Biomedical Calibration & Servicing for Healthcare Facilities
Those who work in the medical industry know that there are many different governing bodies and guidelines set to assure safety. When it comes to required servicing for biomedical equipment, some of the most essential standards to know include JC, CLIA, OSHA, and NFPA 99. It is crucial to work with a provider that can offer biomedical calibration and servicing that meets or exceeds these industry requirements. Stat Bio-Medical Sales & Service works with physicians, surgical centers, clinics, hospitals, and dental practices to offer comprehensive annual biomedical testing and required equipment servicing designed to meet these industry standards and regulations.
Our primary goal is to keep our clients’ equipment working at near 100 percent capacity to ensure the safety and reliability of their biomedical equipment. We also offer emergency repair services, sales of new and reconditioned equipment, ongoing maintenance services, preventive maintenance services, and loaner equipment opportunities. We work with all of the top brand names in the business to ensure that the required equipment servicing we provide meets all levels of compliance for the safety of your patients, staff, and any visitors to your facility. Service contracts are also available to help reduce the stress on office managers and administrators who are charged with keeping track of all testing and repairs.
NFPA Code 99 Standards
One of the essential testing standards that are required for biomedical equipment in medical practices, dental offices, surgical centers, clinics, and hospitals is NFPA 99. Annual biomedical testing for safety and performance, along with medical equipment calibration, helps our clients to meet their legal obligations as defined in the NFPA Code 99 standards. These requirements for biomedical calibration and servicing establishes criteria for levels of healthcare services or systems based on the risk posed to patients, staff, or visitors in medical facilities. The goal is to minimize hazards, such as explosion, fire, and electricity. The requirements are broad, including everything from the initial installation of the equipment to ongoing inspections, testing, maintenance, performance, and safe practices.
NFPA stands for the National Fire Protection Association, which requires ongoing testing and maintenance throughout the “useful lifetime” of all biomedical equipment. This includes any equipment that is built-to-order, experimental, or still under development. All biomedical equipment must have a degree of safety that is equivalent to the NFPA Code 99 standards, or that is “deemed acceptable” by the facility.
Required equipment servicing under NFPA 99 includes all patient-care appliances, whether they are permanently connected and installed at the facility or portable. This includes cord- and plug-connected equipment that can be transported or conveyed for patient purposes. Industry requirements are also implemented regarding the safety inspection and testing of the cord used to connect the machine, as well as the measurement of ground-wire resistance for all electrical appliances and equipment used within the patient care areas of the healthcare facility. Microwaves, refrigerators, and anything else that is used in breakroom areas or other staff-only parts of the hospital or clinic are included in these requirements for inspection and servicing.
What Are Your Responsibilities?
As a physician, office manager, or administrator, your responsibilities regarding annual biomedical testing and medical equipment calibration are very specific. It is the responsibility of the administrator to stay on top of all electrical appliances and biomedical equipment within the facility. Protocols and policies must be established to help maintain proper record-keeping and identify which equipment requires periodic biomedical calibration and servicing according to industry and government regulation. A history of all testing and intervals that are needed for proper compliance must be maintained at all times through documentation for each appliance. This must include instructions for use, a means of contacting the manufacturer, and any other essential details.
At Stat Bio-Medical Sales & Service, we do everything we can to help our clients maintain records and consistent medical equipment calibration and servicing to meet regulatory compliance for NFPA 99, OSHA, CLIA, and JC. We provide all of the data necessary to compile accurate documentation for testing, repairs, and servicing for record-keeping requirements. The documentation includes all details concerning the equipment that was tested, along with the date of testing and the results of the test. Each administrator needs to establish their own records retention policy that is designed to work with respect to the requirements mandated by local, state, and federal regulatory agencies.
If you would like to hear more about the services available for annual biomedical testing and required equipment servicing at Stat Bio-Medical Sales & Service, give us a call toll-free at 1-877-995-1117. We can answer any questions that you might have about our services, offer a FREE estimate, and provide contact information for technicians and sales teams near you.