The demand for electrosurgery is rising, not only in the United States, but in many other countries as well. A recent Prnewswire report on a market research study indicates that the market demand for electrosurgery is set to grow to 4.0 billion by 2019.
Some clinics or medical offices may wonder if the initial cost of the electrosurgical unit (ESU), is worth the price and can provide a positive return on the investment. What do they get for their money and how will it help them build their practice or serve their communities?
How to Maximize the Return on the Investment
The number and type of procedures performed factored against the type of equipment purchased will determine whether or not the return will be worth the investment.
The Active Dermatology Office that has a large need for a “one type fits all” device may require a more sophisticated and versatile ESU to address all of the various skin issues they encounter. Some of the features that might be considered should include the following:
Time-saving operation - Some desiccators require multiple steps to go from a low power to a higher power setting and to switch to, and from, foot control. Some desiccators require that these steps be taken in exactly the right order and can be time consuming. For a busy practice, time is money so time lost, is money lost. Time saving, efficient, operation should be a prime consideration.
Versatility of operation - Another consideration for the active dermatology office is the versatility of the ESU. Is it adequate to treat the scope of skin issues that the practice encounters? This may require a unit that has significant power and that can be incrementally adjusted to meet the broad scope of varying needs.
Safety of operation - No practice, whether large or small - active or not, wants to risk injury to the patient. While there will always be an opportunity for unintended injury with any surgical procedure, steps always need to be taken to assure the safety of operation for the equipment used. A lawsuit can obliterate any positive ROI.
Choice of disposable or reusable electrodes - The decision of whether to use disposable or reusable electrodes is one that would depend on the specific operational character of the practice itself. Most disposable items result in a higher use cost since they are single use only, but provide a better assurance of not containing residual infectious materials which could possibly result in a healthcare associated infection (HAI).
The Smaller, Less Active, Dermatology Office may not require the time saving or versatility features required by the more active one, but still needs to be concerned with safety of operation and availability of disposable electrodes - assuming that they will not have high-end sterilization equipment and processes in place. In addition, they will likely be more interested in ease of operation and a lower purchase price as an off-set to greater versatility and power levels.
We at Bovie Medical believe in providing the best equipment at the right prices to help broaden your service reach, keep operating expenses to a minimum and maximize your ROI. Our Aaron 940 high frequency desiccator can meet all the needs for superficial treatment of skin problems encountered by the active dermatology office. On the other hand, our Aaron 950 high frequency desiccator with cut might be more appropriate where surgical excision may be required. For the smaller, less active practices our new economically priced Derm 101 or Derm 102, with their condensed power range, might be more appropriate.
Image Courtesy via jscreationzs/freedigitalphotos.net
