Not surprisingly, dental equipment is one of the most important expenses in practice. The average cost of a full dental chair setup can be as high as $14,000. However, at some point, constantly repairing old equipment becomes a waste of money. So how do you extend the life of your equipment? What kind of system should be developed to help you determine when the old chair needs to go? When does it make sense to buy new products? There are several key factors to consider when answering these questions.
Assessment, estimation and distribution
Before deciding whether to repair or replace expensive and indispensable equipment, you need to carefully evaluate the equipment's useful life, usage, continuous or intermittent issues, warranty coverage, and practice financial resources. In addition, a reasonable estimate of lost revenue due to patient dissatisfaction due to equipment downtime, as well as decreased productivity. Please provide honest assessment and advice to staff and trusted service technicians. Replacement equipment is expensive, but so is the amount of money invested in repeated maintenance. If replacement is the best option, then allow time to find the best equipment at the price your practice can afford. Let us explore further.
1. Determine the service life
Repairing the compressor may be tempting. Before this, please consider the age and reliability of the past year. If the compressor fails repeatedly or for more than 10 years, repair may not be worth the effort and effort. why? This is an adventurous game, and it can be guessed how many years after it has been renovated. Each capital project of a dental clinic has an expected useful life, depending on the law of use.
Busy practices tend to be slightly slower than practice, which can shorten the life of the equipment. Keep a record of the equipment, record the useful life, purchase date, purchase new product or use date, repair record and warranty coverage. When you know the remaining warranty coverage, you can make better decisions about whether to repair or replace the equipment.
2. Maintenance, training and acquisition
Maximizing the service life of equipment requires careful maintenance and regular maintenance by trained service technicians. Check the maintenance requirements for each piece of equipment, as some equipment may require more frequent maintenance. Maintaining good relations with service technicians is an important asset. Experienced and trustworthy technicians will be straightforward when your ongoing repair costs exceed the efficiency of replacement equipment. Finally, it is imperative to train employees on the proper use and maintenance of equipment. It reduces the possibility of damage and costly repairs, which may not be covered by the warranty.
3. Review the equipment every year
Reserve a time each year to complete a full review of the exercise equipment. This audit is conducted when you review year-end financial and program budgets. Here's how to conduct a full equipment audit:
1. Create a detailed list of all units.
2. Press maintenance log frequency and maintenance downtime (more than 1 day).
3. Regularly collect team feedback on performance and recommendations.
4. Evaluate the rating system based on the performance and reliability of each unit. (Dental clinics typically use a 1-5 scale.) This will be your early warning system and help determine which devices should be replaced first.
4. Open the money
What is a good and reliable early warning system to detect equipment that needs to be replaced if you do not have sufficient financial resources to pay for these expenses? Separate 2% to 3% of annual income and include it in the Capital Expenditure Fund to cover any necessary and unexpected improvements. This way, you are less likely to scramble when determining how to pay for any needed equipment. In addition, you do not need a loan, which means there is no interest expense.
Preparation is the key
There is no doubt that preparation is the key to capital equipment management. When you evaluate your equipment and dental supplies, how it performs and how it is maintained, you have an automatic built-in monitoring system. We all know that no maintenance-free equipment or equipment will always exist. Making full use of the equipment and extending its service life requires proper care, regular service and well-trained staff. Don't forget to allocate money every year for needed replacement or upgrade. These four strategies can help you earn hard-earned money from practicing equipment and know it with confidence when repairing or replacing.
