TechNation Magazine recently featured Southeastern Biomedical as a Company Showcase
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Southeastern Biomedical Associates Inc. is an independent sales and service organization. In addition to new and refurbished product sales, a variety of PM, parts and repair services are available as well as onsite and depot calibration services for biomedical test equipment. The company continues in its goal to provide unparalleled equipment sales, service and support to the biomedical community.
Located in picturesque Granite Falls, N.C., Southeastern Biomedical has certainly made a name for itself nationwide as an innovator in the biomedical industry. Although Greg Johnson and Boyd Campbell initially founded SBA for the sole purpose of developing in-house biomedical departments from the ground up, the company has since significantly expanded its offerings.
Southeastern Biomedical provides a variety of new and refurbished monitoring equipment, parts and depot repair nationally for the hospital and alternate care market. Originally only doing business close to its headquarters in North Carolina, the company has expanded to provide the same high level of customer service it has established a reputation for over the years to customers along the East Coast.
Johnson and Campbell want customers to understand one thing – something that current customers already can attest to: “We’re biomeds first, salespeople second,” Johnson says. The duo has experience in the hospital setting and “Biomeds helping Biomeds™” is more than just a trademarked motto for them, it is a truth in how they do business.
Both had extensive careers as hospital biomeds before going into business as Southeastern Biomedical Associates Inc. Johnson, a 32-year veteran of the profession, is a certified biomedical equipment technician(CBET) and certified health facility manager(CHFM), while Campbell, a biomed of 30 years, is a CBET and certified radiology equipment specialist(CRES). It is clear that promoting the biomedical profession is a priority. They also believe in lending a helping hand. Both are active in the NCBA and various charitable organizations, and both have taken medical mission trips to developing countries. SBA regularly donates equipment to medical missions as well.
Also, Southeastern Biomedical is committed to providing convenient, cost-effective on-site calibration and repair service of test, measurement, and diagnosis equipment operated by biomed departments in hospitals. The company’s onsite test equipment calibration service eliminates shipping costs and shipping damage. It reduces downtime from weeks to hours and increases productivity for their customers.
Southeastern Biomedical’s new high-end test devices provide the company with a wide range of capabilities allowing it to calibrate a wide variety of manufacturers’ test equipment.
Southeastern Biomedical’s calibration management software allows the company to identify and notify customers when their equipment is due for calibration. It also provides a history of calibration services performed on the test equipment. All calibrations are traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Unique Depot Repair Service
In addition to providing GE monitoring and cardiovascular equipment, SBA also provides parts and has a unique depot repair division. The company has an inventory of parts for the equipment it sells.
“It depends on what it is, but usually if it’s still in the hospital, we’ll have the parts for it,” Johnson says.
With full-time BMETs on staff, the company performs repairs on all kinds of equipment. One of Southeastern Biomedical’s most sought-after services is its Mac 5500 repair.
“We’re one of the few companies that go in and do the optical bench that analyzes the anesthetic agent,” Johnson says.
Southeastern Biomedical stresses patient safety in all aspects of the company because, after all, “the reason we’re all here is for the patient,” Johnson says.
That’s the philosophy Southeastern instills in all employees. To ensure repairs are of the highest quality, we only hire biomedical technicians with degrees.
“They all have a biomedical degree, and we encourage them to go beyond and get the CBET certification,” Johnson says.
When Johnson was working as a hospital biomed many years ago, he worked closely with the nurse manager, who told him something that’s stuck with him throughout his career. She told him that every time he performed a repair, he was not done until he felt safe putting one of his own family members on that equipment. He still lives by that mantra today. SBA’s mission statement is: “We believe that by concentrating on patient safety, our customer, the health care provider, can focus on providing their ‘core competency,’ which is patient care.”
“We want to be good stewards, and we’re always just trying to do the right thing,” Johnson says.
ISO 9001:2015
Southeastern Biomedical has earned ISO 9001:2015, applicable to sales, service and calibration of medical and analytical test devices, after a review by ABS Quality Evaluations.
Southeastern Biomedical Associates achieved this milestone in November 2016.
“Our goal in obtaining our ISO certification was to further ensure that we continue to provide superior customer service, on-time delivery, verified order accuracy and to prove that we are committed to continuously improving our company through our quality management system to meet and exceed our customers’ requirements,” Campbell said. “We are proud to have all segments of our company including sales, service, and calibration of medical as well analytical test devices certified.”
“Obtaining our ISO certification was very important to us for a number of reasons,” Johnson added. “It has enabled us to consistently provide unsurpassed quality, service and value to our customers. The process also supports our commitment to continuously improve the products and services we offer.”