster, more effective care. You may even have more time to invest in your patients because you don’t waste as much energy dealing with shoddy equipment. That can empower you to take detailed medical histories, reassure anxious parents, and gain the trust of children in need of emergency care.
Your patients, your health workers, and your bottom line all deserve quality equipment. Portable emergency suction ensures you can tend to patients wherever you find them—a vital service in the pandemic era, when everyone knows that seconds matter and people often need care outside of traditional settings.
For help selecting the ideal portable emergency suction machine for your agency, download our free guide, The Ultimate Guide to Purchasing a Portable Emergency Suction Device.
