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Laboratory Administration & Management of Pathology Practices

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Equipment management


Tho Ngoc-Quynh Le, M.D., M.Sc.
Lewis A. Hassell, M.D.

Last author update: 4 December 2024
Last staff update: 4 December 2024

Copyright: 2002-2024, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.

PubMed Search: Laboratory equipment management

Tho Ngoc-Quynh Le, M.D., M.Sc.
Lewis A. Hassell, M.D.
Table of Contents
Definition / general | Essential features | Terminology | Diagrams / tables | Laboratory needs and technology assessment | Justification for new technology | Request for information | Site visit | Common sense criteria for new equipment | Request for proposal | Selection | Buy versus lease | Contract to purchase or lease | Equipment maintenance | Videos | Additional references | Board review style question #1 | Board review style answer #1 | Board review style question #2 | Board review style answer #2
Cite this page: Le TNQ, Hassell LA. Equipment management. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/managementequipment.html. Accessed December 26th, 2024.
Definition / general
  • Selection, acquisition, maintenance and replacement of laboratory equipment
Essential features
  • Practice of pathology is uniquely dependent upon complex and sophisticated laboratory equipment, which is continuously upgraded, augmented or rendered obsolete
  • Successful laboratory administration requires knowledge, experience and judgment in the selection and maintenance of multiple technologies, which are integral to practice
  • Capable equipment management also requires prudent interaction and communication with a variety of nonlaboratory experts, including biomedical engineers, service personnel, purchasing agents, administrators, contract attorneys and even vendor representatives
  • Equipment acquisition consists of establishing a need (from the strategic plan), technology assessment, justification, a request for information (RFI), a request for proposal (RFP), site visit(s), selection and finally a contract (Sci Rep 2024;14:4045)
  • Continuing quality of laboratory operations is, to a large degree, dependent on equipment maintenance
Terminology
  • RFP: request for proposal
  • RFI: request for information
  • Maintenance contract
  • Reagent rental
Diagrams / tables

Contributed by Lewis A. Hassell, M.D. and Tho Ngoc-Quynh Le, M.D., M.Sc.
Comparing vendors

