The selection and acquisition of laboratory equipment are among the most critical decisions made in the clinical laboratory. Inappropriate equipment can decrease the facility's efficiency, affect patient care, affect test results' quality, and cause wasted thousands of dollars.
The initial step is determining the clinical laboratory's testing needs based on the facility's mission, goals, and strategic plan. The laboratory manager, medical providers, and facilities chief executive officer need to ask the following questions:
- What are the organization's plans for the future?
- Is the organization planning on expanding or cutting back services?
- Are there plans to change how services are to be delivered?
- What are the on-site testing needs of the medical providers?
Answers to these questions should be the first step in purchasing new equipment.
Perhaps the most critical question is determining the medical providers' on-site testing needs. Which tests are essential for the providers? Which would be helpful but maybe unnecessary, and which are not? Secondarily, will additional testing in-house be profitable and/or help pay for other ancillary services in the facility?
