Location: Providence, R.I.

Segment: Healthcare

UPS: Eaton FERRUPS

Service coverage: Preventive Maintenance Service Plan

Background

Bayside Endoscopy is one of several freestanding, single-specialty endoscopy facilities that comprise The University Endoscopy Group. The centers are part of a fastgrowing nationwide trend toward outpatient procedures being performed away from the hospital setting. As such, Bayside Endoscopy is dedicated to providing efficiency through quick turnaround time and less waiting; dependability, with fewer delays to scheduled procedural times; comfort, with patients and families able to relax in a pleasant and soothing environment; technology, highlighted by state-of-the-art medical devices; and personal care delivered by a friendly and well-trained staff.

Since the facility first opened in 2000, an Eaton FERRUPS uninterruptible power system (UPS) and accompanying service plan have been an integral part of Bayside Endoscopy’s ability to meet those critical goals. The unit ensures continuous uptime to a variety of sensitive medical equipment, including lights and monitors used to visualize patient gastrointestinal (GI) procedures, as well as computers in the treatment rooms and at the front desk. Without a reliable UPS safeguarding the medical equipment, even the briefest amount of downtime could be devastating to both the well being and comfort of patients, reveals Facility Administrator Kathy Abiri, RN, MS, CASC. “We wouldn’t be able to do the procedures,” she explains, noting that patients receive sedation and are subsequently incapable of caring for themselves. “Continuous power is essential for patient safety and we have tremendous peace of mind knowing we can rely on the fact that our machinery is always going to work.”

Furthermore, an unexpected loss of electricity at the facility would prove significantly inconvenient for patients, many of whom endure a day or two of preparation prior to a colonoscopy or other GI treatment. Patients are arranging rides, childcare and time off work to make their appointments. “It would be extremely inconvenient if we had to cancel their procedures,” Abiri acknowledges. Thankfully, the FERRUPS unit has proved to be just what the doctor ordered, delivering high availability and continuous uptime even when utility power is lost to the building.

Service matters

“We thought that if we were to lose power, our equipment would stay running for an hour,” Abiri shares. “But during last year’s storms, the electrical supply was lost and the UPS kept going on battery for more than an hour.” The ongoing health of the unit, now in its 16th year of operation, can be attributed in large part to the Eaton service agreement that Bayside Endoscopy maintains on the UPS. Every six months, a highly trained Eaton customer service engineer (CSE) completes a thorough inspection and evaluation of the unit to ensure all components are in tiptop shape, including calibration of all metering and protective features, functional testing of all transfer conditions, and inspection of online performance of equipment with the load.

In addition, the technician will install system upgrades where applicable, review all alarm states, history and upgrade status, and complete a visual check of the batteries. A separate technician completes regularly scheduled battery maintenance. “The value of the service plan is that we are able to carry on with business as usual,” Abiri explains. “We don’t have to upset procedure schedules or tell a patient, ‘sorry, we can’t do your test today.’’ At the conclusion of every preventive maintenance visit, the Eaton CSE provides Abiri with a written evaluation, which helps the facility maintain a historical record of its equipment performance. “If there’s any issue, they always let us know what it is, and when they are ready to leave, they come to me so I don’t have to go hunt them down,” she adds. “They also call and tell us when it’s due for service. We simply renew the contract and they continue to come.”

Abiri also praises the responsiveness and proficiency of the Eaton technicians. “They are always professional, always ready to answer any questions,” she says. “There are so many things you experience working with different companies that make you just want to pull your hair out,” she acknowledges. “Yet with Eaton, I never feel that way. We never have any issues, they just work with us.” The regular checkups performed on the UPS have thwarted the need for any emergency service calls over the years. “Once an alarm came on, but it was nothing significant,” notes Abiri, whose call to the CSE was immediately returned. “It’s comforting to know that the unit is worked on by the original manufacturer, by the people who know it,” Abiri sums up. “They keep it running very well for us.” 

Summary

The Eaton service allows the medical facility to:

• Maximize their initial UPS investment
• Keep operations efficient and on schedule
• Maintain patient safety
• Avoid any equipment damage