SERVICE INFORMATION - Q & A
STASIS Veterinary Equipment Service is exclusively an Arizona veterinary only medical equipment specialist with a focus on hospital machine maintenance and services on Anesthesia, Autoclave, and Dental units for compliance within regulatory agency standards (AAHA, OSHA, ASVMEB, etc.). We are ultimately a solution for veterinarians looking for an experienced and resourceful service representative, who can offer rental equipment, staff training, customized machines, repairs, and prompt emergency services that go beyond just maintenance.
The Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examining Board mandates veterinarians must “maintain veterinary medical supplies, controlled substances and surgical and other equipment in a safe, efficient and sanitary manner.” ASVMEB (32-227(A)(5)) AAHA, CDC, OSHA and other agencies state similarly equipment must be maintained to a ‘manufacture performance specifications’ with a complete record of documentation. STASIS often finds many machines are either lacking this documentation, are being improperly maintained, using obsolete/faulty equipment, or simply being neglected because things appear to be 'working.' Certification with maintenance done correctly will reduce equipment malfunctions and cost, decrease exposure to liabilities, yield consistent results, and improve patient and staff safety. No one can guarantee equipment will last a lifetime even with maintenance, so having a service like STASIS can offer you a solution for rental equipment while your technician performs repairs and trains your staff on how to better manage the equipment into the future. A pharmaceutical representative is only interested in selling you new equipment, unlike a service technician who can restore your old equipment to a 'like-new' condition as a much cheaper alternative. Even more costly, the 'new equipment' you buy from a pharma. rep. is only going to 'breakdown' in time because maintenance was still never performed. There are several service companies that may perform repairs but lack the breadth of knowledge that STASIS can provide on a range of different equipment that is unique to the veterinary industry. They exclusively focus only on the machine and fail to communicate with your staff on what exactly was done, how it performs differently, or what intermittent maintenance they can do to keep equipment lasting longer. Due to the diverse nature that is the veterinary industry, many other companies do not even carry a full inventory of parts to repair the same day, leaving you with inoperable equipment, costing you down time while parts are being shipped or even delaying further if the manufacture has discontinued that particular product. STASIS takes pride in knowing that equipment services does not end after repairs, but rather continues after we leave. It is truly essential to the facility, staff and most importantly, to our patients that the equipment we use is maintained to the best possible standard.
This is a simple series of questions to ask yourself as a Veterinarian, Veterinary Technician, or Office Manager and how STASIS can help:
Q: What's wrong with waiting for my equipment to 'breakdown' before performing maintenance?
A: In most cases, maintenance prevents 'breakdowns' and monitors the machines behavior over years. Once a 'breakdown' occurs, 'invasive repairs' are now needed to fix what 'preventative maintenance' would have solved before it became a problem. 'Invasive repairs' typically requires equipment be taken 'off-site' for specialized labor and a 'rental machine' is needed while repairs are being performed. This is a much more costly and risky practice as 'breakdowns' are more likely to occur unexpectedly during times of heavy use and will possibly complicate future surgeries until fixed. While 'preventative maintenance' may not stop all possible 'breakdowns,' the STASIS' technician will be able to quickly diagnose and remedy those problems should they occur because they are already familiar with your particular machine.
Q: I am already receiving maintenance services from another company, why do I need STASIS?
A: STASIS has years of experience working with different machines, systems, equipment set-ups, and staff members. Many companies focus on one area of expertise but fail to continue research or broaden their working knowledge, limiting their capabilities. Having someone new with outside knowledge, can bring about improved methods of maintenance and equipment options that would have never been presented before. STASIS works with your staff to make sure they are better trained with their equipment and how to recognize problems that may be developing before a 'breakdown.' Through STASIS' 'Maintenance Program,' we can offer an all encompassing service that extends beyond maintenance to include rental equipment, consultation, customization, and general services. As a bundle, we can reduce overall costs by offering a 'one-stop shop' service for all of your equipment needs as an accessible option for your staff to use in any situation.
Q: My machines are 'working,' so why do I need maintenance?
