What is the cost of a good quality EKG Machine?

Beck Lee

Hospitals and doctor’s offices are often inundated with expensive equipment replacement. They have machines that cost a few hundred dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars. With such diversity, they’re looking out for the best prices, but also don’t want to sacrifice quality.

With so many options for EKG machines out there, what’s an appropriate cost for a good quality EKG machine? It really depends on your needs and what bells and whistles the machine has to offer,

Base Price for Standard EKG machine

Sometimes simple is the best way to go for medical professionals. With this, we examine the price for EKG machines that are mid-range with 12-leads. These are not portable EKGs and are suitable for use in hospitals, emergency rooms, doctor’s offices.

They come from trusted manufacturers such as Bionet, Burdick and Philips. These aren’t bargain basement machines and you don’t want cheap EKG machines. It goes back to the affordability versus quality argument.

A bargain basement machine may save you money, but it might also no record correctly or accurately and that can have life altering consequences.  

The cost of a quality base model EKG machine ranges from about $1,500-$4,000 depending on what it needs to do. You’ll find some models a little above and below the price range, but for most this is a good range.

Portable EKG Machines

Standard EKG machines aren’t always the best options, especially if you’re in a mobile situation. Portable EKG machines may not provide all the capabilities of a standard, but they’re the best option if you need something quick or if there isn’t room for a standard EKG machines. These work great in small doctor’s offices or emergency vehicles where time is crucial.  

There are several different versions of them as well. You can have handheld devices that provide basic functioning, laptop compatible versions that allow you to turn any laptop into an EKG machine and types that are in-between a handheld and standard.

These can run the gambit on prices depending on the type. Handheld EKG machines can be $500 and laptop based EKG machines cost about $1000-$2,000. Portable EKG machines that are between a handheld and a standard can cost between $1,000-$3,000 on average.

Higher End EKG Machines

There are also other specialized EKG machines that are more expensive, but also have more versatility and capabilities that standard EKGs. These are most often seen in larger hospitals, cardiac units and cardiologist’s offices.

Some of the most expensive EKG machines are used for stress testing because they include far more than just an EKG. They often include many peripherals and wireless capability. Why? Stress tests require the use of a treadmill doing speeds from walking to running.

The goal is to see how the heart reacts to exercise. Wires leading from the treadmill to the EKG can easily be pulled or broken through movement. Wireless capability eliminates that risk.

A full stress test EKG setup can be as much as $23,000 or more including the treadmill. There are other high end machines that have touchscreen and high resolution that can cost between $6,000-$12,000.

The primary differences between them are the capabilities they have compared to other machines. You’ll pay more for a touch screen or wireless capability and ease of use.

Bells and Whistles

We discussed a little about how the capabilities of a machines can add to the overall price. There are many things that one machine may have that another doesn’t. These are the most common capabilities that lead to increased cost.

Ease of Use – It can be difficult and time consuming to set up and calibrate EKG machines. Many machines required you to do it manually, but some allow for push button operation. There are ways to simplify lead connection, make cleaning easier and start/stop buttons.

Monitor – Every monitor on an EKG machine is different. You have some that don’t have monitors and instead simply print out the heart rhythms. You can have an EKG machine that does both. The more complex and higher quality the monitor, the more expensive the machines. You can factor in screen resolution, touch screen capability and more.

Analysis – EKGs can record heart rhythms and provide a readout to help doctors diagnose heart problems. Given the technologic al advances, they can do far more as well. Using various algorithms, they can provide numerous other insights as well.

Shop for EKG Machines

It’s important that you shop around to find the best machines at the best prices. Here at Beck Lee, we’re proud of our dedication to the top manufacturers and affordability. If you’re looking for information about EKG machines or EKG machine accessories, then visit our EKG page and see our wide selection.

We’re confident that our prices and selection are some of the best around.   

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