Guide to ASHE by MD Publishing

ASHE DIGITAL SUPPLEMENT Guide to

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Hear from ASHE members on the changing landscape and how they are innovating to meet the field’s needs.

THE TIME FOR INNOVATION IS NOW CLICK BELOW

GUIDE TO ASHE

Here’s What You Need to Know

Wi th more than 12,500 members, ASHE is the largest association devoted to professionals who design, build, maintain, and operate hospitals and other health care facilities. ASHE members include health care facility managers, engineers, architects, designers, constructors, infection control specialists, and others. While its membership is diverse, ASHE members share a dedication to optimizing health care facilities and creating and maintaining safe healing environments.

ASHE, a professional membership group of the American Hospital Association, is a trusted resource that provides education, regulatory guidance, networking, advocacy representation and professional development for its members. ASHE is committed to its members, the facilities they build and maintain, and the patients they serve.

Top member benefits include:

• Education: Members receive discounts on ASHE educational training programs and conferences.

• Certifications: Receive credentials in health care facility management and construction through ASHE’s professional certifications.

• Resource Library: Access monographs and compliance tools, stay up-to-date with publications and alerts, and receive support from the ASHE advocacy team.

• MyASHE: Join 12,000+ others in the members-only networking community. Learn, share, and connect with fellow healthcare professionals nationwide online and via e-mail.

• Career & Networking Resources: Gain access to the member directory, and become eligible for awards and recognition on the regional and national level.

There are membership options to fit every individual.

• Health Care Facility Management Professional: Receive the latest updates and education regarding health care facility codes and standards, and resources for advocating on behalf of your facility. Connect with 12,000+ professionals to share best practices and exchange innovative ideas.

• Architect or Design Professional: Stay informed on topics related to health care planning and design through exclusive and discounted resources, education and conferences, including the PDC Summit. Join our online network to connect, learn and innovate with others in the field.

• Contractor/Construction Professional: Access exclusive industry updates, trusted resources and discounted education, including certification exam review programs, specifically focused on practicing construction in a health care environment. Connect and network with 12,000+ industry professionals.

• Health Care Service, Manufacturing or Consulting Professional: Foster business relationships within our community of 12,000+ industry professionals, and learn about how you can help solve the challenges they’re faced with. Gain recognition as a trusted provider among health care facility customers by aligning with ASHE.

• Educator/Student: Memberships include full-time educators or college students taking coursework related to any discipline represented by ASHE. Bring your unique perspective to the community and make a positive impact in the field, as well as the health care industry at large. Students and career changers, click here to discover your future in health care facilities management.

• Retiree: This membership is available to Professional Active Members who have fully retired and still desire to belong to the Society. Retired Members may vote, serve on committees and participate in the Actions for Professional Excellence (APEx) recognition program, but may not hold office unless they are a current CHFM.

EVENTS

ASHE also hosts annual events for its members and industry professionals, including the PDC Summit International Summit & Exhibition on Health Facility Planning, Design, & Construction, ASHE Academy and the Health Care Facilities Innovation Conference.

At the PDC Summit, more than 2,000 senior leaders involved in the health care planning, design, and construction process come together to discuss the future of health care and its impact on the health care built environment. This summit and exhibition is about uniting the converging perspectives of the full health care PDC team, including those working in health care administration, design, construction, facility management, and real estate.

ASHE Academy is a one-stop shop for health care facilities leaders to earn continuing education credits through a personalized learning experience.

The Health Care Facilities Innovation Conference (formerly the ASHE Annual Conference and Technical Exhibition) is the trusted national conference and trade show for health care facility management and engineering professionals. In 2023, more than 3,000 attendees gathered in-person to get vital information on health care compliance, codes and standards updates, emerging trends, and best practices for efficiency, sustainability, emergency preparedness, and other pressing topics in the field. Whether your company is interested in strengthening relationships with current customers or meeting prospective ones, the Health Care Facilities Innovation Conference is the one event you do not want to miss.

For more information, visit ASHE.org.

