By Healthcare Facilities Today

Rapidly developing technology and impending deadlines for HIPAA Omnibus rules — stage two meaningful use and ICD-10 implementation — are keeping many healthcare providers awake at night. High on the list of concerns is how to pay for the necessary capital investment, according to Steve Jasiukiewicz, Key Equipment Finance, in an article on the Health Tech Zone website. 

According to the article, a recent report from Global Industry Analysts Inc. predicts that by the year 2017, the global market for all medical equipment leasing will reach $56 billion.

Some benefits of leasing equipment include:

• 100 percent financing 

• Flexibility –  technology can be added or upgraded during the financing term.

• Improved cash forecasting 

As with any purchase decision, it's important to get as much information as possible before making a commitment. Jasiukiewicz suggests 10 questions to ask before leasing equipment. The first five are:

• How am I planning to use this technology in my business?

• Does the finance representative understand my business and how this transaction helps me to do business?

• What types of "soft costs" will I encounter, and can they be financed?

• What is the total of the monthly lease payments and are there any other costs that I could incur before the financing period ends?

• What happens if I want to change this financing agreement or end it early?

Read the article.