by
John R. Fischer, Senior Reporter | August 14, 2018
From the August 2018 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Communication and organization were especially emphasized in the creation of better management of inventories and order requests.
To address these matters, ABM brought in a full-time clinical engineer to help in assessing storage and on-site managers for each facility were appointed to oversee order requests for maintenance. A CMMS was set up for work order requests to be placed into with the site manager of each facility appointing the correct technician to address the issue at hand and provide updates to the stakeholder behind the request.
In addition, plans were put in place for flexing staff during busy periods and for training new members upon hire or the acquisition of new hospitals. ABM also took on the responsibility of physical damage of equipment, cutting it down by 50 percent through training and the implementation of processes in each department for reducing issues.
In summing up her experience, Morano says the key takeaway is to make sure that every player, especially clinical engineers, feels as those they are part of the conversation.
“It’s important to make sure the clinical department knows that it doesn’t remove him from the discussion around service and how we’re managing their service," she said. "For some, that budget means control and power. They’re still part of the conversation. We just manage it better.”
Since implementing changes, ABM has helped Care New England save more than $650,000. It expects to save more than $400,000 each year for 2018 and 2019 and a range of $1.5-$1.6 billion over the next five years.
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