PCREE Testing Company vs. In-House: Which Is Right for Your SNF?

The Bottom Line for Most SNFs

The vast majority of skilled nursing facilities — especially those with fewer than 250 beds — are better served by hiring an outside PCREE testing company than by attempting to manage PCREE compliance in-house. The reasons are economic, operational, and compliance-related.

In-house PCREE programs require a qualified staff member (typically CBET-certified), calibrated test equipment with current NIST-traceable calibration, documented training and competency records, and administrative infrastructure to maintain organized inspection records. For most SNFs, the total cost of this infrastructure vastly exceeds the cost of contracting with a PCREE testing company — and the compliance risk is higher, not lower.

Side-by-Side Comparison

The Compliance Risk of In-House PCREE Programs

In-house PCREE programs face disproportionate surveyor scrutiny because CMS and state surveyors are skeptical of self-policed compliance. When a surveyor reviews PCREE documentation from an outside company with CBET-certified technicians, they typically accept the records at face value. When they review in-house documentation, they are more likely to ask about the qualifications of the person who performed the testing, the calibration status of the test equipment used, and the documented training and competency assessment of the in-house tester.

When In-House PCREE Makes Sense

In-house PCREE programs can make economic sense for larger SNF operators and health systems, specifically when:

• Multi-facility operators (10+ SNFs): A full-time BMET serving multiple facilities across a regional operator portfolio can be cost-justified at scale.
• Health system–affiliated SNFs: Post-acute units affiliated with hospitals or health systems often share BMET resources with the acute care side — the incremental cost of SNF PCREE testing under an existing HTM program is very low.
• Very large single facilities (300+ beds): At very large single-facility scale, in-house biomed staff can sometimes be cost-justified when PCREE testing is combined with general equipment repair and maintenance duties.

Hybrid Approach: In-House Maintenance, Outside PCREE Testing

Many SNFs operate a hybrid model: an in-house maintenance technician or facilities manager handles day-to-day equipment issues and minor repairs, while annual PCREE testing is contracted to an outside certified company. This approach gets the best of both worlds — in-house responsiveness for routine maintenance and outside credentialed expertise for the annual compliance documentation that surveyors scrutinize most closely.

What to Look for in a PCREE Testing Company

• CBET-certified technicians: Ask for credentials documentation — the technician's CBET certification should be current and verifiable.
• Current NIST-traceable calibration on test equipment: All electrical safety analyzers used should have current calibration certificates traceable to NIST standards.
• Complete documentation package: Every inspection should produce a written report with individual equipment results, leakage current readings, ground resistance measurements, and corrective action notes.
• Experience with SNF compliance: Look for providers who understand NFPA 99 Chapter 10, CMS F-tags, and state survey agency expectations specifically — not just general biomedical experience.

PCREE Test vets all technicians in our network for these criteria. Submit a quote request and we'll match your facility with a qualified provider within 24 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions