CMMS for Healthcare Facilities

Introduction

Firstly, with the expansion of CMMS for healthcare facilities and the growing number of electro-medical devices that science makes available, the need to effectively and efficiently manage healthcare technologies is becoming more and more pressing.

Even in this sector, relying on CMMS software proves to be a choice capable of improving the overall management of a facility, its medical equipment as well and the staff who work there.

The information processed by CMMS software in the healthcare sector varies depending on the situation in which it operates but always includes preventive maintenance procedures, equipment management and analysis of performance indicators (KPIs), equipment inventory medical including the history of maintenance interventions and their life, the management of the personnel involved in maintenance. Furthermore, using CMMS software, the data can be accessed, manipulated, and used through the use of user-friendly interfaces even from mobile devices. The reports that can be generated thanks to the system database prove useful to managers in making decisions.

For any healthcare facility, be it a hospital, clinic, or laboratory, unexpected repair costs, as well as the resulting unavailability of machinery, represents one of the main causes of economic loss.

Thanks to the use of a CMMS as maintenance plan software, it is possible to contain the occurrence of these circumstances, thus eliminating or reducing the extent of the problem. Maintaining an efficient organization always requires the combined ability and commitment of all the people who work there: but this is not enough. In fact, often the information circulating is exchanged in a fragmented way with the result of dispersing its value.

What is CMMS Software?

Computerized maintenance management system is software used for the maintenance of systems, equipment, or entire buildings, indispensable in the corporate world for the optimization of maintenance processes in all its technical aspects.

A CMMS software therefore helps the organization achieve greater efficiency in organizing and planning, improving its performance.

It is a system developed since the 1960s and applied, then, in the aeronautics sector, trying to record the data obtained from aircraft in a more efficient way and with greater precision compared to manual methods, even if one must imagine them as very cumbersome systems and not at all precise or comparable to current ones.

Thanks to the development of modern technologies, CMMS, like all other software, has become more precise, accessible to all, and no longer used only in aeronautics but applicable in most work environments.

How Does CMMS Software Work?

Basically, the information within the CMMS software is set to support different system functions. Also, it works to track available employees and equipment certifications, allows you to assign specific tasks, and organizes staff shifts and salaries.

Finally, among its most important functions is the management of work orders, setting the type of order, any repairs or replacements, their description and priority, and which staff sector each order is entrusted to, providing precise information on the assets, with details about patterns, activity, performance or any downtime.

The software’s advanced technology allows it to easily interact with other business systems (including ERP, MES, SCADA, and others). Finally, it allows you to make an inventory of the various equipment and distribute the material used for work orders in the various plants.

In recent years, given the enormous functionality of the software, it is possible to use it on a mobile application, so you can take it with you and have a complete view of the data and maintenance operations, putting order in the platform and keeping the situation under control.

The features of the software vary depending on whether you choose a higher or lower-end one.

What is a Healthcare CMMS?

CMMS is primarily used to help healthcare organizations organize, plan, track, and streamline their maintenance operations. Such software helps track service requests, schedule preventive maintenance of critical equipment such as X-ray machines, improve regulatory compliance, manage parts inventory, and generate maintenance reports.

Modern CMMS capabilities enable healthcare organizations to automate preventive maintenance, work order management, predictive maintenance, inventory management, maintenance scheduling, and more.

How Does a Healthcare CMMS Work?

Additionally, Healthcare facility managers use healthcare CMMS systems to help maintain facilities, organize, automate, and schedule tasks and ensure that all facility-related projects are completed in a timely, organized, and compliant manner.

CMMS systems typically handle the following tasks:

• Maintenance planning, tracking, and reporting
• Medical device asset management
• Work order management
• Optimized workflow

Track work orders

Healthcare CMMS software platforms help streamline the work order creation and management process. They can help you:

• Access work order and inspection details
• Leverage built-in compliance requirements
• Track completion time

Compliance and security monitoring

Compliance audits are often stressful and full of unknowns, but your CMMS provides the information you need to ensure you always meet compliance standards.

