Med-Electronics technicians count on Rigel safety analyzers

Med-Electronics, an independent service organization (ISO), provides clinical engineering services to ambulatory surgery centers, nursing homes, dialysis centers, and some large multi-specialty clinics.

Located in Beltsville, Maryland, USA, Med-Electronics has been a leading supplier of medical equipment, service and supplies to the healthcare industry since its launch in 1978.

The company prides itself on delivering the best possible service to its customers through a winning combination of technical expertise and a desire to help them purchase the right equipment, the first time.

The company had used a range of different safety analyzers before making the switch to Rigel 288+ units.

Each of Med-Electronics’ six service technicians has been supplied with a 288+ electrical safety analyzer, printer (Test 'n’ Tag Elite 2) and Bluetooth scanner, providing a highly customizable automated testing routine that can be tailored to the customers’ requirements. UNi-SiM vital signs simulators are also shared around the team.

The equipment is supported by our sophisticated asset management software, Med-eBase.

The Rigel 288+ is highly accurate and has a comprehensive range of functionality, making it a popular choice for organizations which test multiple types of equipment.

Bob Patterson, service manager at Med-Electronics, Beltsville, MD, said: “We required units with storage and test automation, so the options were limited.

“After being disappointed by other units, the Rigel 288+ was the clear choice to equip our technicians with.”

Due to the nature of its clients’ businesses, it is essential that Med-Electronics is able to keep time on site to a minimum as well as providing comprehensive preventative maintenance reports detailing any work performed.

Bob Patterson, who also serves on the board of the Medical Equipment and Technology Association (META), said: “Our technicians are always constrained by our customers’ desire that they remain 'invisible', which limits our time to access the equipment we are testing.

“The record storage capability allows our technicians to upload a week or month’s worth of units from Med-eBase to minimize the time required for data entry on site. Once a facility has been tested once, the return visit takes considerably less labor time.

“The Uni-Sim Lite allows for complete testing and calibration of all vital sign monitoring devices that we encounter in one package. This helps us keep the amount of test equipment taken into the field to a minimum.”

Another key challenge for the Med-Electronics technicians is the broad range of clients the company serves – and their unique needs.

Bob said: “We have to tailor our equipment testing protocols to our clients’ specific requirements.

“They own the equipment, and are responsible for just how in depth testing is done. As one would expect, often their desire to keep costs down outweighs the desire to perform in-depth testing.

“Having different routines programmed in our test equipment goes a long way to solve this problem.”

Over the next two years, ISOs in the US face possible increased regulatory scrutiny from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), requiring further accuracy and consistency in how testing and repairs are performed.

Bob said: “We will most likely see significant changes to how medical equipment that exists outside the hospital will be serviced and maintained and a solid reliable system to ensure that everything is done correctly will be paramount.

“In my opinion the Rigel system delivers this far better than any other available option.”