Preventative Maintenance
Virtually all manufacturers of medical imaging equipment and systems recommend routine periodic maintenance. The specific recommendations are usually found in the owner’s manual or other documentations provided by the manufacturer.
There are several reasons for following a schedule of planned maintenance of x-ray equipment. Briefly stated, you want your equipment to produce the images you need for and you want to avoid disruptions to your practice. More specifically, the reasons for preventative maintenance include the following:
- Limit patient exposure
- Limit retake
- Improve image quality
- Lower possibility of major component failure
- Longer equipment life
In some cases, compliance with governmental regulations
Our primary goal is to respond promptly to reduce customers’ valuable downtime and lost revenue.
Field Service Report (FSR)
The report will enumerate the things that were done to the system and, frequently, suggest things that the end user can do to help the system stay in good working order between PMs. Make sure you take the time to read over your FSR in full detail. If no report is given, contact the service group to obtain a copy right away.
Key Points for Every PM Visit...
Internal & External Cleaning – Dust bunnies love to live inside imaging equipment! They clog fans and cause overheating. This can also lead to slow system performance and even component damage. Your PM engineer needs to make sure filters are being cleaned or replaced to maintain system uptime.
Mechanical Testing – This portion of the PM addresses the needs of your system’s moving parts. Lubricating bearings, gears, and motors ensures smooth operation of parts. Added friction can cause component failures and breakage. Some parts may also need to be removed and reseated. Even a simple misalignment can result in a hard-down situation.
Performance Testing – Every system must provide quality images and ensure patient safety. Your PM engineer should be doing a dose check, electrical safety check, image quality check, and sometimes even a complete recalibration to keep maximum equipment performance.
Diagnostic Testing – Parts only last for so long. They deteriorate, wear down, leak, scratch, and eventually become unusable. Qualified Service Engineers are trained to pinpoint failing parts before they put your site in a hard-down situation.
If all of the above are addressed by your engineer in their last FSR, you can rest assured that they are taking the appropriate precautions to maximize your system’s uptime and the quality of your site’s patient care.
Action Required...
Desert Health Imaging dedicated professional service engineers work with a sense of urgency and dedication for our customers. Our contracts are extremely competitive, ranging from 100% parts & labor to “customized” service contracts to meet specific customer needs. Our various levels of service options help create a contract that will best benefit you and your organization.