Med One Blog

The Materiel Services Department at the University of Michigan Health Systems estimates that 86% of all patients admitted to hospital beds require infusion pumps. In many cases, patient-controlled analgesia (or PCA) is the best way to ensure medication is administered effectively and safely while giving the patient a better sense of control over their treatment.

In an effort to reduce user error and keep patients safe, smart pumps are now used in a majority of healthcare facilities. In fact, while only 44% of U.S. hospitals used smart infusion pumps in 2009, approximately 72.9% of hospitals reported using them in 2013. But how exactly do Alaris infusion pumps and similar types of hospital equipment prevent errors? We briefly explain a few of their common safeguards below.

By Ibby Smith Stofer

Healthcare equipment is a necessity. Patient care and clinical satisfaction are two of the top concerns of all healthcare executives. With rapid technology advancements, integration of devices, recalls and diminishing reimbursement, and increasing capital requirements, providers often struggle with how to manage and fund equipment. Using medical equipment rental as an option for acquiring medical devices continues to be a resource hospitals look at to help with these problems.

Those who work in the healthcare industry know that the two ways to regulate the rate and amount of fluids dispensed through an IV are through manual means and by using infusion pumps. Patient-controlled analgesia (or PCA) pumps are just one type of pump commonly found in hospital facilities and other healthcare centers. These pumps, which include Alaris PCA pumps, give the patient more control over their pain and can thus facilitate healing and patient wellbeing.

Since the late 1960s, infusion pumps have been used to deliver controlled amounts of fluids (like medications and nutrients) into patients' bodies for a variety of reasons. They are used in a wide variety of healthcare settings to infuse everything from hormones to pain relievers. Their effectiveness relies on their ability to deliver these fluids in precise volumes and rates at very specific times. Many of these fluid medications have high-risk designations, meaning that any sort of deviation from its intended use could have drastic consequences for both patients and caregivers.

By Ibby Smith Stofer

They say time flies but does it really, or do we simply let it pass without valuing it?

We all have the same amount of time each day, each week, and each year. What we do with it can make huge differences in our life, our success, our relationships, and our overall happiness.

By Ibby Smith Stofer

They say we used to lead the world in healthcare just a couple of decades ago.

We still do as far as costs go!

Not too many years ago American workers dreamt of the days when they would be retired. They would have a good pension, plus any savings they had accumulated to spend as they wished. Many expected that Social Security and Medicare would be the safety net allowing them to travel at will, visit family and friends, and basically enjoy the good life of their golden years.

By Ibby Smith Stofer

Are you a company advocate? Many people profess to be an asset to the business they work for or own. Are they really? What exactly is a company advocate? Advocate in Webster’s dictionary is defined as one who supports or promotes the cause of a group.

By Ibby Smith Stofer

We all know that talking is not necessarily communicating. We also know that nodding is not necessarily listening.

Today more than ever we have the means to communicate with people wherever and whenever. We are judged in our personal and professional life by how well we have mastered the skill of communication. To be effective one must demonstrate and incorporate the “C’s” of communication.

By Robb Stevens

If you approach equipment leasing with a wary eye, you’re probably not alone. Some of your past experiences may have even led you to believe that some of the questionable things you’ve seen are “just the way it is.” This may or may not be a fair assessment of the equipment leasing industry as a whole, depending on what you’ve experienced and who you have worked with.