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Supply Chain Resiliency and High Reliability for Facilities Management

Optimizing Your Facilities and Workspaces

Supply Chain Resiliency and High Reliability for Facilities Management

• Maintaining relationships with hundreds of suppliers and service providers

• Complicated procurement processes

• Time consuming product searches and sourcing Insufficient

• Limited

Healthcare Facilities Management and Support Services teams face a complex set of challenges when it comes to procurement of parts, supplies, and services needed to repair and maintain the physical plant. Insufficient systems, limited to no visibility to spend & performance analytics, and a fragmented set of suppliers and service providers can lead to:

This leads to:

• Maintaining relationships with hundreds of suppliers and service providers

• Complicated procurement processes

• Maintaining relationships with hundreds of suppliers and service providers

• Time consuming product searches and sourcing

Missed opportunities for cost savings through a consolidated supply chain

• Complicated procurement processes

Reduced productvity—team members spend too much time searching, sourcing and tracking orders

• Insufficient systems to track and monitor quality with evidence-based data

• Time consuming product searches and sourcing

Unnecessary delays and downtime of equipment

• Limited to no visibility into spend or performance analytics

• Insufficient systems to track and monitor quality with evidence-based data

PartsSource for Facilities Management

The Solution

• Limited to no visibility into spend or performance analytics

This leads to:

PartsSource combines people, process and technology to deliver an actively managed supply chain and stream-lines the entire procure-to-pay process, resulting in increased capacity for facilities management teams to focus on high-value work. This technology platform enables process standardization, provides robust analytics for visibility and insight into spending trends and history.

PartsSource also integrates with leading healthcare Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), so facilities management professionals can track material costs for total equipment lifecycle management.

Missed opportunities for cost savings through a consolidated supply chain

PartsSource combines people, process and technology to deliver an actively managed supply chain and streamlines the entire procure-to-pay process, resulting in increased capacity for facilities management teams to focus on high-value work. This technology platform enables process standardization, integrates best practices, and provides robust analytics for visibility and insight into spending trends and history. PartsSource also integrates with leading healthcare Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), so facilities management professionals can track material costs for total equipment lifecycle management.

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Missed opportunities for cost savings through a consolidated supply chain

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ASHE’S RENAMED CONFERENCE STARTS JULY 21

ASHE will host the inaugural Health Care Facilities Innovation Conference July 21-24, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.

The Health Care Facilities Innovation Conference is an evolution of the ASHE Annual Conference & Technical Exhibition, which has been the premier conference for professionals in the health care facilities field for more than 60 years. The conference’s new identity, which was announced in August 2023, reflects the ASHE’s commitment to equipping its members to meet the opportunities and challenges presented by the rapidly changing health care field.

“This conference marks an exciting new chapter for ASHE and the health care physical environment field,” says ASHE Executive Director Lizzie Ortolano. “With the Health Care Facilities Innovation Conference, I believe ASHE has reaffirmed this event’s status as a best-inclass conference and taken significant steps toward delivering the richest, most impactful experience possible for its attendees.”

The conference is geared toward an array of health care physical environment professionals, including health care facilities managers, hospital and system executive leadership, construction managers, infection preventionists, safety professionals and technicians at all career stages.

Keynote sessions will be delivered by sociologist, best-selling author, educator and entertainer Dr. Bertice

Berry, who will explore methods for finding purpose at work, home and in the community; and Emmy Award-winning journalist and author Ryan Avery, who draws upon his experience as a multiple world record holder to inspire audiences to achieve extraordinary results in their endeavors.

Other noteworthy sessions include an introduction to using facility condition assessments to communicate facilities priorities to hospital executive leadership; case studies on hospitals tackling decarbonization, future-proofing capital projects and introducing automation to infection control risk assessments; a roundup of changes to National Fire Protection Association codes and their impact on other aspects of the regulatory environment; and a deep dive on the challenges and risks of lithium-ion batteries in health care settings.

Tailored conference tracks at four knowledge levels align with different career stages, from foundational to strategic, empowering attendees to choose a personalized conference experience while earning continuing education credits toward Certified Health Care Facility Manager and other industry-standard certifications.

The Health Care Facilities Innovation Conference also brings industry-leading solutions providers to demonstrate the impact of technology in advancing innovation in the health care facilities field. The event’s technical exhibition features dynamic, interactive demonstrations from premier vendors and business partners servicing the areas of fire protection; heating, ventilating and air conditioning; power and electrical equipment; health care lighting, furnishings and flooring; building automation; safety and security; and many others.

For more information, visit ashe.org/innovation.

Want to learn more about ASHE?

ASHE is proud to reflect what they’ve heard from those they serve. They know you’re innovating more than ever to overcome the emerging obstacles of health care. They’re committed to innovating with you. “ASHE Annual Conference” is now the “Health Care Facilities & Innovation Conference”!

