Equip Track
Equip Track: The Changing Nature of Equipment Planning
Managing the equipment planning process is critical, as equipping a healthcare facility can easily account for 25 - 30% of the overall project costs. As it becomes increasingly difficult to keep up with rapidly changing strategic and organizational requirements for new spaces, equipment planners face significant challenges, especially when specialty services/locations are involved.
Outpatient Care Centers offer “one-stop-shop” convenience for patients, often including Imaging and other diagnostics, Ambulatory Surgery and Procedures, Urgent Care, Lab Services, Rehab and Physicians’ Practices. This variety of services presents unique challenges for Capital Equipment Planning – with key considerations of throughput, budget and space/storage limitations, and a wide selection of necessary equipment types. Gloria Cascarino offers creative, flexible and “future thinking” solutions for equipment planners, design professionals and healthcare providers – with proven examples of technology and equipment that supports the success of these Centers.
Then examine the process of planning for efficiency in Sterile Processing and Endoscopy Departments using futuristic design and processes. Topics discussed will include Information Systems Tracking, Process Standardization, and streamlining of Sterile Process procedures. Larry Creech will share insights about new technology solutions, best practices for utilizing limited space, and techniques for reducing time while increasing efficiency.
Learning Objectives:
1. Describe the factors changing the nature of healthcare equipment planning.
2. Specify the challenges outpatient care centers present for equipment planners.
3. Learn equipment solutions for Outpatient Care that address the need for variety, with limited space and budgets.
4. Outline tactics to redesign Sterile Processing Departments and Operating Rooms with increased functionality.
View the PowerPoint presentation here.
Equip Track: Developing Equipment Acquisition Strategies and Planning Checklists
US hospitals operate in a competitive market, and must be able to offer services using the latest technology and equipment. Efficient equipment acquisition practices not only lead to savings in procurement costs, they also facilitate processes during the utilization phase, especially in the maintenance of equipment. Forward-thinking managers are increasingly using a number of creative financing opportunities - including leasing and renting – in the acquisition of equipment in order to reach strategic goals based on the benefit derived from diagnosis/treatment advances, as well as operational/clinical efficiencies.
In today’s financial and tax environment, many of the factors that once favored one type of financing over another have disappeared, but what remains are the purchase price and financing terms, whether or not the transaction is called a lease or a purchase. It’s important to evaluate a potential purchase, with a break-even analysis, a payback analysis, and a net-present-value analysis. Knowing the short and the long-term financial implications of the investment is critical. Secondary issues may include tax advantages and other concurrent acquisitions. This session will explore these and other considerations to take into account when creating your organization’s equipment acquisition strategy.
Detailed equipment planning checklists are also vital in the successful completion of a hospital renovation or new construction project. Comprehensive, integrated, and systematic medical equipment planning and procurement checklists decrease the potential for human error and ensure that architects, contractors, and the client have clear, detailed, and productive communications throughout the construction process. The presenter will share best practices for creating and utilizing equipment planning checklists in order to keep the project on time and budget.
Learning Objectives:
- Outline the projections for equipment acquisition at your organization based on trends, budget considerations and changing patient populations.
- Describe methods of determining whether to lease or buy equipment based on patient need and budget constraints.
- Identify three techniques for evaluating a potential equipment purchase and its potential impact on patient care.
- Detail the importance of using equipment planning checklists before, during, and after the acquisition in order to eliminate problems and increase patient and employee satisfaction.
View the PowerPoint presentation here.
Equip Track: Successful Blueprints for Equipping New Facilities
Healthcare construction spending is on the rise and was projected to nearly double in 2017. The Dodge Construction Outlook predicted that this growth will continue in 2018. The trend of health systems expanding their presence into smaller communities, with both acute and non-acute facilities, for the convenience of customers is growing. In addition, construction of urgent care, rehabilitation, and ambulatory surgery centers that are tailored to meet the changing needs of patients and local communities is on the rise. The planning, design, and construction of a new facility, or renovation of exiting space, is both exciting and daunting, all at the same time. Countless hours and every available resource are used to help ensure all details surrounding planning and building of the facility are completed correctly, on time, and on budget.
BUT…all of that work only gets you a wonderful new building. What about all the rest? There are many articles published in healthcare and design literature regarding the successes of different types of construction philosophies in the 21stcentury (expedited construction schedules, Design Build, etc.) Less published, but just as important, are the successes of the many companies now seasoned to the challenges of implementing the REST of your project such as: Who is buying the equipment and when? When do you need to purchase the “big” stuff? Who decides what equipment you get? Who is coordinating the correct installation of all this? How do you set up your new unit? Who is in charge of preparing everyone for the first patient? How will your work flow change? Who will train you? Who is going to train your staff? How do you ensure you don’t miss any key details? And sometimes…how do you even START planning for this? These are just a few of the DOZENS of questions you must ask (and answer), and EARLY in the project cycle.
Understanding there are so many pieces to manage when outfitting and activating a new building, we also know that surprises and unforeseen disruptions will happen in every project, which can not only frustrate a project team, but can cause painful and often expensive delays in opening your facility. In order to coordinate the sometimes thousands of details that surround equipment planning, procurement, receiving and installation, the extensive training of staff that will bring the new facility alive, managing regulatory and compliance tasks, ensuring all new systems are in working order, stocking the new units, and even giving tours of the new space, you must have a proven roadmap to help you succeed. The sheer volume of extra work that comes along with a new project of any significant size has the high probability to overwhelm staff who already have a full time job managing the day-to-day operations of an existing facility. To further complicate things, the construction of a new facility is many times a once-in-a-career event for some healthcare professionals who honestly just don’t have the experience of knowing what to expect.
Digesting all of this may easily cause you additional stress, but be assured there are many different types of teams available to help! In this session, 2 speakers will guide you through some key lessons learned to help you avoid common mistakes when planning, designing, constructing, and outfitting your new facility, positioning yourself for a well-deserved, successful project.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify the tasks involved in the activation of a new healthcare facility and formulate strategies for organizing those tasks in order to provide better service for patients and less stress for staff.
- Outline the role that transition planners play in the construction process and their impact on building design.
- Distinguish the key purchasing requirements for capital equipment in new construction and best practices to lower cost and provide the best equipment for patient needs.
- Describe three ways to mitigate risk for your organization and your patients through careful planning.
View the PowerPoint presentation here.