Improving Efficiency and Cutting Costs in Healthcare Facilities

Many managers are faced with the question: How do we maintain or make changes to spaces while also increasing efficiency and cutting costs? One simple first step involves making a pivot to the integration of digital tools that serve as a centralized location for storing, sharing, and communicating information. 

Think about your most recent doctor’s visit. In most instances, you likely received a message through the online medical portal associated with your healthcare provider to complete a virtual check-in process. Upon attending the appointment, your healthcare provider likely referenced a database of your medical records from previous visits or  from your former healthcare provider as opposed to having you reiterate your entire medical history. In already knowing your history and the reason for your appointment, the provider saved time and money allowing them to address your need immediately and also see more patients. Additionally, you may have been able to communicate simple questions to your provider post visit and received responses more quickly than if you were to drive to the office for another visit.

 

Some healthcare system leaders and facility managers have been hesitant to integrate technological tools because they are not looking to make investments in this part of the business or again only see the cost (Santavy). If the same concept related to digital tools used in medical visits was applied to the facilities management field within the healthcare space itself, businesses and managers would see the same benefits related to efficiency and cost. Managers and technicians could store drawings and make note of various changes made to spaces. The could also follow work orders from the they are placed and provide documentation of their completion which would create more time to resolve more issues or stay on top of preventative maintenance. Individuals could also access records related to the location and inventory of equipment needed to complete preventative maintenance. Moreover, managers would be able to more quickly share and respond to questions through digital tools such as efacility while also including vital corresponding visuals to provide clarity.

 

In an article written for Facilities.net regarding the evolution of technology in healthcare facilities, author Rita Tatum brings to mind an accessible experience that illustrates the hesitancy toward building new spaces to meet immediate healthcare needs. Tatum describes that after about one to two years a phone is out of date. In order to adapt to quickly changing technology, one simply buys a new, more recent model of phone (Tatum). A transition of this type at this small a scale, though not without its headaches, is a relatively routine, simple, and expected process (Tatum). In the healthcare space however, buying or building an entirely new building to accommodate a new need is not as simple (Tatum). Thus, leaders in healthcare systems are looking to redesign and manipulate existing spaces in order to allow facility managers and those who utilize the building to respond to rapid or unexpected changes over time. 

 

The integration of technological tools such as efacility centralizes information related to a health facility as well as increases accessibility to information for technicians and managers. This simple tool adds flexibility to allow individuals to rethink the use of spaces and increases a health systems resiliency in the face of changing needs. Efacility creates a digital twin of a facility so technicians can repair facilities faster and at a lower cost (Santavy). 

 

It is easy to get started with efacility. To begin, an efacility associate will schedule a short introduction with the interested business’s facility management team to learn about the facility and what makes it unique. Next, efacility helps the facility team gather, capture, and organize the facility information. Ultimately, after completing the process, you and your team will take back a sizable percentage of your day saving you money.

 

References

Healthcare facilities: EFacility reduces your cost and increases efficiency. (2021, April 14). Retrieved April 18, 2021, from https://efacility.app/facilities/healthcare/

Tatum, Rita. (2019, June 05). How technology is evolving in healthcare facilities. Retrieved April 18, 2021, from https://www.facilitiesnet.com/healthcarefacilities/article/How-Technology-is-Evolving-in-Healthcare-Facilities–18449