Smart lab managers around the country have become experts at saving money and staying on increasingly limited budgets. One way these professionals have learned to cut costs without cutting on testing capabilities or workflow through the lab is to buy used medical equipment.
The choice to buy used medical equipment saves money, often lowering the price of the specific model required by more than half of the cost of a new model. In some of the testing and analytical equipment, this can save thousands of dollars without any limiting on the capacity and accuracy of the testing services provided.
Of course, simply buying used is not the only factor that needs to be considered. Lab managers need to think about future testing capacity, current, and future testing requirements, as well as the actual configuration of the lab and how the equipment will integrate with the current lab system.
Size and Type of Equipment
Replacing a current piece of equipment with the same model in used equipment poses no concerns about the physical size of the equipment fitting into the lab. However, when choosing equipment from a different manufacturer or when upgrading to a larger size of system, it is always important to consider the physical space in the lab.
Advances and Benefits
It is worth the time to consider options available before you buy used medical equipment. Models that are slightly newer may offer a range of advanced testing and analytical functions and features that can simplify testing procedures and even reduce the risk of human error.
Automated systems that use barcode readers, fully automated processes and that offer increased accuracy in results can help to improve the quality and accuracy over older models that require technicians to have a more hands-on approach to running testing and analysis orders.