Imaging equipment is becoming more complex, and experienced imaging engineers are harder to find. Industry leaders discuss how HTM teams can respond.
By Alyx Arnett
Imaging service is becoming harder for healthcare technology management (HTM) departments as equipment becomes more software-driven and experienced imaging engineers become harder to find, according to Francis Vonder Haar, chief operating officer at InterMed.
“[HTM teams are] not advancing at the same pace that the equipment technology and service strategy is, generally speaking,” he says. “They’re probably worried that it’s tough to do, that they’re somewhat getting left behind.”
The answer, Vonder Haar says, is taking a more deliberate approach to imaging service. “It’s really developing a complete strategy around imaging, which is more complicated than it seems on the surface,” Vonder Haar says.
The Workforce Challenge
A hang-up for many teams in growing and supporting imaging service is the availability of quality trained engineers—an issue Mike Frasch, vice president of HTM service product at Siemens Healthineers North America, calls the biggest one he sees in imaging service.
Rather than relying on a limited pool of experienced imaging engineers, Vonder Haar says organizations can focus on developing imaging expertise from within. But he says HTM leaders should be realistic about how long that process takes. Jon Matthews, western zone vice president of services for the USA at Siemens Healthineers, estimates that achieving OEM-level competency on a CT or MRI system requires six to 18 months of training, depending on a service engineer’s background, while Vonder Haar says true mastery across multiple modalities can take five years or more.
Because of that learning curve, Vonder Haar recommends structured on-the-job training, where newer technicians rotate alongside experienced imaging engineers across different sites and modalities. Matthews says some large health systems are also partnering with local universities to develop biomedical education programs, creating a pipeline of future imaging service professionals.
Building that expertise becomes even more important as hospitals keep imaging equipment in service longer, Matthews says. “Being able to service that product beyond that useful life becomes more difficult,” he says. “Then you have a workforce that’s not necessarily trained or able to work on those devices, and so that adds to the complexity.”
Plan the Service Response
Vonder Haar says organizations need a clear plan for how imaging service will be delivered, including who responds first, when issues are escalated, and where outside expertise fits into the process.
He says the strongest programs define those responsibilities at the device level. Each covered system should have a primary engineer, a secondary contact, a tertiary backup if needed, and a clear path for escalation. The plan should also establish how quickly escalation should occur.
“Getting stuck will happen,” he says. “It’s not if, it’s when.”
Vonder Haar says organizations should also plan for situations where access—not technical skill—is the limiting factor. “Technology is evolving faster than … the right-to-repair framework that supports it,” he says. “These imaging systems are increasingly locked behind proprietary software, diagnostic codes, [and] service tools.” He says successful service strategies recognize those limitations up front and establish a plan for when specialized access or outside support will be required, such as when a repair requires proprietary software keys or OEM-only diagnostic tools.
Frasch recommends a cross-functional approach in which on-site technicians are trained to provide preventive maintenance and “first-look” service. First-look service generally means an on-site technician performs initial troubleshooting, gathers error information, verifies symptoms, and completes basic repairs when possible before escalating more complex issues. Because the first person assessing the equipment is already on site and familiar with the department, Frasch says that approach can improve response times while providing better information if outside support is needed.
Frasch says some organizations use “fly-in specialists,” sometimes called jump teams, for complex issues or second-level support. While those specialists can be valuable for difficult repairs, relying on them as a primary service model can increase costs and introduce travel and scheduling challenges, according to Frasch.
The most important component, according to Vonder Haar, is communication. “Communication matters just as much as the repair itself. Period. I would almost say communication matters more than the repair itself,” he says. “The best teams update the customers in real-time.”
Train for Each Modality
Vonder Haar says imaging equipment does not lend itself to a one-size-fits-all training plan. A technician who is effective on one manufacturer’s CT platform may still need significant preparation to support another manufacturer’s CT, ultrasound system, or MR.
The difference is increasingly tied to software, protocols, and system-level communication, Vonder Haar says. “So much of what is needing to be addressed is not electronics repair or mechanical error,” he says. “It’s system-level repair that’s rooted in software or rooted in protocols or usage or communication.”
Frasch says older systems tend to be more mechanical, while newer connected systems often require stronger software and diagnostic skills from the service engineer. As a result, Vonder Haar says electronics and electromechanical skills remain important, but technicians also need to be comfortable troubleshooting from a keyboard, reading error logs, reloading software, performing resets, and understanding how imaging systems communicate with other technologies.
Matthews says leading organizations invest in training, diagnostic access, software keys where required, and structured risk management. He says HTM leaders should ensure their service scope matches the training, tools, and system access available to their teams.
According to Vonder Haar, many organizations build expertise in injectors, ultrasound, and general radiography but continue relying on OEM support for more advanced modalities, like CT, MR, and interventional systems. But he encourages HTM leaders to periodically reassess those decisions as their teams gain experience and capabilities expand.
“Don’t be afraid of the big stuff,” he says. “It’s very approachable.”
Put Service Data to Work
Many HTM programs already have valuable information in their computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS), but don’t always use it to shape service strategy, according to Vonder Haar. He recommends using CMMS data to set priorities.
Historical downtime, recurring repairs, parts compatibility, remote diagnostics availability, and service analytics can all help determine which equipment to support internally and which to prioritize for replacement, Frasch says.
For lifecycle planning, patient throughput should factor in, Matthews says. A low-volume CT in an outpatient setting may have a different replacement urgency than an emergency department CT scanning 30 or 35 patients a day. Repeat failures and declining performance trends can also accelerate replacement discussions.
Error logs are another underused source of information, according to Vonder Haar. Machines often show a pattern before a hard failure, but interpreting those logs requires expertise and, in some cases, better tools.
“Machines don’t break all of a sudden,” Vonder Haar says. “Machines have a story, and that story out of a machine comes in the error logs.”
Every manufacturer presents error logs differently, and understanding what the codes are saying isn’t straightforward, Vonder Haar says. Organizations that learn to interpret those logs can often identify likely failures before they occur, allowing for more proactive repairs and less downtime. He says the best programs are already using error logs this way.
Artificial intelligence may make that process easier. Vonder Haar says some organizations are beginning to use AI to help interpret error logs and identify likely failures.
Keep Growing
When looking to strengthen imaging service, Matthews says, “Dream big, start small, and execute flawlessly.” That means beginning with a department or modality where the team has the resources and confidence to succeed, then building on those successes over time.
“What I see is people will take on the whole world. And yes, it’s dream big, but then they start way too big, and then they can’t execute because they’re trying to spread their resources that are limited across way too many modalities at the first step,” he says.
Vonder Haar believes many HTM departments are more capable than they realize.
“There’s more software tools that you have to get good at, but it’s not impossible,” he says. “It’s very approachable … Keep growing in it. It’s very doable.”