WHY WE MADE THIS CHANGE CLICK BELOW

GRAY AREA EQUIPMENT RESPONSIBILITY

Personal Experiences and Opinions

BY K. RICHARD DOUGLAS

In a car dealership, if a car comes into the service department for an oil and filter change, it is likely to go to the lube guy or girl. A car with a dent in the quarter panel would go to the body shop specialist and a car needing more extensive mechanical work, or a recall repair, may go the one of the automotive technicians assigned to the service bays.

There is a clear delineation of responsibility in the service department of the dealership and tasks are well understood. It is not likely that the sales department will call a technician to the sales floor of the dealer to sell a prospective customer a car. It is equally unlikely that the lube bay in the service department would call up a salesperson to do an oil change.

The responsibility for certain mechanical and electrical devices in a health care setting may be less clearly delineated.

At the dealer, this problem may mean that a customer is not met in the showroom by a salesperson or a car coming into the body shop is not evaluated. These situations don’t have the same urgency as the well-being of a patient.

In the health care setting, there are many types of equipment that can fall into gray areas. This gray area equipment may not have a clearly defined responsible party assigned to it for repairs or maintenance. There are no national standards that clearly define responsibility for this gray area equipment.

There is increasing overlap between HTM, facilities, IT/IS and security; which creates confusion. Integration of many devices has made this trend even more pronounced between biomed and IT. Reporting structure can often play into these determinations.

The importance of defining responsible parties isn’t only to aid in expediting service for that equipment but also in order to clearly document and classify it in CMMS as part of that biomed department’s medical equipment management program (MEMP). It is important that this equipment be defined as medical equipment.

In 2022, AAMI’s Technology Management Council (TMC) brought focus to this situation by conducting a survey of HTM leadership at about 120 healthcare delivery organizations (HDOs) to determine how responsibility is assigned for gray area medical equipment.

TMC utilized the experience of its members to identify several devices that might be categorized as gray area and asked survey participants to identify any additional equipment not included in the survey. The survey asked participants to select the department at their facility that was tasked with managing and maintaining the listed gray area equipment.

The TMC pointed out that it is important to have written documentation and a stated policy clearly delineating departmental responsibilities for these gray area devices and systems. This will help expedite service calls and ascertain that proper maintenance is performed throughout that equipment’s life cycle.

Whether it’s a nurse call system, beds, OR booms or a fetal monitoring network; the responsibility isn’t always handled the same way. Has the hospital bed morphed from a piece of furniture to a medical device? How do tele-health or home healthcare devices impact responsibilities?

queried several leaders and included their real-world experiences and insights.

Salim Kai, MS, CBET, director of clinical engineering at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, says that the issue of gray area equipment and responsibilities isn’t new, but it has gained more focus today with advancing technology.

“It has always been challenging to define the boundaries and responsibilities of managing some of the equipment,” he says.

Kai says that it may be more noticeable today because of all the sensor automation, connectivity, cybersecurity and interoperability with devices.

“Also, the lines between consumer electronics and medical devices are more blurred. For example, the heavy use of the Internet with smartphones, tablets and software apps by health care professionals to display biomedical data is an expectation and no longer [just] nice to have,” he says.

IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THAT WAY

Jim Fedele, CBET, senior program director of clinical engineering, BioTronics for the North Central and Central Regions at UPMS in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, says that clinical staff should not be left in a quandary because of any gray area confusion.

“In my professional journey, it seems that whenever there’s an issue with equipment, a system, or a general nursing challenge, the resolution often falls to the biomed department. Take, for instance, exam tables, overhead lights, stretchers, beds and, lately, items like RTLS location tags and temperature tags. It makes sense, though; biomed departments excel at customer service, which naturally leads nursing staff to seek solutions from us,” Fedele says.

“It has always been challenging to define the boundaries and responsibilities of managing some of the equipment.”

- Salim Kai

According to an AAMI press release about the survey; “The TMC compiled a list of more than 45 types of medical and non-medical equipment that tend to fall into gray areas.”

The results of the survey and resulting report don’t seek to be a prescription for biomed and other departments as to the correct roles and responsibilities for this equipment, but rather the survey presents data that suggests some guidance for the equipment referenced.

Beyond the data gathered in the survey, the personal experience of HTM leaders provides insights into the practical application of assigning gray area responsibility. TechNation

He says that during his tenure at Aramark, he often helped price new accounts and noticed many items that seemed beyond the department’s usual scope.

“I’ve always found this to be a quandary. I aim to please, and turning down someone in need doesn’t sit well with me.