A: How do you know your machine is 'working' correctly? It is easy to compensate for leaks on an anesthesia machine by adding more 'anesthetic' and 'oxygen' to sedate a patient. However, those leaks just push more 'waste anesthetic gas (W.A.G.)' into the surgical suite where people should not be operating when exposed to this gas and gives you a false reading from the vaporizer. If a dental drill needs 'more power' to cut a tooth, I can increase the flow of air pressure. Although, your original 'decrease in power' may have been caused by an obstruction or failure in lubrication, and the 'additional power' you just added is going to further damage the turbine as it is now out of 'manufacture specifications' and will become unstable on contact, possibly cutting gums instead of teeth. Your autoclave can run for years without maintenance, but will get incredibly dirty internally and 'rust.' Your equipment may appear 'to work', but without a 'biological indicator (spore) sterility test' you can not verify if your equipment has been 'sterilized' and your machine will 'rot' from the inside out making it more costly to repair than to replace with frequent unexplained errors. Beyond the cost of purchasing new equipment, the unexpected downtime and debris from 'rust' will start damaging the equipment being sterilized inside of it too. In all of these situations, you are jeopardizing your patients' and staffs' health by being untrained to properly recognize developing problems. If you are waiting for the equipment to have a 'breakdown' and stop working during surgery, it's a matter of time before someone is injured or worse, and you will assume all liability as you have no 'records' your equipment was operating within compliance of any regulatory agency. Let a professional technologist manage and certify your equipment, while you manage your patients.
Q: Should I be waiting for a regulatory agency to audit your equipment?
A: The boards set these standards as 'Guidelines' for you to adhere to for the benefit of your staff and patients. You may or may not get inspected. You may or may not elect to adhere to certain association standards. If you are to be audited, you risk potential citations and disciplinary actions up to the revocation of license for 'failing to maintain medical equipment' from the State Board. STASIS can ensure that you will have sufficient documentation including 'certification' of services performed. If you 'FAIL' an inspection from the Board because of neglected maintenance and your equipment 'FAILS' a service report; you will now be forced to consider 'invasive repairs' to correct these problems until they 'PASS' or purchase new equipment to become compliant again. Also, failing an inspection will typically put you on a 'short-list' as a facility that will receive extra scrutiny from these administrations during future auditing. These boards cannot recommend or endorse specific companies, but STASIS has a history of compliance with these boards and can get you certified today.
Q: My equipment has always 'passed' without maintenance and I am rarely inspected, why should I care?
A: The inspections most of these agencies perform is cursory, they just make visual observations and ask for a documentation of services. The board requires that you maintain your equipment to the 'manufacturer's specifications' as they themselves will not test and validate functionality. It is truly up to you as a medical professional to determine what service is right for your patients and staff. Neglecting maintenance, regardless of any reason, will result in a 'breakdown.' Having a patient suffer a 'complication' during surgery that resulted in death because of an equipment 'breakdown', will prompt an inspection. Once a 'Pet Parent' files a complaint, there will be an audit, and not having current records of equipment maintenance will place liability with the facility. You may not care today, but all equipment will 'breakdown', and you will have to ask yourself, 'Did I do everything I could for my patient?' STASIS can provide you with documentation proving you took the best care of your patient possible as part of your 'commitment for compassion,'
Thank you for taking time to review the above information and services. This is more of a guide to find if STASIS is the right company for you and your facility. We can only assist and promote equipment maintenance by providing solutions through repairs, rentals, and training. However, STASIS is not a DVM and can not recommend any medical practices. STASIS can verify that some of these medical procedures are safe to perform with the equipment being used, but it is ultimately the Veterinarian who determines the best course of action. Many times, customers are just unaware of problems or potential solutions and wait until 'breakdowns' to consider repairs. Unfortunately when these 'breakdowns' happen, staff technicians are usually stuck with a problem and are blamed for not doing maintenance to prevent the 'breakdown'. STASIS is here not just for the doctors but also for the staff to provide simple and cost effective solutions to minimize downtime and better train the staff with the equipment in use as a part of their 'continued education.' We are your source for all equipment needs so you can spend more time on your patients and not your machines. If you feel STASIS can assist you, please 'CONTACT US' so we can find the best way to help using our 'GENERAL SERVICES.'
