A hospital asset management system is critical in keeping all of the moving parts going so that a catastrophic failure that could cost lives does not happen.

We’ve all been in a hospital at one time or another. Whether we are there to visit a loved one or friend, or are there as a patient ourself, there is a lot of things that go on in the background that we are not aware of.  Every day, hospital asset management helps doctors and nurses treat patients and save lives.

Healthcare facilities are an interesting microcosm no matter how you experience it. They have an interesting ecosystem that requires attention from both the facility staff and the medical professionals. Understanding what needs to be maintained from a facility level as well as a healthcare asset level is complex. Everything in the hospital, from the light bulbs to a cotton swab to pharmaceuticals and medical equipment needs to be tracked and monitored. A hospital asset management system is critical in keeping all of the moving parts going so that a catastrophic failure that could cost lives does not happen.

What is Hospital Asset Management?

Hospital asset management is the management and maintenance of machinery, equipment, physical assets, personnel and even patients within a healthcare facility. It helps the facility remain cost-effective and efficient, allowing the medical personnel to worry about their patients while facility personnel keep everything running like a well-oiled machine.

Because a hospital is so large, physical infrastructures and systems need to be included in the larger plan. Heating, air-conditioning, ventilation, plumbing, compressors – these and other systems need to be maintained to keep the facility running. Accurate records of when they were serviced can help reduce costs. Add to that healthcare-specific assets, such as beds, wheelchairs, IVs, monitors and more, and you can see why hospital asset management is complex.

How Does Hospital Asset Management Work?

Using asset tracking software healthcare solutions, a facility manager can organize and track enormous amounts of critical systems and medical equipment assets needed to keep the healthcare facility running properly. It also ensures that the facility remains safe, clean and well-maintained at all times, especially in the medical areas, such as operating suites, patient rooms, and labs of all types.

By moving away from a pen and paper system to a healthcare asset tracking software, facility personnel can automate asset management workflows. This will give them the ability to monitor everything they need to keep the facility in working order. For example, a monitor on the third floor is due for scheduled maintenance. The software will alert personnel that it is time for maintenance. They will be able to easily locate the monitor, perform work on it and then return it to the floor it came from while logging everything that was done to the monitor into the tracking system. The next time it needs maintenance, the next technician will have access to all the information about that monitor at their fingertips.

Plus, the same hospital asset tracking software can be used to monitor inventory levels, optimize workflows, track patients in the hospital, and more. Hospital management software is designed to track everything and provide higher returns on investment within the facility. This reduces paperwork for medical personnel as well, allowing them to provide a higher level of care to the patients.

Why is a Hospital Asset Management Plan Important?

Ask any doctor, nurse or other hospital employee why a hospital asset management plan is important, and they will all tell you different things. The amount of equipment, systems and assets to be tracked can be overwhelming. However, the number one priority is providing proper service to the patients in a clean and well-maintained environment.

It can be hard to make a comprehensive list of everything that needs to be tracked. But in a healthcare facility that uses a hospital asset management plan, you will see:

• Better communication – healthcare teams need to be able to communicate with one another quickly and efficiently. They need answers right away to issues that come up, from a broken compressor to the location of CPR equipment. A communication breakdown could mean the difference between life and death.

• Attention to detail – personnel need to be able to recognize an issue before it happens. Custodians need to clean areas better. Nurses need to provide proper medications or identify places that need to be restocked before the assets are needed. Maintenance needs to keep things running at top efficiency. 

• Active problems solvers – healthcare personnel are quick on their feet, from the technician in medical records to the doctor in nursery to the facility engineers. They have to be able to solve problems while on the move.

• Innovators – by being proactive in tracking assets and maintenance, a healthcare facility can find new and unique solutions that save money and are time efficient.

How Does Hospital Asset Management Improve Quality of Care?

Hospital asset management can help improve the quality of care by removing obstacles that prohibit doctors and nurses from doing their job. It also helps the facility ensure that it is in compliance with all current healthcare regulations. 

To service patients better, hospital asset management solutions help your team comply with regulations by:

Tracking mission-critical equipment
Knowing where mission-critical equipment is at all times – both inside and outside of the healthcare facility – is key to keeping the quality of care at the highest level. It helps compile an inventory of assets that are maintainable or replaceable, and where they are all located in the facility and in service vehicles related to the facility, such as ambulances and other transportation vehicles.

Ensuring safety requirements are met using regular audits.
Healthcare safety laws are constantly changing, requiring personnel to comply with new regulations that ensure the safety of not only the patient, but the staff. Hospital asset management solutions can keep a track of all inspections that need to be made and the data pertaining to them, allowing personnel to produce needed reports easily to help maintain the facilities accreditation with the Joint Commission.

Performing preventative maintenance to lessen the likelihood of equipment failures.
Taking a proactive stance to keeping equipment in good working order helps medical personnel care for their patients. They know that the monitors they are using are in optimal working order. They know they can find the equipment they need quickly. This reduces the need to run to other hospital sections to get supplies and wasting valuable time.

What Does Hospital Asset Management Software Do?

Hospital asset management software tracks the who, where and when of all of your vital assets. In today’s healthcare environment, scrambling for supplies is a daily nightmare. The chaos of trying to find IV pumps, x-ray machines, ventilators, or other critical hospital equipment in the middle of a crisis. Staff members waste precious minutes trying to find misplaced equipment. And overstocked inventory gathers dust while perishables expire. Rogue purchases drive up costs, and missed charges result in lost revenue and reimbursements.

Specially configured for healthcare, this software helps resolve these and other longstanding challenges healthcare professionals face. By tracking assets and automating materials management processes, it lets hospitals and other healthcare facilities perform at the top of their game. It also helps control costs, reduces equipment leasing, tightens security, minimizes theft, complies with regulations and meets or exceeds Joint Commission metrics.

Why Use a Hospital Asset Management Software?

Why should your company use Apptricity’s hospital asset management software? You should us it to:

• See a faster return on your asset investment
• Provide measurable improvement to your operating efficiency to stakeholders
• Lower your costs by analyzing what assets are good and what assets are bad
• Reduce the administrative burden of producing complex reports
• Provide a higher level of compliance
• Manage your risk better

When paired with our 20-Mile Ultra Long-Range Bluetooth Beacon, you will have the ability to track devices throughout the hospital, get the data required for contact-tracing between staff, patients and the equipment used to support their care.  

Apptricity’s Ultra Long-Range Bluetooth Beacon is highly configurable. Versions can be created with or without GPS, multiple battery options exist to extend life, encryption options are available, the signal can be tuned for energy savings, and other capabilities can be adjusted to create a bespoke solution for healthcare facilities of all types.

At Apptricity, we know asset management. 

Apptricity’s Hospital Asset Management Software application gives you a single, unified view of your Asset, and Inventory Management procedures. It also provides you with a cloud-based system, along with mobile applications, that feature IoT integrations. This means it provides real-time updates of end-to-end asset management process. Plus, each application can be used separately, or in conjunction with the others to scale with your needs.

Let us help you with your asset management system needs. Contact us today for a demo.

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