Capital i Biomedical Equipment Technicians (BMET) and Clinical Engineers (CE) support the Department of Defense (DoD), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), and commercial healthcare organizations as an independent service organization (ISO). The healthcare industry run away cost has been part of the public conversation for several decades. Original Equipment Manufactures (OEM) have been extending their sales/service structure to mirror the commercial printer model, where the end item is reasonably affordable, but the long tail of toner consumable sales keep the revenue stream flowing. OEMs have converted their service offerings into a robust revenue generator to support their growth and sustain market share. As a business owner, I believe the OEMs should build out this model of service to provide quality support throughout its devices lifecycle. I also believe that the purchasing organization should be able to choose to complete all repairs in-house or use an ISO, provided the BMET is properly trained and does not introduce additional risk to environment of care. I encourage HTM professionals to support the Right to Repair initiatives throughout the country to codify equipment owners’ ability to service their own equipment.
https://www.repair.org/stand-up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronics_right_to_repair
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/what-is-right-to-repair/
https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2021/right-repair-movement/726886