The Arizona State Veterinary Medical Examining Board mandates veterinarians must “maintain veterinary medical supplies, controlled substances and surgical and other equipment in a safe, efficient and sanitary manner.” ASVMEB (32-227(A)(5)) AAHA, CDC, OSHA and other agencies state similarly equipment must be maintained to a ‘manufacture performance specifications’ with a complete record of documentation. STASIS often finds many machines are either lacking this documentation, are being improperly maintained, using obsolete/faulty equipment, or simply being neglected because things appear to be 'working.' Certification with maintenance done correctly will reduce equipment malfunctions and cost, decrease exposure to liabilities, yield consistent results, and improve patient and staff safety. No one can guarantee equipment will last a lifetime even with maintenance, so having a service like STASIS can offer you a solution for rental equipment while your technician performs repairs and trains your staff on how to better manage the equipment into the future. A pharmaceutical representative is only interested in selling you new equipment, unlike a service technician who can restore your old equipment to a 'like-new' condition as a much cheaper alternative. Even more costly, the 'new equipment' you buy from a pharma. rep. is only going to 'breakdown' in time because maintenance was still never performed. There are several service companies that may perform repairs but lack the breadth of knowledge that STASIS can provide on a range of different equipment that is unique to the veterinary industry. They exclusively focus only on the machine and fail to communicate with your staff on what exactly was done, how it performs differently, or what intermittent maintenance they can do to keep equipment lasting longer. Due to the diverse nature that is the veterinary industry, many other companies do not even carry a full inventory of parts to repair the same day, leaving you with inoperable equipment, costing you down time while parts are being shipped or even delaying further if the manufacture has discontinued that particular product. STASIS takes pride in knowing that equipment services does not end after repairs, but rather continues after we leave. It is truly essential to the facility, staff and most importantly, to our patients that the equipment we use is maintained to the best possible standard.
This is a simple series of questions to ask yourself as a Veterinarian, Veterinary Technician, or Office Manager and how STASIS can help:
Q: What's wrong with waiting for my equipment to 'breakdown' before performing maintenance?
A: In most cases, maintenance prevents 'breakdowns' and monitors the machines behavior over years. Once a 'breakdown' occurs, 'invasive repairs' are now needed to fix what 'preventative maintenance' would have solved before it became a problem. 'Invasive repairs' typically requires equipment be taken 'off-site' for specialized labor and a 'rental machine' is needed while repairs are being performed. This is a much more costly and risky practice as 'breakdowns' are more likely to occur unexpectedly during times of heavy use and will possibly complicate future surgeries until fixed. While 'preventative maintenance' may not stop all possible 'breakdowns,' the STASIS' technician will be able to quickly diagnose and remedy those problems should they occur because they are already familiar with your particular machine.
Q: I am already receiving maintenance services from another company, why do I need STASIS?
A: STASIS has years of experience working with different machines, systems, equipment set-ups, and staff members. Many companies focus on one area of expertise but fail to continue research or broaden their working knowledge, limiting their capabilities. Having someone new with outside knowledge, can bring about improved methods of maintenance and equipment options that would have never been presented before. STASIS works with your staff to make sure they are better trained with their equipment and how to recognize problems that may be developing before a 'breakdown.' Through STASIS' 'Maintenance Program,' we can offer an all encompassing service that extends beyond maintenance to include rental equipment, consultation, customization, and general services. As a bundle, we can reduce overall costs by offering a 'one-stop shop' service for all of your equipment needs as an accessible option for your staff to use in any situation.
Q: My machines are 'working,' so why do I need maintenance?
