What To Do With It When You Are Done With It

Surplus medical equipment is an issue for nearly every healthcare provider.  The new replaces the old, but the decision is made to keep the old as a backup unit, or “just in case”.  The thought is that it is paid for, so it really doesn’t cost anything to have it there. It really does cost to have it there.

We’ve never been in a healthcare facility where someone says “I have all the room I need”.  There is a cost to house the surplus piece(s).  This unit is taking up valuable space that could either store supplies, equipment still in use, or worst of all, could be used for patient care. Chances are the surplus equipment is in a temperature controlled environment, and that costs.  Not stored with temperature control?  The unit is likely being damaged by the temperature swings.  Temperature controlled in off site storage?  There is more cost than just space rental.

Someone has to manage, test and maintain the asset – just in case.  If surplus equipment is located off site, add transit costs (including insurances), labor, and time for management and maintenance.  Not to mention risk management, ongoing staff training, parts, regulatory compliance – you see where this is going.

MERC will help you thoughtfully reduce or eliminate surplus equipment, whether the surplus is chronic, or because of an influx of new equipment for a project.  “Thoughtfully” comes from analysis of the economic lives of the assets and consultative decision-making regarding redeployment in your organization, or liquidation.  Medical equipment liquidation can include selling, trading, or donating the assets, and doesn’t always lead to terminal disposal.

Your surplus assets are not collectable; they will never be worth more than they are today (unless you hold them long enough to become museum pieces).  Let MERC develop and execute a plan that helps you put the asset into the hands of someone that can still make use of it, thereby reducing costs, recovering past investment, and freeing up space and money for your true mission of patient care.