I’ve seen the exasperation of nurses trying to provide patient care while caught in a blame game. Ultimately, it’s the patients who suffer, as the nursing staff’s focus shifts from them to resolving these issues,” Fedele says.

Many areas of responsibility were simply decided years ago and these decisions remained written in stone regardless of advances in technology.

“I have had the opportunity to work at multiple hospitals and organizations. One of the first things I ask when joining a new organization is checking on these gray areas. Beds,

gurneys, blanket warmers, sterilizers, nurse call, applications, PACS, radiology and networking access,” says Renato Castro, CHTM, CBET, BSBMET, assistant manager of biomedical engineering at Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley in Pleasanton, California.

He says that these delineations, of who owns these, are usually decided early on and then it becomes one of those decisions that leadership tends to say “it has always been that way.”

“This is usually understood by staff that have been around for a while and is just taught as tribal knowledge. These gray area items are rarely explicitly discussed during new hire orientation,” Castro says. Networked equipment most often crosses lines of responsibility.

Some firsthand perspective comes from Leo Velasquez, manager of clinical engineering and central equipment at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

“One recent example was a project to bring the Etiometry Platform (an automated data aggregation and analytics platform) to the cardiac intensive care unit,” Velasquez says.

He says that a work team consisting of an MD, nursing, biotech, lab IS and clinical engineering worked together to bring together patient specific information in an aggregated format with predictive analytics.

“We have learned from experience that when we get new equipment – like EKG carts, portable X-ray machines or ultrasound machines – that is networked, we need to have someone from biotech available to make sure we get the connectivity to the correct location working correctly,” Velasquez says.

can also be the impetus for areas of responsibility; mostly already defined, but often requiring joint resolution.

“Our team was called to evaluate issues with our sterilizers because the device did not pass the morning test. After performing numerous troubleshooting techniques our team discovered that the issue was coming from the steam generators that are maintained by the facilities operations team,” says Ralph McCall, assistant director of healthcare technology management at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas.

He says that his department partnered with the facilities team and discovered that the steam generator had a heating element that was faulty. Once the heating element was replaced, the HTM team ran multiple tests and all tests passed.

“One of the things that helped to troubleshoot this issue was noticing that more than one device had the same issue so our team looked into the device that was supplying the steam. When it comes to sterilizer or washer devices it can be challenging for our clinical teams to identify which department can resolve their issues. Overall, these devices usually create a close partnership with facilities and HTM because the items facilities maintain supplies steam and water, and we support the medical equipment,” McCall says.

Kai recalls a time when temperature variation and a lack of monitoring impacted $50,000 of medications.

“Temperature Trak system was purchased by the hospital to provide 24/7 remote monitoring and documentation of temperature and humidity in pharmacy and dietary. It offers a range of hardware, software and accessories to suit different needs and comply with regulations,” Kai says.

“I have had the opportunity to work at multiple hospitals and organizations. One of the first things I ask when joining a new organization is checking on these gray areas. Beds, gurneys, blanket warmers, sterilizers, nurse call, applications, PACS, radiology and networking access”

He says that clinical engineering also works with facilities or plant operations for all electrical, plumbing, medical gases and structural needs. In areas like sterile processing, it relies on them heavily.

- Renato Castro

“The area of responsibility is roughly the same where we handle the device itself and they have everything coming into and going out of the unit. We do work closely with both biotech and facilities/plant ops,” Velasquez adds.

TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY

Steam, that vaporous gas form of H2O, can be the catalyst for biomed and facilities to get involved with connected projects. It

He says that there are two components to the system: Wi-Fi transmitter and the probe (hardware). This was a multiphase project with dietary and pharmacy to go first. HTM had to configure units, facilities had to install physical hardware units, support after installation was assigned to IT/ facilities and HTM.

“IT to address access point wireless issues, HTM to provide system maintenance and swap outs as needed and facilities to provide service coordination for refrigerator/freezers or warmers,” Kai says.

He says that HTM would do a little trouble shooting to confirm whether or not the problem is because of the TempTrak hardware probe or the Wi-Fi system. HTM would follow through as appropriate: If the issue is related to a Wi-Fi transmitter replacement because of the TempTrak OEM. If issue related to the network system, open an iSupport ticket, to be assigned to IS network engineering, if due to Wi-Fi system. HTM would work directly with IS network engineering to troubleshoot and resolve the problem. Probe calibration is

annual or whenever there is doubt by a user calibration is validated.