A: How do you know your machine is 'working' correctly? It is easy to compensate for leaks on an anesthesia machine by adding more 'anesthetic' and 'oxygen' to sedate a patient. However, those leaks just push more 'waste anesthetic gas (W.A.G.)' into the surgical suite where people should not be operating when exposed to this gas and gives you a false reading from the vaporizer. If a dental drill needs 'more power' to cut a tooth, I can increase the flow of air pressure. Although, your original 'decrease in power' may have been caused by an obstruction or failure in lubrication, and the 'additional power' you just added is going to further damage the turbine as it is now out of 'manufacture specifications' and will become unstable on contact, possibly cutting gums instead of teeth. Your autoclave can run for years without maintenance, but will get incredibly dirty internally and 'rust.' Your equipment may appear 'to work', but without a 'biological indicator (spore) sterility test' you can not verify if your equipment has been 'sterilized' and your machine will 'rot' from the inside out making it more costly to repair than to replace with frequent unexplained errors. Beyond the cost of purchasing new equipment, the unexpected downtime and debris from 'rust' will start damaging the equipment being sterilized inside of it too. In all of these situations, you are jeopardizing your patients' and staffs' health by being untrained to properly recognize developing problems. If you are waiting for the equipment to have a 'breakdown' and stop working during surgery, it's a matter of time before someone is injured or worse, and you will assume all liability as you have no 'records' your equipment was operating within compliance of any regulatory agency. Let a professional technologist manage and certify your equipment, while you manage your patients.
Q: Should I be waiting for a regulatory agency to audit your equipment?
A: The boards set these standards as 'Guidelines' for you to adhere to for the benefit of your staff and patients. You may or may not get inspected. You may or may not elect to adhere to certain association standards. If you are to be audited, you risk potential citations and disciplinary actions up to the revocation of license for 'failing to maintain medical equipment' from the State Board. STASIS can ensure that you will have sufficient documentation including 'certification' of services performed. If you 'FAIL' an inspection from the Board because of neglected maintenance and your equipment 'FAILS' a service report; you will now be forced to consider 'invasive repairs' to correct these problems until they 'PASS' or purchase new equipment to become compliant again. Also, failing an inspection will typically put you on a 'short-list' as a facility that will receive extra scrutiny from these administrations during future auditing. These boards cannot recommend or endorse specific companies, but STASIS has a history of compliance with these boards and can get you certified today.
Q: My equipment has always 'passed' without maintenance and I am rarely inspected, why should I care?
A: The inspections most of these agencies perform is cursory, they just make visual observations and ask for a documentation of services. The board requires that you maintain your equipment to the 'manufacturer's specifications' as they themselves will not test and validate functionality. It is truly up to you as a medical professional to determine what service is right for your patients and staff. Neglecting maintenance, regardless of any reason, will result in a 'breakdown.' Having a patient suffer a 'complication' during surgery that resulted in death because of an equipment 'breakdown', will prompt an inspection. Once a 'Pet Parent' files a complaint, there will be an audit, and not having current records of equipment maintenance will place liability with the facility. You may not care today, but all equipment will 'breakdown', and you will have to ask yourself, 'Did I do everything I could for my patient?' STASIS can provide you with documentation proving you took the best care of your patient possible as part of your 'commitment for compassion,'
Thank you for taking time to review the above information and services. This is more of a guide to find if STASIS is the right company for you and your facility. We can only assist and promote equipment maintenance by providing solutions through repairs, rentals, and training. However, STASIS is not a DVM and can not recommend any medical practices. STASIS can verify that some of these medical procedures are safe to perform with the equipment being used, but it is ultimately the Veterinarian who determines the best course of action. Many times, customers are just unaware of problems or potential solutions and wait until 'breakdowns' to consider repairs. Unfortunately when these 'breakdowns' happen, staff technicians are usually stuck with a problem and are blamed for not doing maintenance to prevent the 'breakdown'. STASIS is here not just for the doctors but also for the staff to provide simple and cost effective solutions to minimize downtime and better train the staff with the equipment in use as a part of their 'continued education.' We are your source for all equipment needs so you can spend more time on your patients and not your machines. If you feel STASIS can assist you, please 'CONTACT US' so we can find the best way to help using our 'GENERAL SERVICES.'