Factors To Consider When Renting Medical Equipment

By Lila Bryant


With the shrinking margins in the practice of medical services, the individuals and institutions engaged are becoming heavily concerned. This is, to a great extent, contributed by the high cost of investment, particularly in acquiring the sophisticated machines and tools entailed. The high initial investment is just out of proportion, coupled with their high rate of depreciation and obsolescence. Yet to be able to offer the most attractive and satisfactory services to clients, some tools are indispensable. It is due to this reason that there is a paradigm shift towards renting medical equipment.

It is possible to finance your medical facility 100 percent by renting tools. Some of the medical implements offered for rental include; X-ray and ultrasound machines, surgery items, MRI machines, computers, imaging diagnostic tools and EMR software. There are however some considerations to be made before settling on the rental decision.

First and foremost, closely analyze the financial implications of both a buy and rent decision. This is the surest way to enhance the most effective financial decision. It entails the prices of the concerned products across various major manufacturers and dealers while comparing with lease quotes from the medical leasing companies.

In order to undertake a complete financial analysis, ensure to gather all your pertinent financial information into one place. The data is then used to analyze the viability and feasibility of a particular investment. Gathering the data is particularly important as it enables you to identify and estimate the incremental cash flows associated with the investment. Incremental cash flows simply mean the additional expenses and revenues as a result of the investment. This indicates how a single investment will improve the overall performance of your business, as opposed to a mere analysis of whether a particular investment is profitable on its own.

The comparison should however not stop here. Further analyze the data with a break even analysis, a net present value analysis and a payback value analysis. With these analyses, you are furnished with both the short and long term financial implications of the particular investment. It also denotes the duration of time it will take to recoup the initial investment.

While comparing a buy versus rent decision, you should put in mind that the rate of the lease, is determined by some other factors, some within while others beyond your control. An example of a controllable factor is the rental period. Consider the duration of rent and the financial implication associated.

Before renting, one should also consider the frequency of service (repair) and the type of the lease (capital or operating lease). For maintenance, consider the service schedule; the number of times and how convenient it is. Does it allow on-site servicing or must it be taken in for repair? Capital leases (with capital allowances and residual ownership) are more expensive compared to operating leases (are pure rental agreements).

The decision to buy or rent a medical appliance depends on determining which of the two choices is more beneficial especially for your practice. The best investment is one that fits well with your overall business plan and is quite promising compared to other investment opportunities, both on the short run and the long run.




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