by
Lisa Chamoff, Contributing Reporter | August 19, 2015
From the August 2015 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Technical Prospects employs engineers to train other engineers, something Jeremy Probst says separates good training from mediocre. There’s also a difference in price, with Technical Prospects’ courses ranging in price from $7,000 to $10,000 for a two-week program.
“Siemens, being the OEM, offers its courses specifically to its engineering staff and contracted hospitals that have negotiated in training as part of purchase of new equipment,” Jeremy Probst says. “People pay a significant premium.” OEMs believe they are in the best position to train people, since they have designed the equipment.
Siemens offers customized programs for its customers who are transitioning to inhouse staff, giving them the same training as Siemens engineers and, in the interim, providing a level of OEM support until their in-house staff is fully prepared to take on all equipment. Transitioning is a three- to five-year process, says Scott Varnum, vice president of Siemens Service Strategic Accounts, who started his career managing in-house service teams for the Veterans Health Administration, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and an integrated delivery network in western Massachusetts.
In addition to teaching engineers how to fix equipment, trainers can help customers better understand workload on the devices. “For Siemens, we’re looking at the overall relationship between us and the customer,” Varnum says.
“It’s not all about our service portfolio with customers.” Philips provides training to in-house service staff at training centers in Cleveland, the Netherlands, and Singapore, as well as at their customers’ facilities and online, says Richard Gerler, director of technical operations for multi-vendor services for Philips. Online resources include Philips’ NetForum Community, an online forum where users of CT, MRI, and PET/CT can share experiences, and InCenter, where individuals with a subscription can download product service information, manuals, and guides.
For non-Philips equipment, Philips Multi- Vendor Services offers support and technical training through AllParts Medical, a parts sourcing and distribution company that Philips acquired in 2011. The facility has more than 40 training bays for classes on all imaging modalities from virtually every major OEM, Gerler says.
Philips also offers a program for in-house health care technology management teams that have decided they are ready to move beyond the direct support of OEM or third-party service, Gerler says. The program adjusts contracted direct service coverage to in-house support level arrangements at no additional charge during the term of the agreement. “Through this transition period, customers work alongside Philips’ engineering team to gain further insight into how to troubleshoot, repair and maintain the equipment,” Gerler says.
