Worth repeating

Healthcare Purchasing News, Sept, 2007

"The issue is that the value of capital equipment cannot and should not be measured by some elusive 'best price.' A best price only shows that materials management is satisfied with the result of a negotiation related to a transaction. They are not tasked with achieving the best overall outcome to the top and bottom lines related to the ongoing operation and productivity of the product. We all know that sometimes the best value costs more but we rarely accept this reality."

Irwin A. Baker, president, RPM Healthcare Strategies

"We simply couldn't do what we do without knowledge and ongoing education. Not only do we have to succeed in our [core competencies], we have to maintain our commitment to delivering quality customer service in many different areas. With knowledge, dedication and teamwork, the opportunities for improving productivity and efficiency are really endless."

Erle Shepard, CS manager, Centra Health

"An in-house program that sterilizes infectious material on-site is the only way to ensure sustainability during a surge event. More hospitals are interested in treating this infectious material on-site as opposed to transporting it through their communities. Hospitals realize that, as a generator of this infectious material, it is their responsibility to manage it properly and to safeguard their communities."

Arthur L. McCoy, senior vice president, San-I-Pak

"The bed is the center of patient care. That's where the patient is going to spend the majority of their time while they're in the facility. When a clinician is interfacing with the patient, the bed and the technology in that bed can help make the interface easier and safer for both the caregiver delivering the care and the patient receiving it."

Ron Dziedziula, director marketing therapeutic surfaces, Kinetic Concepts Inc.