Kai says that this example is about managing technologies that affect patient care which has an IT and Facilities component, where HTM shines through. Kai offers these tips for success; “assign a project manager to track the deliverables and project expectations. Have solution-oriented content experts from each department to participate. Have a project charter and statement of work with the vendor that defines deliverables.”

DEPEND ON BIOMED FOR A SOLUTION

The example of steam in McCall’s example, as the centerpiece of a multi-departmental effort, is not unique. Much like networked devices, when responsibilities overlap into two departments, the responsibility for steam has required biomed to correct a problem that involves facilities.

Jim Arnold, director, east region of biomedical engineering for Piedmont Healthcare in Georgia, points to the need for facilities engineering to provide quality “dry” steam to sterilizers in sterile processing departments. He says that one way this can be accomplished is by implementing and executing a strong steam trap maintenance program. He had one experience with this in the distant past.

“We hired a steam expert, which resulted in finding some measurements within and some measurements just outside the acceptable steam quality range. Our problems were intermittent and it was still a challenge to convince FE that house steam was an issue,” Arnold says.

He says that when this happened, the biomed department had a very strong and resourceful biomedical technician on staff who had primary responsibility for maintaining the SPD equipment.

“He left no stone unturned as he researched potential solutions. He researched online, spoke with vendors in the field, read articles and spoke with anyone who had an opinion. Ultimately, he came across what we deemed to be a great solution that we, (biomed), could implement ourselves,” Arnold remembers.

He says that biomed ended up installing cyclonic steam separators just in front of the steam entry point to the sterilizers, which solved the issues as a result of their ability to very effectively remove moisture from the steam prior to its entry into our steam sterilizers.

“The positive impact was recognized immediately and we learned so much from the experience,” Arnold says.

Arnold suggests that HTM document its steam, water and air quality and pressure when machines are working properly. Knowing what one should see when things are working well can be very helpful when troubleshooting issues and comparing readings. Also, daily rounding in an SPD environment to inspect the readings can effectively help a technician keep his or her finger on the pulse of equipment.

With more medical equipment and systems crossing lines of responsibility, or advances in technology creating more medical devices, it is important to have written guidelines to identify service providers. Whether it be steam or networked devices, hospital beds or nurse call, the need to expedite and document a service response is crucial to patient care.

SCHEDULE

HEALTH CARE FACILITIES INNOVATION CONFERENCE

7:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

SUNDAY, JULY 21, 2024

Pre-Conference: ASHE Chapter Leadership Forum & Award Presentation

Pre-Conference: Certified Healthcare Facility Manager (CHFM) Exam Review Program

8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Pre-Conference: ASHE ICRA 2.0™ Training Program

8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Pre-Conference: Health Care Facility Management: Daily Operations

Pre-Conference: FGI Guidelines – Establishing Pathways and Overcoming Hurdles on the Way to Adoption

Pre-Conference: HealQuest + Tour of the Nation’s First All-Electric Central Utility Plant

4:30 – 6:00 p.m. Regional Updates

MONDAY, JULY 22, 2024

7:00 – 8:00 a.m. Sponsored Breakfast Sessions

8:15 – 9:45 a.m. Welcome & Keynote Session

10:00 – 11:00 a.m. Breakout Sessions (1)

9:45 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. Exhibit Hall & Lunch

10:15 – 10:45 a.m. New Voice Spotlight session (Discovery stage)

12:00 – 12:30 p.m. New Voice Spotlight session (Discovery stage)

2:15 – 3:45 p.m. General Session

4:00 – 5:00 p.m. Breakout Sessions (2)

5:30 – 7:00 p.m. Health Care Facilities Innovation Conference Block Party

TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2024

7:00 – 8:00 a.m. Sponsored Breakfast Sessions

8:15 – 9:45 a.m. Keynote Session

10:00 – 11:00 a.m. Breakout Sessions (3)

9:45 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. Exhibit Hall & Lunch

10:15 – 10:45 a.m. New Voice Spotlight session (Discovery stage)

12:00 – 12:30 p.m. New Voice Spotlight session (Discovery stage)

2:15 – 3:45 p.m. General Session

4:00 – 5:00 p.m. Breakout Sessions (4)

5:00 – 6:30 p.m. Young & New to the Field Professionals Reception WEDNESDAY, JULY 24, 2024

7:00 – 8:30 a.m. General Session

8:45 – 10:00 a.m. Breakout Sessions (5)

10:15 – 11:15 a.m. Breakout Session (6)

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Closing General Session

1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Post-conference: Lunch & Learn with The Joint Commission

1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Post-conference: ACHC: Four Levels of Control and Use of AEM

1:00 – 5:00 p.m. Post-conference: DNV’s Physical Environment Operations Professional Quality Workshop

KEYNOTE HIGHLIGHT

OPENING KEYNOTE

MONDAY, JULY 22, 8:15-9:45 A.M.

