Rentals Provide Temporary Equipment Relief as Covid-19 Cases and Hospitalizations Rise Again

Healthcare providers are frantically searching for equipment as COVID-19 cases rise and hospitalizations continue to increase. Cases escalated so quickly that when Saint Francis Medical Center purchased a rental program for patient monitors from Med-E-Quip Locators, team members drove to pick up the products immediately.

Hospitals are rushing to find additional equipment, but hospitals have limited funds due to high COVID-related expenses and only need temporary relief while high hospitalizations last. Rental programs help treat the spike in patients and offer a temporary solution that fits best with hospital cash flow and the unknown length of time associated with adding COVID equipment. One of OpenMarkets’ suppliers, Med-E-Quip Locators, provides short-term and long-term rental programs for the equipment healthcare providers need.

Med-E-Quip Locators has more than 40 years of combined medical sales and customer service experience. Based on Med-E-Quip’s interactions within the OpenMarkets Exchange, their accommodations and flexibility to support providers, especially during COVID-19, demonstrates their policy of quality first and customer satisfaction as the foundation of their business success.

Customer Satisfaction Experience

Saint Francis Medical Center was looking for MP5 patient monitors when COVID-19 cases started to rise again this October and turned to OpenMarkets to find options.

Molly, from Med-E-Quip, sent over the verified specifications that matched with Saint Francis Medical Center’s request and sent over a quote. The quote was forwarded on for approval at Saint Francis and in the meantime, Molly agreed to hold the inventory. Molly, additionally, confirmed that the monitors were already in stock and could be shipped out within a day.

Saint Francis Medical Center was unsure on how long they would rent the machines; Molly mentioned only a one-month rental term was required. Molly continued to answer any additional questions about the paperwork and monitors.

The price fit within Saint Francis Medical’s budget, the rental program and terms were flexible, the monitors were available immediately and Molly’s quick response time ultimately sold Saint Francis Medical Center on renting the MP5 patient monitors with Med-E-Quip Locators.

Once the PO was made, Saint Francis Medical Center’s team member mentioned the COVID-19 situation had escalated and asked if the monitors could be picked up that night instead. Molly responded quickly that the machines would be ready and that there would be someone waiting there that evening to hand off the needed monitors. Saint Francis Medical Center has been using the rental equipment ever since.

Benefits of a Rental Program During Covid-19

OpenMarkets has helped numerous organizations find equipment and PPE, like patient monitors, ICU beds and pumps, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In many of these cases, hospitals did not have the proper funds to buy equipment outright, so they opted to use OpenMarkets to rent equipment.

Revenues for hospitals continue to decline as elective surgeries and nonemergency procedures are cancelled to accommodate COVID-19 care. According to the CDC, the “weekly hospitalization rate is at its highest point since the beginning of the pandemic”. With the influx of hospitalizations, increased expenses include additional PPE and other healthcare equipment.

Rental programs can help treat the spike in patients but offer a temporary solution that fits best with hospital cash flow and the unknown length of time associated with adding equipment. With Med-E-Quip’s one-month rental policy, rental equipment can be purchased and returned accordingly to demand and budget, like Saint Francis Medical Center opted for.

Not to mention, Med-E-Quip provides a wide range of medical equipment and supplies such as large volume pumps, syringe pumps, procedural stretchers, patient monitors and much more. If there is a product you are searching for and cannot find, contact Med-E-Quip on the OpenMarkets Exchange and they will help source the needed equipment.

COVID-19 has made sourcing additional healthcare equipment and supplies difficult. However, OpenMarkets’ is dedicated to providing a wide range of equipment options and suppliers to help source equipment and supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. OpenMarkets partners with suppliers, like Med-E-Quip, that give thorough and attentive customer service to insure hospitals are stocked and supplied to help COVID-19 patients.

 

 

About Author

Tom Derrick
Tom Derrick

Tom leads a range of core functions for OpenMarkets, including strategic partnerships and business development. Prior to OpenMarkets, Tom served as a senior communications director for a rapidly growing medical device manufacturer, and as a D.C.-based public relations director conducting advocacy for the orthotic and prosthetic community. Tom is a co-founder of OpenMarkets. He has degrees from Wake Forest and DePaul Universities.

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