Comparing vendors

Buying versus leasing lab equipment

Buying versus leasing lab equipment

Basic steps of equipment management

Basic steps of equipment management


Laboratory needs and technology assessment
Justification for new technology
  • Necessary to meet governmental requirements
  • Necessary for patient or employee safety
  • Replace old, failing or outdated equipment in order to continue operation
  • Provide marked improvement in patient care
  • Enhance productivity or reduce costs
  • Improve patient or employee satisfaction
  • Improve operating efficiency
  • Improve quality
  • Bottom line essentials
    • Improved patient care: obtain clinicians' corroboration
    • Increased productivity, decreased cost
    • Cost savings in the system (e.g., decreased length of stay)
  • Reference: Wagar: Laboratory Administration for Pathologists, 1st Edition, 2011
Request for information
  • Sent to potential suppliers to
    • Define your needs
    • See what is available
    • Specify rules and timeframes for the acquisition process and determine who receives an RFP
  • RFI should answer the following
    • What equipment is available?
    • What are the operating characteristics?
    • How much does it cost?
    • What training is provided?
    • Installation requirements?
    • Service and maintenance
    • Guarantees and warranty
    • History of vendor
    • Number and duration of installations
    • References
  • Reference: Indeed: How to Write a Request for Information (With Template) [Accessed 18 November 2024]
Site visit
  • Should include a pathologist, laboratory supervisor, administrator and a technologist who is slated to operate the equipment
  • Questions for pathologists and particularly for the technologists using the proposed equipment
    • Problems with delivery or installation?
    • Availability of training?
    • Reliability, unexpected downtime?
    • Verify operating characteristics
    • Vendor service and support?
    • Do the technologists like it?
    • Do the pathologists like it?
    • Availability of service, parts and reagents?
    • Problems with computer interface?
    • Would you buy this equipment again?
  • Reference: LinkedIn: How Can You Conduct a Successful Site Visit to Assess Customer Equipment Needs? [Accessed 18 November 2024]
Common sense criteria for new equipment
  • First articulated by R. Horowitz
    • Has it been on the market for at least 5 years?
    • Is it simple with few moving parts?
    • Is there a local parts warehouse and repairman?
    • Is it an open platform and if not, are the manufacturer’s reagents inexpensive?
    • Is it compatible with existing equipment?
    • Is it inexpensive enough to buy 2, so if one breaks down there is an immediately available backup?
  • Reference: Wagar: Laboratory Administration for Pathologists, 1st Edition, 2011
Request for proposal
  • Publication of detailed requirements by the prospective buyer (laboratory) in order to receive vendor proposal
    • RFP is also known as request for bids or request to tender
  • Sent to top vendors (from the RFI and site visits) for competitive bidding
  • Key sections of RFP
    • Statement of need
    • What is expected of vendor
    • Specific performance and operating characteristics
    • Detailed deliverables: hardware, software, training
    • Contractual requirements
    • Payment requirements, incentives, penalties
    • Proposal format
    • Evaluation criteria and award process
    • Schedule
  • Reference: Indeed: How to Write a Request for Proposal (RFP) (With Template) [Accessed 18 November 2024]
Selection
  • Selection of the winning proposal made on the basis of site visits and review of the submitted responses to the RFP
  • Selection made by the site visit team with administration
Buy versus lease
Contract to purchase or lease
  • Written by pathologist / lab manager with purchasing agent and attorney
  • Includes complete specifications
    • Equipment description, including new, like new (demo unit) or refurbished
    • Functionality
    • Performance and operating characteristics and standards
    • Incorporates vendor's RFP response
  • Requirements for installation
    • Space
    • Utilities
    • Code requirements
    • Computer compatibility
  • Cost to purchase or lease or reagent rental
  • Delivery, liability, replacement
  • Acceptance testing
  • Penalty and lemon clauses
  • Warranty and maintenance contract
  • Reference: Doclime: Key Differences Between Lease Contract and Purchase Contract [Accessed 18 November 2024]
Equipment maintenance
  • Definitions
    • Maintenance is scheduled and preventive
    • Repair is unscheduled and after failure
    • First line maintenance is performed by the machine operator and consists of frequent inspection, cleaning, disinfecting, lubricating, simple replacement, calibrating and adjusting
      • Usually done by lab personnel
      • May be done by biomedical engineering
      • Must be recorded in a maintenance log
    • Second line maintenance is performed by the manufacturer's field service representative and consists of more complex replacements, alignments and adjustments
    • Third line maintenance is a major overhaul that may be performed in the factory
  • Maintenance contracts should include (Medical Equipment Source: Lab Instrument Service Contracts - What You Need to Know [Accessed 24 October 2024])
    • Detail of scope, terms, equipment covered
    • Type of service: routine and emergency
    • Availability of service technicians and parts
    • Availability of loaners
    • Response time: hierarchy of response
    • Costs: parts, labor, travel out of pocket
    • Average cost: ~10% of purchase price per year
  • Maintenance records
  • Equipment maintenance document (Int J Health Care Qual Assur 2008;21:679)
    • Step by step instructions for routine maintenance
    • Instructions for carrying out function checks, frequency of performance and how to record the results
    • Guide for troubleshooting
    • Any required manufacturer's service and repair
    • List of any specific items needed for use and maintenance
Videos

Laboratory equipment maintenance program

Equipment maintenance in the laboratory

Board review style question #1
As a laboratory manager, your oncologists request a new molecular test for a targeted therapy. What is the first step to satisfy their desire?

  1. Check for testing approval status
  2. Evaluate the test utility
  3. Find the staff or providing laboratories who are familiar with the procedure
  4. Request for information from the test manufacturer
  5. Verify the test is reimbursable
Board review style answer #1
A. Check for testing approval status. The oncologists asked for a new test, so you should check the available tests in the market and their in vitro diagnostic (IVD) status. If the tests are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the government, you should discuss the need for validating research. Answers C and D are incorrect because you should ask your staff or request for information after justifying the new technology. Answer B is incorrect because the tests can be used for patient's treatment. Answer E is incorrect because although reimbursement status may be important for adoption and implementation, it is a much later concern.

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Reference: Equipment management
Board review style question #2
A laboratory has 500 blocks to process every day. It has 2 microtomes that can process a maximum of 200 blocks per day. What is the most important factor to consider before buying a new product?

  1. Ease of use of the equipment
  2. Number of technicians required
  3. Price of microtome blade
  4. Price of the equipment
  5. Service history of the vendor of new microtomes
Board review style answer #2
B. Number of technicians required. The laboratory wants to cut 100 blocks more per day, so they need at least 1 more microtome and 1 more technician. They should make sure to have enough well trained workers first. Answers A, C and D are incorrect because these should be considered based on the technician's opinions and budgeting issues. For example, what types of equipment are they familiar with, their experiences with each product and the quality relative to the price. Answer E is incorrect because there may be several possible vendors for the new item and the choice between them is a later issue.

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Reference: Equipment management
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