Even if you’ve done your homework — researched the top models, crunched the numbers, interviewed distributors, and more — getting a new C-Arm for your practice is still enough to give you butterflies. It is, after all, quite a commitment of time, money, and resources.
Which is why you have every right to make certain demands. The kind of demands that will allow you to close the loop on your acquisition and begin the next exciting service chapter for your practice. With our years of experience, we’ve seen enough to understand the importance of three key demands every new C-Arm owner must make. Here are the following 3 C-Arm demands you must make when purchasing a new C-Arm:
Safe Transport and Professional Installation
Imagine buying a vintage automobile and having it delivered with junk food wrappers, empty Slurpee cups, and cigarette butts littering the floor.
It’s a safe bet that you wouldn’t be too happy.
Yet there are companies that transport C-Arms with a similar disregard. They wrap blankets around the system and truck it to its destination like that.
Your C-Arm is a medical device that offers life-saving precision. It’s a cornerstone of your practice. It requires the utmost care to ensure it operates with precision.
(Or even operates at all, since a damaged bearing — one of the parts that could break during spotty transportation — can result in immediate downtime.)
DEMAND THIS: The best way to transport a C-Arm is with a crate designed for that purpose. A technician should be on hand to take receipt of the machine, remove it, and install it. Call it “white glove service,” if you’d like. We also recommend you call it “essential.”
Full-Service Training
For all its remarkable power and broad array of uses, your C-Arm won’t do you or your staff any good without proper hands-on training. Even the fastest learner on hand isn’t going to pick up enough to “fake it till they make it.”
The technician handling the C-Arm’s installation should be able to provide the training once the machine is ready. Not theoretical, sitting-in-a-classroom training. Hands-on training that ensures each staffer tasked with operating the system with patients understands it well.
Speaking of patients…
The training should also include time spent with patients. In such a scenario, the technician is available to oversee staff members as they leverage their earlier training. The technician can then lend support or confirmation as necessary.
Extensive training materials, including brief and convenient “cheat” sheets, also come with your C-Arm. Your trainer should also review those with staff members.
DEMAND THIS: Your C-Arm should come with the following:
- System training
- Live-case training, with patients, during office hours
- Robust training and review material
Ongoing Support
Delivery, installation, and training often happen in the same day to decrease C-Arm downtime and office disruption. Your C-Arm is a years-long investment, though. You’ll need the same level as quality of support beyond that first day.
How do you get that level of support? By engaging in candid conversations with the C-Arm vendors with whom you’re talking. Ask them:
- What kind of warranties do they offer?
- Are replacement parts available when you need them?
- In the event of an issue with your C-Arm, can they have a technician to your practice in a reasonable time?
DEMAND THIS: Make sure your C-Arm warranty covers the parts and service you need. You can learn more about ideal warranty coverage here. Seek remote access, a five-year coverage period, and the ability to deliver service on your schedule.
Complete Support is Available Here!
Overall, these are the 3 C-Arm demands you must make when purchasing a C-arm! For more information or to speak with a C-Arm expert, please contact us today or by visiting our website here. iRad can meet the demands you have today, tomorrow, and years into the future.
