Diagnostic Instrument Group - Tampa Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year - Semi-Finalist

Diagnostic Instrument Group, a leading global provider of refurbished ophthalmic equipment, announced recently that it was selected as a semi-finalist for the 2008 Tampa Small Business of the Year Award, presented by the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce.

Of the nearly 300 nominations, Diagnostic Instrument Group was named one of ten semi-finalists in the 21-50 employees category. Other award categories include 5-20 and 51-250 employees. As small businesses encompass half of the U.S. workforce, the Tampa Small Business of the Year Awards recognizes the exemplary companies headquartered in Hillsborough County, Florida, which represent this important business segment.

“We are honored and humbled to be recognized – especially within the group of companies that have also made it thus far” says Nelson Tobin, President and founder of DIG. Included in this group is Vertical IT Solutions, who not only nominated DIG but are semi-finalists as well in the same category.

Judging for the prestigious business award is based on five criteria: history and philosophy, business goals and planning, operational management, innovativeness, and community leadership. Finalists will be announced July 18, and the winner will be selected during an awards dinner on September 19.

Diagnostic Instrument Group is an international distributor of new, pre-owned and refurbished ophthalmic equipment. They have been in business for 16 years. Their 16,000 square foot corporate office located in Tampa, Florida includes a 7 man tech bay, paint booth, upholstery department and machinery shop. Services include equipment repair, rentals, phoropter cleaning and appraisals which may result in the purchase of pre-owned equipment.

Effective Sterilization

The Statim's biological and physical effectiveness has been proven in tests for hollow and solid instruments at many internationally recognized institutes including: University Hospital of London, Canada; Brooks Air Force Base, United States; The University of Liverpool, England; Institute Pasteur, France, and the University of Kiel, Germany.

Reliable

Statim is a reliable sterilization system that's compact enough to fit in patient treatment areas, and fast enough to provide sterilization of instruments between patients. The Statim 2000 and 5000 take just 6 and 9 minutes, respectively, for a complete sterilization cycle. Light, thin walled cassettes promote rapid heating and cooling, further minimizing overall process time.

Gentle on instruments

The Statim prolongs the life of expensive and delicate instruments with gentle sterilization. The steam injector system provides temperature consistency and expels the air that causes oxidation in conventional autoclaves. Rapid heating and cooling dramatically cuts instrument exposure to heat. Also, a built in air pump flushes the chamber with filtered dry air, further reducing humidity. Independent tests show that carbide burrs sterilized in the Statim still easily meet manufacturer's specifications, even after 600 cycles.

Easy to use and maintain

The Statim is a fast, safe, and gentle means of sterilization. The keypad operation and helpful display-prompts make Statim user-friendly. It is also self-diagnosing - if a problem occurs, it will be indicated on the electronic display.

Simple operation

Insert the cassette containing the instruments in need of sterilization and then choose from one of three sterilization cycles, which are pre-set, from the front panel. The cycles include a Wrapped Instrument Cycle, Unwrapped Instrument Cycle, Rubber and Plastics Cycle, and (Statim 5000 only) a Heavy Duty Cycle. After a cycle is chosen and the start button is pressed, the steam generator heats to the optimum temperature. A defined volume of distilled water is then pumped and converted to steam. The wall of steam is injected into the pressure chamber and cassette, which is loaded with contaminated instruments. Air is purged as the steam courses through the cassette and is continuously expelled into a condenser flask.

After the sterilizing cycle is completed, a small air compressor switches on, drying and cooling the instruments rapidly (Statim 2000 and 5000 only). The Statim system completely sterilizes instruments within international standards and it only uses clean distilled water, preventing the build up of rust and other contaminants.

Statim Cassette Sterilizers

The Statim Cassette Autoclave represents state of the art sterilization technology for the healthcare profession. Statim's unique steam injection technology allows the unit to be fast, compact, and reliable, yet remain gentle on expensive instruments. Handpiece manufacturers' testing showed Statim safely sterilized handpieces up to 3000 times without damage. Tests conducted by leading universities in North America and Europe have proven the Statim effectiveness for dental and medical sterilization. Additionally, it is easy to use and maintain. The unique steam injection system expels 98% of the air in the sterilization cassette which helps achieve as close to hospital-level sterilization as possible in an office environment.

