Hospital executives, in both public
and private organizations, are often challenged by the board to remove costs
from the annual budget. Sometimes they are asked to trim dollar amounts, and
sometimes they are given percentage targets. One of the major reasons of
financial stress for these executives is equipment replacement. It’s true that
latest equipment guarantees patient care, but the cost is sometimes out of the
budget. All hospitals buy the right kind of equipment and tech gadgets to
provide both patients and doctors with maximum facilities (Gordon, 2011).
Like any other department or industry,
we will allocate our funds wisely and reasonably. When our wallet gets tight,
we may determine if something could be saved on equipment purchasing or not.
Nurses often complain about the shortage of oxygen pumps. We may set a budget
for these items depending on their monthly or yearly requirements. However, it
is necessary to keep those oxygen pumps away from central locations where the
public cannot find them as this will help us avoid unnecessary purchases.
Similarly, if there the hospital receives requests for more beds and nearly 15
nurses and doctors claim they are not enough to go with, we will definitely
have to buy them at the earliest (Gordon, 2011).
The involvement of medical technology
users is a must for developing reliable and valid cost estimates. We need to
hire right kind of lab experts, nurses, and surgeons who are ready to help us
buy the hospital equipment at reasonable costs. For instance, a qualified and
experienced nurse would definitely know what is an automated medication
dispenser, how to use it and where to buy it from. Establishing medical
equipment budgets is a major and meaningful step, followed by the development
of a detailed cost estimate for our equipment. This step determines whether the
budget is in line with our goals and objectives or not (Gordon, 2011).
Work Cited:
Gordon, D. (2011). Healthcare finance: A primer.
Washington, DC: American Health Lawyers Association.
