Who pays for damaged analyzers?

In our hospital, our laboratory's clinical engineering team is in charge of troubleshooting any iSTAT or their docking station. However, we recently included the POCC as the main point of contact for reporting these issues so there is less miscommunication in filing case number with the technical support. If there is anything that requires replacement, it must be confirmed with Abbott and then determined if the replacement item is free under warranty. For actual iSTAT devices that require replacement, our laboratory does have a service contract and any new device quotes must be approved by the director. I do not believe it's a requirement to have a service contract but depending on the number of devices you are purchasing for your facility, it might be more cost efficient. I suggest you find out who the Abbott representative is for your area and ask for a comparison of a service contract versus a non-service purchase of X number of iSTAT devices. 

Our hospital also has issues with nurses and physicians damaging the iSTATs. I actually had to send out a notice to the departmental managers to remind them of proper decontamination procedures and proper handling of the devices. I also included this part of my initial training with the nurses about what to do when you accidentally drop an iSTAT, i.e. run an electronic stimulator, run APOC QC if needed, notify POC, etc. 

Cynthia Wu

While we do not have Istats, we do have similar issues with our Hemochrons. I do have one loaner available and I handling troubleshooting any instrument issue. But if an instrument needs to be repaired or replaced, and it is no longer under warranty or service contract, the individual department needs to cover the cost. We do give them options to buy service contracts but most decline.

The laboratory covered costs when we implemented the instruments but after initial implementation any associated cost moves to the departments. Basically who ever gets productivity credit for the testing, is responsible for the cost of all supplies and replacement instruments.

Believe it or not, we have actually seen some floors take much better care of equipment once the financial responsibility shifted.

Good Luck,

Kelly

Hi Kelly,

We believe you that the floors and clinic staff will take better care of an instrument that they 'own' and have to tell their manager that they dropped, etc.

On their declining of taking a service contract, they may not be allowed to buy them. Could depend on 'corporate'/executive policy. When I worked inpatient and now with outpatient/ambulatory, testing sites never buy extended warranties or service contracts from the vendor. There is a (contract) Clinical Equipment Service which tracks inventory brought in, initially 'tag' for electrical and other functional annual 'checks' which I believe accreditation-wise falls under a subcommittee in our Environment of Care/TJC Standards.

One carve out of buying service contracts may be inside research and clinical Pathology/Laboratory Services. But not patient care areas. 

We have the department buy their I-STAT in the get-go if they want to have testing done by I-STAT in their department. We supply the reagents.  If their staff breaks the analyzer, they have to pay for the replacement.  All communication with tech support with Abbott or other vendors is done by me.

In training, the staff is told how much the instrument and repair cost and who pays for it. They are more careful if they know how much the instrument cost  and the pay comes from their department budget if they break it. They have to answer to their supervisor or director  if they did not follow precautions to prevent breakage of their analyzers . The biggie is the "cartridge Locked" message.  They know how much it would cost if they pull it out when the message is on. 

We used to pay for service contract but in the last 22 years we have been using the I-STAT we only have one dropped and one thermal probe mess.

To all,

We handle the ISTAT like Pet but we have far more breakage due to 110-ish instruments. We are a 6 hospital system.

All ISTAT (And AVOX) belong to me but are purchased by the units. The units pay to fix them through Bio Med. I do all of the contacting of Abbott, starting tickets with Bio Med, managing PO, ship backs of broken instruments as well as validation of new instruments.  We are on a corporate contract that is a fixed price.

Deanna Bogner

good morning all,

at my hospital, for new iSTAT, it goes to Capital budget since it's more than $5000.

for damaged iSTAT, our lab pays for it since we got reimbursement from the testing and it's $4000.

We don't have service contract.

If the testing departments pay for the damaged ones, that would be great, but it's not at my hospital.

We (lab) pay for replaced/damaged instruments since the lab collects the revenue/reimbursement from the testing.  We do participate in a system service contract for iSTAT though.  Last year was a bad year with replacements, but for the most part we don't have to replace very often.

The lab buys the POCT instruments and either we or biomed will purchase the service agreements.  We try to have spares so they can switch them out if there is an issue and we send them to get repaired.  The only thing biomed does is the service agreement and bring them to our office if someone sends a broken one to them.