Charitable
equipment-giving has cost-saving side for hospitals 
by
Todd Shields 
Donating outdated medical equipment to Third World countries is a worthy
cause for hospital material managers who have done it. And while they
say pure benevolence is their foremost reason for giving, they also
explain how doing so is a cost- saving move for their hospitals.
With
new supplies and fresh technology pushing equipment out onto the hospital's
shipping dock or into the Dumpster, charitable giveaways make practical
sense to material managers.
Some purchasing directors said because most outdated equipment is intended
for secondhand small markets, it is difficult to unload in a timely
manner.
"Your
time spent trying to sell old or obsolete equipment equates to costing
the hospital money. I could devote hours to selling, but only minutes
in donating to a charity group," said James Dobberstein, material manager
for North Ottawa Community Hospital, Grand Haven, MI.
To
keep inventory moving, "clearing your shelves" of obsolete materials
is another advantage of philanthropy in the material management department.
"There's
always castoff stuff in your inventory. You can't send it back to manufacturers
because it's out of the box and considered loose merchandise," said
Scott Adams, distribution manager for Borgess Medical Center, Kalamazoo,
MI.
International
Aid
A
well-established receiver of donated medical stock is International
Aid, a nonprofit, Christian-based group headquartered in Spring Lake,
MI.
While
operating international divisions in developmental training, emergency
relief, hospital management and many diagnostic services, International
Aid's medical equipment services provide new and refurbished gear to
needy countries.
Mark Heydenburg, the director of International Aid's medical equipment
department, said the organization will pick up discarded supplies from
hospitals with its own trucks and drivers. It will also transport and
refurbish the equipment for overseas shipping, as well as search for
lost maintenance manuals. All these services are not charged to hospitals.
"There's
definitely cost savings on shipping. Trucking a large medical machine
across country like radiographic/fluorographic [equipment] can cost
$3,000," he said.
On cutting waste-disposal bills, International Aid technicians will
drain hazardous liquids from machine battery packs, high-tension transformers
and X-ray equipment. International Aid accepts all liability on donated
items, and said never in its 25-year history has a lawsuit been filed
against it.
"Most
equipment is donated with good intentions. We're pretty much protected
by good Samaritan laws. I'm assuming all of the machines we've distributed
have helped people," Heydenburg said, adding that diagnostic machines
are most needed by Third World nations.
Other
high-value items are wheelchairs, crutches, intravenous tubing, oxygen-treatment
systems and flexible endoscopes.
"Overseas,
doctors prefer using endoscopes to reduce infections and costs. The
doctors are trained for endoscopes in the United States and Germany,
but they don't have many of them," Heydenburg said.
Donor
breaks
According to a spokeswoman for the Food and Drug Administration, American
government regulations don't apply to donated stock or even single-use
medical devices, as long as the foreign country officially agrees to
accept them.
Later this year, the International Association of Medical Equipment
Remarketers and Servicers, Laguna Beach, CA, will publish a Web site
"charitable page" for hospitals, corporations, associations and original
equipment manufacturers wanting to post donated machines, devices and
supplies. The site address is www.iamers.org.
Don Bogutski, president of the association, said organizations seeking
tax breaks on donations should first determine whether the equipment
has depreciated to zero value or completed its amortization schedule.
HPN
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