Dr. Bertice Berry, Sociologist, Best-Selling Author, Comedienne, and Educator

Reconnecting with Your Purpose

"Your purpose is not your job, it is your calling,” says, sociologist Bertice Berry, PhD.

In this presentation, Berry will guide ASHE members in reconnecting with their purpose for the improvement of the physical healthcare environment.

After a global pandemic and a crisis of insurance and healthcare management, everyone involved with the improvement of the health and wellness system has been stretched beyond belief. Recalling, recollecting and remembering your why is more crucial now than ever before.

Berry, Best-Selling Author, Lecturer, Storyteller and Humorist recently had an unexpected extended stay in a hospital and learned first-hand how form and function must follow the purpose of wellness and good care.

“When you walk with purpose, you collide with destiny,” Berry says.

You will laugh, reflect, and be inspired to reconnect with your purpose and calling.

KEYNOTE

TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2:15-3:45 P.M.

Ryan Avery, Emmy-award winning journalist, two-time best-selling author, and world record holder

Go From A to THE®: Stop Being A Leader. Start Being THE Leader!

Today’s world is competitive, innovative, and seriously fast-paced. When we are serious about growing our business, it is no longer acceptable to offer A product, A solution or even be A Leader. Today’s consumers, employees and followers want THE product, THE solution and THE leader to follow.

When we want to eliminate our competition, set record sales, motivate others to action and produce solutions that actually matter, it’s time to go from A to THE. Ryan Avery is the right speaker to deliver these game-changing, life-magnifying strategies that allow audience members to step up to achieve next-level results.

What will you learn?

• The strategic communication strategies top leaders use around the world to persuade, engage, and retain top talent and customers

• The strategic storytelling strategies that masterfully allow leaders to connect across diverse generations and cultures.

• The strategic leadership strategies top entrepreneurs use to that differentiate you from your competition and getting people to take action.

• Get ready to Go from A to THE® in your market, your industry, and in the minds and referral base of your customers.

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THINGS TO DO IN ANAHEIM

1. Hit the theme parks

Anaheim and Orange County are home to internationally acclaimed theme parks and attractions.

2. Explore Downtown

Inspired by the city’s historical roots, Anaheim’s downtown district has undergone a massive revitalization that showcases a whole new vibe.

3. See what’s brewing

In the artisanal revolution of carefully crafted beer, Anaheim has rolled out the red carpet for craft breweries to open up shop, bringing in a bevy of hops to tantalize even the most discerning beer lover’s palate.

4. Bring your appetite

With a wide array of global fare at every turn, Anaheim’s international epicurean scene rivals any major city in America.

5. Enjoy live music

Party on, Wayne! From unforgettable sell-out shows, intimate performances, and everything in between, Anaheim lives for live music and features an eclectic roster of concert venues.

Learn more at visitanaheim.org/things-to-do/ top-10-things-to-do/

NAVIGATING THE HIGH COSTS OF INADEQUATE HOSPITAL BED TRANSPORTATION

In hospital settings, the movement of hospital beds and stretchers is a routine yet critical operation that impacts not only the condition of the medical equipment itself but also the broader infrastructure of health care facilities. Despite the availability of policies and procedures designed to safeguard both the equipment and the facility, lapses in adherence and insufficient training of the personnel involved often lead to significant damage and ensuing hidden costs. Emeritus is addressing these challenges head-on with innovative training solutions aimed at mitigating what is commonly referred to as “bed crash damage.”

THE RISKS OF IMPROPER BED MOVEMENT

The improper transportation of hospital beds and stretchers can lead to a variety of costly issues. For instance, when transport policies are not followed, it’s not uncommon for a 125-pound nurse to maneuver a 600-pound bed through hospital corridors. This scenario increases the risk of the bed bumping into walls, damaging elevator doors, or colliding with other infrastructure, leading to costly repairs and maintenance. Additionally, the practice of placing medical equipment on or underneath beds during transport can result in equipment falling off or getting crushed, further

adding to the financial strain on health care facilities. Hospital beds and stretchers are designed to be robust, yet they are not immune to the wear and tear inflicted by frequent and improper handling. Damage to these essential items can compromise their functionality, leading to downtime and the need for repairs or replacements, which are often significant in terms of cost.

