A Look at Gaming Carts Designed for Hospitals

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  David Palmer

  2 months ago

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  I'm inclined to argue that the most effective point of intervention would not be to design a more affordable gaming cart but rather a means for healthcare systems' procurement offices to better navigate the marketplace.
  
  When you think of all the potential hazards/liabilities introduced by any fixture that ends up on a hospital floor, they want reassurance. It's not enough that a product is well designed, but that it's verifiable for being safe. Certifications and brand reputation are costly - there's seldom a way around that. A similar challenge has long plagued the organic foods markets - many producers are organic, but can't justify the price of certifying it. Or, they cannot connect to the right distributors, so they sell their organic product into the conventional supply chain (coffee epitomizes this issue).
  
  It's worth mentioning that while that space may not seem competitive, premier healthcare systems typically aren't the most price sensitive customers. Meanwhile, many community healthcare systems are seldom in a position to purchase niceties at all. A purchasing officer in a cash-strapped org will sooner go without, than stick their neck out buying a new entrant in the marketplace.
  

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    David Palmer

    David Palmer

    2 months ago

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    To provide a micro-economic example. I myself am a clinician. What stethoscope do I own? A 3M Littmann Cardio IV; remarkably expensive. I'm absolutely certain there are better values on the market, but I cannot justify the time finding it. My time is best spent practicing medicine. Similarly, the Welch-Allyn thermometers are ridiculously expensive and are "calibrated" to only use their own brand's probe covers. But until someone can present me a compelling case that another market entrant is of comparable quality, I won't be spending the time to find it.

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