AMC vs CMC for medical equipment
The warranty on your analyzer or dialysis machine will end. What you sign next decides how long a breakdown lasts and who pays for the part.
- ListEvery system and its age
- RiskWhat stops if it fails
- ChooseAMC or CMC for each
- SchedulePreventive visits fixed
- RecordService reports kept
What is the difference between AMC and CMC?
In common use, an annual maintenance contract (AMC) covers scheduled preventive maintenance and breakdown visits, with spare parts charged separately. A comprehensive maintenance contract (CMC) covers the same visits and includes spare parts. An AMC costs less each year but leaves you exposed to the price of a major part; a CMC costs more but makes the yearly spend predictable.
What equipment downtime really costs
Equipment that does not work is a common problem, not a rare one. A review of inventories from 16 developing countries found 38.3% of medical equipment out of service. In India, mapping for the national Biomedical Equipment Management and Maintenance Programme found 13 to 34% of public-sector equipment not working across states, and the programme now sets uptime targets of 95% for district hospitals, 90% for community health centres and 80% for primary health centres.
For a private hospital or laboratory the cost is direct: delayed reports, repeat samples and patients sent elsewhere while the system waits for a visit.
AMC and CMC compared
| AMC | CMC | |
|---|---|---|
| Preventive maintenance visits | Yes | Yes |
| Breakdown visits | Yes | Yes |
| Spare parts | Charged separately | Included |
| Yearly cost | Lower fixed fee | Higher fixed fee |
| Budget risk | Yours, if a major part fails | The service provider carries it |
| Suits | Newer equipment, backup systems | Older, heavily used or critical equipment |
Consumables and reagents are not part of either contract. Details of our contracts are on the preventive maintenance, AMC and CMC page.
What to read in the contract before you sign
Number of visits
How many preventive visits a year, and whether they follow the manufacturer schedule.
Parts list
Under a CMC, which parts are excluded.
Who attends
Trained engineers for that brand, and where they are based.
Calibration
Whether calibration and performance checks are part of each visit.
Out-of-hours calls
What happens at night and on weekends.
Records
A service report after every visit for your audit file.
How Milap helps
Our own engineers
Service is done by Milap engineers, not passed to a third party.
AMC and CMC options
Quoted for each system after we look at its model, age and use.
Calls outside office hours
Breakdown calls are answered during evenings and weekends too.
Service history
Your equipment is already known to us when a call comes in.
Sources
Perry and Malkin, Med Biol Eng Comput 2011.
NHSRC, Biomedical Equipment Management and Maintenance Programme.
Frequently asked questions
No. For new equipment with few expected part failures, an AMC is often enough. For older or critical equipment, a CMC protects the budget.
The day the warranty ends, so there is no gap in cover.
Yes, for the brands we represent. We inspect the equipment first and then quote.
It depends on the model, its age and the contract type. Send the model, serial number and installation year for a quote.
No. They are supplied separately.
Warranty ending soon?
Send us the model, serial number and installation year and we will quote for AMC and CMC.