Sightpath surgeon Dr. Stephen A. Schuster, recently discussed his use of Sightpath’s mobile refractive platform.
Article originally appeared in the June 2013 issue of Ophthalmology Management, by Rene’ Luthe, Senior Associate Editor.
Leasing equipment from the right company can yield advantages that outweigh the lower interest rate your bank may offer, according to some. Stephen A. Schuster, MD, El Paso, Texas, leases his refractive laser on a roll-on, roll-off basis from a third-party outsourcing company. The company brings it to his office, sets it up and charges on a per-case basis. “Not only can the engineer, who is included with the equipment, set up the laser and do what I ask him as far as punching in the numbers; if anything goes wrong with that machine, he’s going to know immediately,” Dr. Schuster explains.
Thanks to the engineer’s presence, Dr. Schuster reports his Visx laser unit has had only two hours of downtime in 18 years, operating every two weeks. In contrast, if he had owned the refractive laser, Dr. Schuster points out that in the event of a malfunction, he would have had to call the manufacturer and wait for service, requiring him to cancel surgeries.
While he concedes he would have saved money purchasing the laser outright, he finds the security of having an engineer on hand well worth the extra money. Another bonus is that the company provides the latest technologies without passing on ongoing maintenance costs to the practice. “It all makes me want to stay roll-on, roll-off indefinitely,” he says.
Dr. Boorady reports that Carl Zeiss Meditec also designs leases that provide clients with more than just a piece of equipment. “We offer leases with service bundled that would include preventative maintenance on the devices, repairs, as well as some that even offer software upgrades — included in the price,” he says. “We have worked hard to create product offerings that meet all of the needs of our customers rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.”