HOW MODERN ARE THE FACILITIES IN THEATER? The Armed Forces constantly update hospitals. Things change, especially for pul- monary and laboratory systems, whereas our CTs have a longer lifespan; they’re in theater for six to eight years. Equipment doesn’t get stagnant or old and decrepit. The doctors want the best equipment avail- able out there. Saving Soldiers’ lives is the number one priority. It is their only priority.
WHO FUNDS REPAIRS? HOW ARE BUDGETS TRACKED? Each medical treatment facility maintains its own records. Most locations have a co-op parts contract funded by the theater to support the CT scanners. It prepays for parts. So when the medical treatment facility at Kandahar needs an X-ray tube, the facility can call Philips for the part. Philips charges that contract, which the
TRAINING THE TEAM
Mills joins the Medical Logistics Warehouse and Command and Control Team in Bagram, Afghanistan. (Front row, from left) SGT Anna Salas, SPC Kelly Griffith, SGT Mandy Mendelkow, SGT Neil Davidson, and SPC Jennifer Laboe; (back row, from left) Mills, SGT Gregory Nieuwenhuis, SPC Jamaal Abdulhamid, SSG Omar Verdi, SGT Alven Haulmark, and SPC Zachariah Serna.
theater prepaid, and ships the part right out. Units without a contract in place are required to order parts through the stan- dard medical supply chain.
If a site doesn’t have a contract, that part might be $20,000. But when I order that same part for a site with a contract, the cost might be $2,000. It’s a substantial difference. The benefits of having a co-op parts contract are immeasurable when it comes to ensuring that the systems are available for patient care. We’re also look- ing at potential parts kits for non-Philips vendors to push out there, so we can get discounts and save money.
DO YOU DISCUSS WITH MANUFACTURERS WAYS THEY MIGHT IMPROVE? Manufacturers want to know how equip- ment is holding up and how they can
improve support. There is concern there, especially for companies that want to continue to do business with DOD. And I do see some changes actually being implemented. One example is tailoring their training and support programs: The advice they give techs in theater is now different than in fixed hospitals.
For many companies, selling their prod- uct to an Army at war is an eye-opener on reliability, especially for equipment that may not have been designed to endure the harsh desert environment. Soldiers put equipment through rigorous treatment in places that most noncombatants can only try to imagine. It is also difficult for the manufacturers to create an environment for testing that mirrors the conditions in Southwest Asia. So it’s a learning process for all the vendors. Fortunately, they’ve been listening to us.
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