HIGH TURNOVER AND TRAINING CHALLENGES

One of the underlying challenges exacerbating this issue is the high turnover rates commonly seen in Environmental Services (EVS) and Transport departments within hospitals. This turnover complicates efforts to maintain a consistently trained staff, as ongoing education and reinforcement of best practices are required to ensure all personnel are equipped to handle hospital equipment correctly.

Moreover, some hospitals choose to move beds offsite for repairs or storage, which can inadvertently cause additional damage during transportation. This decision, while made to ease logistical burdens within the hospital, often leads to further complications and costs, underscoring the need for improved on-site handling and maintenance strategies.

EMERITUS’S PROACTIVE SOLUTIONS

Recognizing these pervasive issues, Emeritus has developed a targeted transporter training program

designed to enhance the skills of those involved in the movement of hospital beds and stretchers. This program focuses on training staff to adhere strictly to transportation policies, emphasizing techniques that prevent equipment and infrastructure damage. By improving the standard of care in equipment handling, Emeritus aims to reduce the incidence of bed crash damage significantly, thereby saving hospitals considerable resources in the long run.

This training initiative is part of a broader strategy to enhance operational efficiency and safety in health care settings. By addressing the root causes of bed and stretcher damage through comprehensive training, Emeritus is not only helping to protect valuable medical equipment but also contributing to the overall integrity of hospital infrastructure.

THE PATH FORWARD

The issues associated with the improper transportation of hospital beds and stretchers highlight a critical need for systemic change within health care facility operations. As hospitals continue to navigate the complexities

of providing high-quality care in dynamic environments, the focus must increasingly shift towards optimizing every component of hospital operations, including the seemingly mundane task of moving equipment.

With the introduction of its new training program, Emeritus is leading the way in transforming how hospitals handle their most used and most necessary equipment. This proactive approach promises not only to safeguard the physical assets of health care facilities but also to ensure that the environment remains safe and functional for both patients and staff, ultimately supporting the broader goal of delivering exceptional health care.

For more information, visit emerituscs.com

Webb Clark is the Senior Sales Manager at Emeritus. Reach him by phone (469) 371-7093 or email webb.clark@ emerituscs.com.

MOBILE EQUIPMENT ASSET MANAGEMENT

Effective ‘MEAM’ Programs can be a Tool for Improved Distribution of Equipment & Increased Satisfaction Among Hospital Staff

BY BRUCE CALL

In my travels over three decades representing third-party providers of hospital services programs, I have long since quit being surprised when I learn that a prospective client hospital is practicing a decentralized approach to the cleaning, processing, and management of mobile equipment. While I am firm in my thoughts that centralized control of these processes yield the best results, there are reasons that “other” systems of equipment control exist.

The affected health system’s clinicians and administrators may simply be, “doing what they’ve always done.” Other times, there are “dominions” within the health system in question, such as nurses who believe only they can adequately clean, test, and process the equipment they need to care for their patients; simply put, they don’t want to give up the control of “their” equipment. And, if the situation arises in which they feel more mobile equipment was needed, well, isn’t that why equipment rental companies exist?

MOBILE EQUIPMENT ASSET MANAGEMENT – A PRESCRIPTION FOR BETTER, LESS EXPENSIVE HOSPITAL OPERATIONS

In hospital settings, nurses don’t “hide” or hoard the equipment they need out of any motivation other than the desire to have the equipment necessary to care for their patients, when they need it.

However, as I have seen demonstrated over the years, with an effective Mobile Equipment Asset Management (MEAM) plan, nurses will no longer be in the business of finding, cleaning, and managing (or hiding and hoarding) mobile medical equipment, and they WILL have the

equipment they need.

The involvement of key stakeholders such as nursing, finance, operations, and information technology (at the executive and director/manager levels) are critical to developing interest in and establishing effective MEAM programs. These groups and the teamwork among them are integral to the success of the ensuing program.

DECIDING WHETHER TO ENGAGE A THIRD-PARTY CONSULTANT, OR TO DEVELOP A MEAM PROGRAM INTERNALLY.

Our company and a few other independent service organizations (ISOs) have employees with deep experience in the development and operation of Mobile Equipment Asset Management programs. You may choose to engage a company such as ours as a consultant who – although the perception is that we “come at a cost” – can provide great value and focus your teams on the best practices in preparing for, establishing, and operating a Mobile Equipment Asset Management program which can have a very positive, multi-dimensional impact on your health system.

