Misc: Managed care for instruments

Mark Lively (mlively@wfubmc.edu)
Tue, 02 Mar 1999 08:29:46 -0500

Hello all,
Our university has entered into a contract with a company called
C.I.C. Corp to provide a Maintenance Management Program for our
instruments. The terms of the agreement remind me of managed care
agreements for medical care of "carbon-based life forms."
Our existing service contracts have been terminated and all instrment
service must now be coordinated with C.I.C. In place of annual service
agreements, C.I.C. will directly pay each service vendor on a
"time-and-materials" basis. I have gotten negative feedback from some
service vendors whose businesses are threatened by this agreement. At
least one vendor who has serviced our equipment faithfully for years has
refused to provide service for C.I.C. and it appears that I will no
longer be able to obtain service from that company. Sound familiar?
"Your phyisician is no longer on the list of preferred providers for
your HMO so you will have to change doctors!"
Since I understand that the use of managed maintenance companies is a
national trend that is being followed by other universities I would like
to hear directly from others with core facilities who have experience
dealing with C.I.C. COrp. in particular and similar companies in
general. The instruments in my lab that will be affected include all of
my centrifuges, my DNA and peptide synthesizers, my DNA and protein
sequencers, my X-ray film processor, and presumably my chromatography
equipment. I would appreciate any feedback, positive and negative,
regarding service management through C.I.C. Corp or any similar company.

Thanks in advance.
Mark

--
Mark O. Lively, Ph.D.
Professor of Biochemistry
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Medical Center Blvd.
Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157
Voice: 336-716-2969
Fax: 336-716-7200
email: mlively@wfubmc.edu