The heart of your powered medical carts and workstations on wheels is the onboard power system. Without an efficient and long-lasting power system, your equipment may be unusable or rapidly run out of battery power.
One of today’s challenges in the healthcare industry is keeping your fleet of mobile computer carts updated without going over budget. Learn how repowering your existing medical cart fleet is a worthwhile long-time investment that can help you save money.
Improved Flexibility and Efficiency
Using a high-quality power supply is critical for maintaining the functionality of your healthcare facility’s mobile workstations.
If your personnel cannot expect a fully charged battery to last for an entire shift, their ability to do their jobs can suffer significantly because they will waste precious time keeping the carts charged instead of caring for patients.
Battery systems relying on lithium-ion (Li-ion) cells charge rapidly but have a relatively short battery life (5 to 6 hours) and degrade rapidly. They also tend to run hot under load; their internal temperature can increase by over 80°F when charging or discharging, potentially making them dangerous to touch (risk of burning) and presenting a fire hazard.
The most common alternative to lithium-ion battery systems is the lead-acid (Pb-acid) battery, employing similar technology as traditional automotive batteries. Although reliable and proven, they are heavy and slow to charge, making them unwieldy for use on mobile computer workstations.
One of the best ways to improve efficiency is to use a Lithium-Iron-Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery system, such as those used by the FMCPT power system. LiFePO4 chemistry is one of the most innovative and relevant to the medical industry.
Each LiFePO4 battery is long-lasting (up to 9 hours on a full charge), charges quickly (full charge from 0% in less than 3 hours), and degrades slowly (retains 80% of its capacity even after over 3,000 charging cycles).
At just 8.1 lbs. LiFePO4 batteries are relatively lightweight and easy to transport by hand. They also support hot-swapping and can be installed in single or dual-battery systems, making it possible for your nurses to charge and replace them without any required special knowledge or technical know-how.
Trust What’s Proven
The vast majority of issues related to older mobile workstations come from an outdated or inefficient power system, making it the weak point even on models with an otherwise sound design.
Refurbishing your carts by replacing the power system lets you keep the strengths of a proven, durable design while eliminating the drawbacks caused by an inadequate battery system.
Using older, pre-owned computer carts with a proven design or desirable ergonomics may not only help you save significant amounts of money (up to 70% off the original MSRP), but it may also ensure you get the level of quality you expect.
The Familiarity Factor
If all you need to replace is the battery system, why replace the whole cart? Buying a new fleet of carts means your employees must adapt to new equipment, which may come with a learning curve. The transition process may reduce efficiency and caregiving quality.
In contrast, keeping your existing fleet of carts means your doctors, nurses, and other caregiving personnel continues using equipment they’re already familiar with; they simply benefit from the advantages of the new power system. Benefits include increased battery life, real-time state of charge indicators using time notation instead of percentages, or battery hot-swapping capability.
Preserving Your Investment
Mobile computer carts can represent a significant initial investment for a small caregiving facility. Replacing your fleet with newer models, even partially, can stretch an already tight budget.
Before considering replacement, explore the costs of refurbishing, retrofitting, and repowering first, especially if your fleet is durable and high-quality.
As stated earlier, the only thing your mobile workstations may need is a newer, more efficient power system. Repowering a single cart may be up to 50% less expensive than buying a new model, resulting in significant savings when applied to an entire fleet.
Contact Scott-Clark Medical for Retrofitting and Repowering
At Scott-Clark Medical, we understand the needs of caregivers better than anyone else. We offer retrofitting and refurbishment services, enabling you to upgrade your existing carts and mobile workstations with our patented FMCPT battery system without having to invest in replacement units.
We can send our technicians for on-site upgrades so you can continue providing care with minimal disruptions. Contact us at (512) 598-5837 for more information.