Working as a facilities manager is an ever-changing job with growing responsibilities. For healthcare facilities, it’s a whole different ballgame. While extremely rewarding, working in healthcare is one of the most complex, even when it comes to facilities management and logistics. As technology expands and automation grows, having access to resources that allow your team to become more efficient and your management team more strategic is essential. Here, our team at SCLogic discusses seven must-have strategies you can implement to improve asset management within your healthcare facility vastly. 

Why is Asset Logistics So Important for FMs?

From the outside, asset logistics might seem like a spec in the grand scheme of facilities management. For healthcare workers, you know this is far from the truth. Asset logistics is an essential part of your FM strategy, providing patients and staff with vital resources they need to ensure a safe and smooth patient experience. While a robust asset logistics system has many internal benefits, the priority is patient care. What goes into the role of asset logistics for patient care? 

• Ensures vital equipment and resources are ready and working properly at all times
• Facilitates fast response times in emergencies with asset management systems
• Reduces equipment downtime through preventative maintenance strategies 
• Enhances patient safety by exceeding compliance standards for all equipment
• Supports personalized patient care by identifying usage trends through data

Strategy 1: Implementing Automated Asset Tracking Software

Automation, automation, automation. You’ve heard this term probably way more than you would like, but for good reason! Automation does not mean replacing the much-needed jobs of FMs and their teams, but rather, providing digital tools to improve efficiency and decrease unnecessary manual processes. The first strategy in mastering asset logistics for your healthcare facility is automation software. 

 With automation software like Intra, you move from manual, outdated asset tracking to a modern, innovative system. As a manager, you will oversee each asset’s location at any given time, coordinate inspections and audits, and more. By automating this process, gone are the days of hospital staff frantically searching for equipment or struggling to manage inventory. Plus, you can incorporate organization tools such as RFID tags and barcodes to maximize efficiency. 

Strategy 2: Enacting Preventative Maintenance

 A preventative maintenance strategy is vital to successful asset management. It prevents breakdowns, downtime, and repair/replacement costs and ensures you meet compliance and patient safety standards. Preventative maintenance should be conducted on surgical or diagnostic equipment, but also on the facility itself. This means managing the health of your HVAC, electrical, plumbing, gas systems, and more to maintain compliance and improve patient care. With Intra, preventative maintenance is at the forefront with resources like lifecycle status management, inspection, and audit tracking, mean time between failure/repair, and automated maintenance scheduling, to name a few. 

Strategy 3: Working with Data-Driven Insights

Data-driven decision-making is irreplaceable. You don’t take a patient into surgery before identifying what is wrong, right? Just as you use data within patient-facing care, the same goes for facilities management. Think of treating your hospital like a patient. To give them the best possible care, you want to learn as much information as possible so that you can make the decisions that will benefit them the most. 

For facilities management and asset logistics, using analytics resources gives your team the insights you need to make data-backed, strategic decisions. This can be anything from asset lifecycle data to usage patterns and disposal or depreciation data. With configurable tools like our analytics dashboard, you can manage metrics unique to your facility, providing needed data for your team to reduce costs, maximize efficiency, and identify any gaps that need to be addressed. 

Strategy 4: Prioritizing Employee Adoption for Software

The saying “it takes a village” can be used with many connotations, this included. For optimal success in your facilities management strategy, employee adoption is key. Employee adoption in facilities management can be one of the most challenging parts of your new asset logistics strategy. Long-term employees may be averse to change or have limited experience with modern platforms. However, investing your time and energy into facilitating training and adoption will yield fantastic results.

We recommend using a comprehensive platform like Intra rather than ten single-point solutions to ease this transition. Instead of learning multiple interfaces, your team has access to resources for all facilities management needs and can easily integrate with other digital tools you have in place. One thing that separates Intra from other FM platforms is our implementation and customer service process. When you work with Intra, our team guides you through every step of the implementation and utilization process and continues the same level of care throughout the duration of your time with us, especially as you grow and expand! 

Transform Your Asset Logistics Process with SCLogic

Implementing new software can be a daunting task, and you have seemingly endless solutions at your fingertips. Knowing where to start can be difficult, so we’re here to make it easier. With over 25 years working with renowned healthcare facilities, we’ve mastered the industry’s intricacies and catered Intra to serve your unique pain points. To learn more about our Asset Logistics Workgroup and other relevant resources for your team, email [email protected] or schedule a demo with our team today.