Marketing High‐technology Medical Equipment to Hospitals

Soaring health‐care costs, increasing government regulation, and intensifying competition have combined to force hospitals into stricter cost‐containment controls. This quest for efficiency is especially pertinent to the most expensive diagnostic and treatment equipment. Doctors and hospitals historically have placed patients′ welfare above cost‐benefit considerations. Now, with cost‐containment ever in mind, hospitals are focussing more on the business side of the equation. Discusses how the balance of power between health‐care professionals and business administrators has evolved in hospitals, specifically regarding high‐technology equipment, as cost‐containment pressures have come to the fore. Considers to what extent hospital purchasing is influenced today by various product and service attributes offered by vendors.