DEFINING MEAM PROGRAM CHALLENGES, GOALS, AND EQUIPMENT LISTS

• The amount of equipment showing as “lost”, or which “cannot locate”, is significant.

• There is no clear definition of who is responsible for cleaning mobile equipment, and to what standard.

• Equipment is being hidden, and/or hoarded, by nurses.

• A finding(s) on a recent regulatory survey spurred the interest in a MEAM program.

Generating consensus on solving these and other problems that the MEAM program will address is a great way to break down the walls between administrative,

clinical, and technical staff, to solve for the impact of challenges they all experience, albeit in different ways.

EQUIPMENT TYPES MOST OFTEN INCLUDED IN A MEAM PROGRAM

• Infusion pumps and peripherals

• Bedside monitors

• Sequential compression devices or foot pumps

• Telemetry monitors

• Specialty beds and surfaces

• Bladder scanners

• Rental equipment

• … and others.

SETTING AND MANAGING KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPI)

Common areas of measuring MEAM performance improvements include the following … (REMEMBER … your staff has to find ways to measure and manage these variables!)

• RESPONSE TIME – How quickly is it reasonable for equipment to be delivered after order?

• CLEANLINESS OF EQUIPMENT – What are best practices and standards for maintaining equipment cleanliness? Which department is responsible for these functions?

• LOCATION AVAILABILITY – How do you track equipment location at your health system? Is an RTLS tracking system available to help locate equipment?

• EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE – Are PMs up to snuff? What is the recognized standard for completion percentage, and the timeframe to complete PMs?

• CUSTOMER SATISFACTION – Have the staff affected by the MEAM implementation seen improvement in the indices listed above? On a scale of 1 to 5, what has been their experience with each? … at the outset? … in periodic, post-implementation responses?

A KEY OUTPUT OF A MOBILE EQUIPMENT ASSET MANAGEMENT PROGRAM – EQUIPMENT PRODUCTIVITY

Using the management of infusion devices as a basis for gauging the effectiveness of a Mobile Equipment Asset Management program is common, since these devices represent a large and challenging line item in a hospital’s mobile equipment inventory. The best of MEAM programs can, in my experience, result in a 70% productivity rate for infusion pumps – meaning that at any given time, 70% of available infusion devices are in patient rooms, delivering the drugs or nutrition those patients need.

Most often, a hospital survey will find that the infusion devices they employ are only 30-35% productive, at best. It would follow that if a 500-bed hospital – prior to the establishment of a MEAM program – needs 500 infusion devices, on average, to serve their patients, they have roughly 1,500 devices in inventory, meaning that only a

third of their inventory is in use at any given time. If, however, that same hospital was to establish an effective MEAM program, at a 70% productivity rate, it would be able to service the same patient infusion device demand with only about 714 devices, or roughly HALF (or less) of the devices they currently have in inventory. The financial savings of such efficiency gains would likely mean millions of dollars saved in acquisition costs – significantly more than enough to pay for the staff and training needed to establish a market-leading MEAM program.

STAFF SATISFACTION

Various studies have shown that nurses spend between 20 minutes and one hour per shift locating and managing equipment (Infor.com blog, 9.19.23; aafp.org, posted March 1, 2018). Given this fact, one of the key areas of focus in the development and implementation of a Mobile Equipment Asset Management program should be to alleviate these responsibilities for nurses to the greatest extent possible. Successfully managed, this impact is likely to be felt by the EVS or Housekeeping department, too.

SUMMARY

With successful design, implementation, and operation, a high-quality Mobile Equipment Asset Management program will positively impact nursing, finance, operations, information technology and other hospital departments. Costs will be controlled as the equipment quantities necessary to provide care are significantly lessened, and routine and emergent maintenance tasks for clinical engineering will be easier to accomplish because of the improved ease of location tracking of mobile equipment.

Similarly, an effective MEAM is among the factors that can increase equipment availability, impact nurse job satisfaction and retention, and greatly reduce or eliminate the need for nurses to manage mobile equipment. The equipment-related therapies prescribed for patients would be started in a more proactive, timelier manner, as well.

As part of the capital planning process, data derived from an effective MEAM will be able to focus equipment acquisition expenses into the health system’s most pressing and mission-critical areas.

Here’s wishing those of you who delve into the development of a focused Mobile Equipment Asset Management program the best of experiences – for your patients, your staff, and your health system’s bottom-line financial performance.

Bruce Call, Vice President of Sales at Tech Knowledge Associates (TKA).