Clinical Engineering

Clinical Engineering (CE), aka Biomedical Engineering (BME) or Healthcare Technology Management (HTM)

Clinical Engineering (CE), also known as Biomedical Engineering (BME) or Healthcare Technology Management (HTM), champions the application of engineering and managerial principles and techniques to technology deployed in healthcare. Its primary goal is to ensure technology deployed in healthcare is safe (for both patients and care providers), efficacious, and cost-effective. To achieve this goal, it works with medical professionals, manufacturers, healthcare administrators, regulatory authorities, professional associations, and patient advocacy organizations.

Unfortunately, CE/BME/HTM is often misunderstood solely as infrastructure or equipment maintenance (aka “the fix-it guys from the basement”). In reality, its realm is much broader encompassing the entire lifecycle of technology not only within healthcare delivery organizations (HDOs) but starting from the research and development in academia and manufacturers, passing through regulatory activities in government agencies, reimbursement considerations for insurance providers, and ending with environment-conscious and climate-responsible retirement and disposal. Furthermore, the expertise acquired from equipment maintenance and management can provide valuable feedback to all stakeholders in the health technology ecosystem as shown in the figure to the left.

BSI expertise

Our expertise in CE/BME/HTM is derived from decades of experience in not only in countries where CE/BME/HTM has long tradition (e.g., USA, Canada, and EU) but also in other countries that realized its value later (e.g.—in alphabetic order—Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, India, Mexico, Nepal, Peru, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, Vietnam, etc.). More specifically, we offer the following services:

Assessment and improvement of CE/BME/HTM with regard to compliance with regulations and accreditation standards, including development of Medical Equipment Management Plan (MEMP), Alternate Equipment Management (AEM) program, AEM evaluation, etc.
Report progress and achievements to senior HDO leadership in regulatory compliance, customer satisfaction, and—most importantly—financial justification
Detailed analyses of maintenance strategies, including planned/scheduled maintenance, corrective maintenance, downtime, AEM coverage, justification and evaluation
Evaluation of CE/BME/HTM staffing, productivity and expenses
Integration with HDO’s programs on infection control, emergency management, radiation protection, cybersecurity, life safety, physical environment, etc.

Potential Beneficiaries

CE/BME/HTM leaders in hospitals, health systems, service companies, etc.
Regulatory compliance leaders in hospitals, health systems, service companies, etc.
Test/measurement equipment producers and distributors
Computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software vendors

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