It's interesting that cost is sometimes a mental barrier rather than physical. It definitely can be the first barrier for new equipment acquisitions, especially AERs (Automated Endocope Reprocessor) as the costs can soar is some cases. It's a barrier reached often before there is really any financial research done to see if an AER equipment expenditure can be justified from other financial perspectives. This position makes perfect sense if your practice has very little revenue, but for most medical offices that offer Endoscopic treatments the purchase of an AER may increase your revenue and decrease your overhead so it's definitely worth the investigation.

If you're in the market for an AER here's a few things to consider.

Your Existing Scopes - If you're considering buying an AER it makes sense to consider the scope equipment you already own. While not always the case, it may behoove your company to buy an AER that is designed to reprocess your exact equipment. However, you may want to take this opportunity to look at the age of the equipment you own. You should also consider the features and safety of newer scopes prior to purchasing an AER so that you can buy the best AER for the scopes you'll be utilizing going forward.

Time Saved - Buying an AER should save you a great deal of time which is typically one of the largest costs a medical office has. The time it takes to manually clean scopes properly is a cost that can virtually be eliminated.

Record keeping is another time vortex that adds to your company's overhead. Following the recommended safety protocols, policies and procedures that are in some cases mandated, can take an inordinate amount of time and are prone to human error increasing the risk of infections. Many AERs now offer automated record keeping. They're able to log the operator, the time, date, reprocessing total time and the specific endoscope that was reprocessed by bar code. The likelihood of errors is greatly reduced thereby enhancing your infection control and safety efforts keeping your patients safe while saving your practice money.

So don't be too quick to rule out a new automated endoscope reprocessor for your office before you dig into the safety and financial benefits that will come with it.