The best-performing medical facilities have one thing in common: a strong, proactive parts and service strategy.
By Jonathan Mann
Medical gas and vacuum systems are mission-critical components of healthcare facilities, essential for ensuring patient safety and optimal clinical outcomes. This means reliability is crucial to success. A durable system that can be relied on to perform when it counts doesn’t just come from purchasing the right equipment, though. Quality is important, but reliability is built over time through the implementation of best practice maintenance and support strategies.
Long-term systems need long-term thinking. Medical gas and vacuum systems are designed to last 10 to 12+ years, but they only do so with proper care. Preventive maintenance protects a facility’s investment and reduces the risk of downtime or failure. The best way to design and implement a proper maintenance strategy is to go right to the source—developing a relationship with an expert partner.
“Medical gas and vacuum manufacturers and distributors are not just selling systems, we’re in it for the life of the equipment,” said Wyatt Franks, Director of Sales at Pattons Medical. “Hospitals rely on these systems every single day, and our role is to make sure their service partners have everything they need to keep them running. That means stocking the right parts, helping them plan for preventive maintenance and making it easy to get what they need fast.”
What a Proper Strategy Looks Like
Several factors combine to create a superior parts and service strategy. Distributors work with service companies, facility managers, and engineers to design a program tailored to their unique facility.
A proper strategy often includes:
- Annual scheduled maintenance of wearable parts
- Regular servicing of dryers and desiccant kits
- Building reminders into the system’s HMI; HMI training
- Redundancy and expandability
- Stocking of backup parts
- Training opportunities
- Access to ASSE-certified technicians
- Compliance and inspection support
These experts support each facility by working closely with their trusted service partners to plan preventive maintenance, stock critical parts, and provide access to real-time system data through built-in HMI tools. From initial setup to long-term support, they help ensure that certified technicians have the training, resources, and responsiveness they need to keep systems running and compliant year after year.
“When we begin working with a service partner or facility, we help to put the strategy in place, from parts planning to system walkthroughs,” Franks explained. “Then, we stay connected through regular check-ins, fast response when something’s needed, and long-term support that evolves with the facility. Our goal is to make sure they never feel like they’re on their own—that we’re with them for the life of the system.”
When the Clock Is Ticking
Despite the best of parts and service plans, components can and do fail. It’s not always because of poor maintenance—storms, power surges, and other unexpected events can take systems offline. The most common points of failure are pumps, belts, dryers, starters, and control panels.
In critical care settings, response time becomes crucial. Working with a partner that can deliver backup parts quickly helps facilities mitigate this challenge. Medical systems are designed with redundancy, but once a component fails, a facility is only one failure away from a critical response. They need to restore redundancy fast.
“In this environment, it’s not enough to respond, you must be ready. The first step is to have the proper backup parts on hand for immediate service. Next is to work with a partner that can quickly replenish those backup parts,” Franks explained.
Distributors provide fast turnaround because most hospitals don’t stock more than one backup part on site. This is especially important for NICUs, ORs, or during surge events, like a pandemic. Some even stocks parts for other OEMs to ensure its facility partners aren’t left scrambling.
“The key is to maintain a robust parts stock to ship out backup parts with next-day delivery,” Franks said. “We have seen systems fail for all sorts of reasons. The best strategy is to be completely prepared with redundancy and a plan to quickly restore that redundancy when needed.”
Service Networks
Distributors work with a network of service partners around the country to ensure facilities have healthy strategies. That means giving them the tools, parts, and training to keep systems performing at their best.
HMI screens give technicians instant access to system health, alarm histories, parts numbers, and more. This eliminates guesswork and speeds up service. The company ensures service reminders are embedded directly into the interface so that partners can stay ahead of inspection deadlines, wear-related maintenance, and more.
A good OEM offers training to service partners, equipment documentation and technical assistance. It ensures that its partners and the facilities they service are never left without the information they need to keep medical gas and vacuum systems optimally performing. The company views itself as part of the service team. Its success is directly tied to its customers’ success.
“The goal is to make it easy—one PO, fair pricing, parts that ship fast. If we do that right, our partners will know that their challenges are being solved. We work to earn that trust every day,” Franks said.
About the Author
Jonathan Mann is a Medical and Laboratory Gas Consultant at Pattons Medical, serving the Northeast U.S. region. Based in Brooklyn, New York, he specializes in providing tailored solutions for medical gas systems, including air compressors, vacuum systems, and pipeline equipment. Jonathan is known for his hands-on approach and deep understanding of NFPA 99 compliance and healthcare facility requirements. He is an active contributor to the medical gas community, sharing insights and engaging with peers.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not the American Society of Plumbing Engineers.