Here's what SciCan says of its Statim Cassette Sterilizers:
Today's challenge of infection control and the demands of modern patient treatment are met with SciCan's state of the art sterilization technology. In 1989, SciCan introduced the first STATIM Cassette AutoclaveR to the marketplace. Today, dental and medical practioners in over 60 countries world wide rely on Statim to protect their patients and staff from infection from contaminated instruments.

Although Statim was originally developed for use in Dental applications, Statim delivers complete sterilization solutions for Endoscopy, Gynecology, Ophthalmology and other medical areas.

Since SciCan began manufacturing, its autoclaves have won several design and product awards in Canada and Europe. As sales continue to grow, several versions of innovative SciCan autoclaves have been introduced to thousands of dental and medical offices and hospitals throughout the world.

SciCan Statim Sterilizer

Diagnostic Instrument Group sells new and refurbished SciCan Statim Sterilizers. We will also refurbish or service your existing Statim sterilizer. DIG's technicians have been trained by SciCan to work on sterilizers. We also use and sell SciCan parts. If your sterilizer needs repair we have loaners available so you will be down OR time. Do not lose reveune just because your Statim Sterilizer is not working! Call us today for a quote!

Used Ophthalmic Equipment

As most ophthalmic professionals know, there is a huge market for used ophthalmic equipment as practices sell their older equipment and instruments and upgrade with newer technology. This means there are bargains available out there and depending on your needs, you may consider investing in used ophthalmic  equipment rather than paying full retail on new technology.  You may also consider buying “some” refurbished equipment such as refurbished ophthalmic chairs and stands – saving yourself money in this area allowing yourself extra dollars to purchase the newer high tech equipment. There are pros and cons associated with this kind of buying decision so make sure you do your research.

First, make sure that you are buying used ophthalmic equipment from a reputable resource. You need to make sure that you completely understand any warranty or return policy on the used ophthalmic instrument or equipment you buy so that you aren’t stuck with a piece of equipment that doesn’t work or that does not live up to the expectations you have. Primarily, you don’t want to buy from an unknown entity with no credentials that could just slip away with your money.

Second, you need to consider what you really need. Perhaps you need a single, manual instrument without a lot of bells and whistles, or you need to immediately replace a piece of existing equipment that has broken down and you don’t have the budget to buy a brand new version. Whatever your reasoning make sure you do your research first. In some instances, you can spend the same or just a bit more money and replace multiple pieces of ophthalmic equipment or upgrade significantly from your previous technology. For instance, if you are considering buying a non-contact tonometer, at least consider buying new with a built in pachymeters to replace two instruments with one. Or if you need a new automated refractor, consider one with a keratometer top or integrated or consider one with topography included as well. If you are considering purchasing a binocular indirect ophthalmoscope, or replacing an existing ophthalmoscope, consider buying something like a Welch Allyn Exam Lane diagnostic package which can offer a great price on multiple diagnostic ophthalmic instruments which gives you great value and upgraded technology. Essentially, do your research and really compare what you are giving up in terms of space, time and technology for the money.

Third, make sure the piece of used ophthalmic equipment you use can work with other equipment in your office. Perhaps your new or used ophthalmic equipment can integrate with your digital imaging system, or if it is the same brand name you can use similar replacement batteries or ophthalmic bulbs. Think of the big picture of your whole office and make your buying decision appropriately.

Lastly, when purchasing new ophthalmic equipment, make sure you are getting the true value of what you are trading in.  You may consider selling your trade in to a company specializing in pre-owned ophthalmic equipment.  These companies will truly refurbish the equipment with the intent to resell it which makes your equipment very valuable to them vs the manufacturer who simply will remove it from the marketplace putting very little to no value on your equipment at all. 

Make sure you know the answers to these important business questions before you make this kind of buying decision.  Be an eduacated consumer!

If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to contact us.

Used Ophthalmic Equipment

For the latest news and information regarding Used Ophthalmic Equipment, vist UsedOphthalmicEquipment.com or EdigOnline.com