Equipment maintenance: a cost comparison of vendor and inhouse service.

The total cost associated with the services provided by Radiological Engineering for the maintenance and repair of imaging equipment for fiscal year 1987-1988 (inclusive of salaries and benefits of $66,725) was $146,643. To obtain similar services from outside vendors an expenditure of approximately $345,788 would have been required. The experience of the Department of Radiology, University Hospital, Denver, Colorado, is similar to that of others and has demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of an inhouse program for the maintenance and repair of imaging equipment. In other institutions, particularly smaller ones, the effectiveness of such programs would depend on individual circumstances. In most instances, an inhouse service engineer can be justified for a hospital with imaging equipment valued at approximately $2,000,000 (1989 prices), and for remotely located hospitals with less equipment that require greater vendor travel. In a smaller hospital, the individual employed need not have the highest level of skill and experience to function effectively. Since many routine service problems can be handled by a person with limited experience, this will still achieve a considerable overall savings. Such an individual may also be assigned certain aspects of equipment quality control to realize additional benefits--while vendor service can be reserved for more complex problems. Inhouse service can be cost effective in most large and many smaller hospitals and is an effective way for a hospital to simultaneously improve patient care and reduce operational costs. In addition to direct cost savings, an inhouse radiological engineering program can provide less tangible, but nonetheless important benefits, to the efficiency of departmental operation and patient care.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)