What Hospital Leaders Should Consider Beyond the Purchase Price of a Bed
Medical device and hospital bed procurement is both costly and complex for hospitals and healthcare systems. Price is a key consideration, but there are significant factors that should be top of mind when choosing something as essential as a hospital bed, from the total cost of ownership to its overall impact on patient and caregiver safety.
Hospital beds are more than just equipment; they’re cornerstones of the patient experience, supporting recovery while allowing for transport throughout a facility. They require installation, operation, preventive and corrective maintenance, repairs, staff training, downtime, and disposal.¹ When these factors are taken into account, associated lifecycle costs can significantly impact service life, productivity, and the quality of patient care.
Approaching bed procurement as a value-based healthcare decision can help hospitals make the best possible investments for patients and caregivers, resulting in long-term performance and improved patient and caregiver experiences and safety outcomes.
Improving Patient and Caregiver Safety with Value-Based Procurement
Caregiver safety is an ongoing concern for hospitals and health systems. Strains and sprains are common, on-the-job injuries, resulting in absenteeism rates that are five times higher than in any other industry, with direct and indirect costs of back injuries alone amounting to $20 billion annually.²
Nursing assistants have the second highest number of musculoskeletal injuries; as many as 20% of nurses leave direct patient care due to the physical demands and risk of injury associated with the job. OSHA has identified transferring, lifting, and repositioning patients in bed as risky behavior that can impact caregiver safety.²
As staff succumb to injuries, the patient experience suffers along with them. Value-based healthcare addresses rising costs and the quality of care with a focus on outcomes. By making the patient experience central to health system performance, it reframes procurement as more than just purchasing equipment.³
A value-based healthcare approach to hospital bed procurement takes patient needs into account. Costs are assessed according to other factors, such as the impact of taking beds out of service for maintenance, and the toll musculoskeletal injuries can have on a hospital’s bottom line.
Rotec’s thoughtfully-engineered Bariatric and Med-Surg models support value-based healthcare with rugged builds and safety features designed to improve the patient experience and caregiver safety outcomes.
Beds Built for Long Life and Superior ROI
Under optimal conditions, the average hospital bed has a lifespan of 12 years.⁴ As beds age, they require more servicing and repair downtime, reducing overall efficiency along with patient comfort. And how beds are used, particularly in busy Med-Surg settings or for bariatric patients, can significantly impact their overall lifespan.
Replacing older beds with durable, engineered-for-performance models like Rotec’s VersaTech Bariatric and Med-Surg beds enhances patient care while eliminating the need to regularly take beds out of service for maintenance and repairs. Rugged steel frames that can support up to 1,100 lb and 600 lb, respectively, help ensure reliable, steady patient support and transport.
Ample safety features, including our ultra-low bariatric bed height at 8”, 3-zone exit alerts and one-of-a-kind side rails, help keep patients secure. Rotec’s motorized VersaDrive system helps ensure that beds can be effortlessly maneuvered throughout care areas by a single nurse without the risk of sprains or strains.
Proactive maintenance strategies, recommended by the World Health Organization, can help keep equipment safe and available for ongoing use. Combining regular performance and safety inspections with preventative maintenance is recommended to help extend equipment life while reducing failure rates.⁵
Rotec is industry-renowned for its incredible after-sales service. Intuitive features are easy to learn with little training time; integrated QR codes on each bed model connect users with training resources, FAQs, user manuals, and video tutorials. Rotec’s proprietary One Connect app makes maintenance just as easy, allowing for remote diagnostics at a tap.
When beds need repairs, Rotec always has parts in stock. And with all models covered under a warranty that’s one of the best in the industry, hospitals have peace of mind knowing their Rotec beds will continue to support their patients and staff reliably year after year.
Delivering Lasting Performance and Optimal Safety
Patient and caregiver safety is an ongoing priority for hospitals and healthcare systems. Value-based procurement puts the patient experience at the center of purchasing decisions, ensuring safety and performance are aligned from the outset.
Rotec VersaTech beds epitomize value-based procurement principles with durable construction, a streamlined approach to ease of use, and unrivaled service and support. Hospitals can rely on Rotec beds to support their patients and staff, even with rigorous everyday use across bariatric and Med-Surg care specialties.
Get in touch to learn more about how Rotec VersaTech beds can support your facility.
Sources
- New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Total Cost of Ownership: An Introduction to Whole-of-Life Costing. Government Procurement Branch; October 2013. https://www.procurement.govt.nz/assets/procurement-property/documents/guide-total-cost-ownership.pdf
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Safe patient handling. US Department of Labor.
- Rhamani K, Karimi S, et al. Value-Based Procurement for Medical Devices: A Scoping Review. Med J Islam Repub Iran. 2021;35(134). doi: 10.47176/mjiri.35.134
- Connecticut Office of Health Care Access. Yale-New Haven Hospital Patient Bed Replacement Project: Final Decision; Docket No. 06-30667-CON. https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/OHS/ohca/CONdecisions/0630667CONpdf
- World Health Organization. Medical Equipment Maintenance Programme Overview. World Health Organization; 2011. https://iris.who.int/server/api/core/bitstreams/e5a3afa2-3eb0-41a0-820f-edb2032c41bb/content