Asset management

Generally, a reliable CMMS solution improves inventory management and ensures you stay on top of your medical equipment. Maintenance facility managers need to take a strategic approach to asset management, and a good platform can help you track locations and quickly search for asset details.

Key Reasons Why Healthcare Institutions Should Switch to CMMS

Firstly, the challenge of operating a healthcare facility while maintaining high standards can seem like an insurmountable task, especially when the infrastructure includes living quarters, professional equipment, office space, and entertainment space. Any inefficiencies in managing critical infrastructure equipment and housing not only impact employee productivity but also increase liability risk. Furthermore, this requires a fully functional computerized maintenance management system that goes beyond document and work order management. Here are five ways CMMS software optimizes maintenance management functions that are critical to running a healthcare facility at peak efficiency:

Organize work order inspections:

Failed checkpoints can be used to generate repair tickets. Issuing work orders with clearly defined user roles to identify and correct deficiencies discovered during regular inspections can avoid complications and prevent cascading maintenance issues. CMMS solution, healthcare facility managers can assign work, track progress, and ensure work is completed in a timely and efficient manner.

Improve responsiveness:

Before an urgent issue arises, the CMMS will immediately send notifications to maintenance technicians for faster troubleshooting. Computerized maintenance management system, business-critical information can be easily sent and received anytime, anywhere. With easy access to work orders on any device, the troubleshooting process becomes faster and more accurate, allowing field technicians to be more productive and focused.

Efficient work management:

Additionally, a CMMS has easy-to-understand work management options that can organize everything from scheduling and delegating work assignments to scheduling shifts and completing tasks. Using a CMMS, healthcare facility managers can easily access maintenance schedules and assign upcoming work in a predefined sequence to avoid overlap. It makes it easier to continuously monitor time and resources when critical maintenance tasks need to be initiated.

Improve compliance:

Every healthcare organization must comply with strict government regulations and maintain high standards during performance audits. CMMS helps in gathering all the important information and creating accurate audit reports. Medical equipment also requires regular inspections to ensure they are working accurately and efficiently.

Superior security:

Software is designed to securely support all healthcare functions with real-time visibility into assets, inventory, and equipment maintenance.

Solving Operational Challenges in Healthcare

Following, these facilities face numerous challenges in maintenance, equipment management, and facility operations. If not addressed, these challenges can negatively impact patient care, staff productivity, and operational efficiency. However, implementing a computerized maintenance management system for healthcare facilities directly addresses these challenges. Here are some common challenges healthcare organizations face and how CMMS software can help overcome them:

Equipment downtime, breakdown, and unplanned maintenance:

Hospitals and clinics rely heavily on medical equipment such as MRI machines, CT scanners, X-ray machines, generators, sterilizers, and air purifiers to ensure high-quality patient care. Any equipment malfunction or malfunction can disrupt workflow, delay treatment, and impact patient outcomes.

• Create maintenance plans using checklists: A healthcare CMMS can create maintenance plans that include checklists for all critical equipment and systems.
• Track and monitor equipment performance: Software uses monitoring devices and sensors to collect real-time data on equipment performance. This enables proactive monitoring, early detection of potential problems, and immediate maintenance intervention to prevent failures from occurring.
• Implement condition-based maintenance practices: Some platforms support condition-based maintenance strategies by leveraging data-driven insights. This helps determine optimal maintenance intervals based on the actual health and performance of medical equipment, improving maintenance efficiency and reducing costs.

Lack of asset visibility and tracking:

Accordingly, healthcare organizations often struggle to track and manage their large inventory of assets.

Also, CMMS software provides a centralized platform for managing and tracking all assets in a healthcare organization. It enables healthcare organizations to log asset details, track their location, record asset health and condition, and monitor maintenance activities. Real-time asset visibility enables hospitals and clinics to optimize asset utilization and streamline maintenance activities.

Inefficient work order management:

Accordingly, clinics receive a high volume of maintenance requests and work orders every day. Manually managing and prioritizing these tasks can lead to delays, misunderstandings, and inefficient resource allocation.

Another benefit is that CMMS for healthcare organizations simplifies work order management by providing a digital platform to create, assign, and track incoming maintenance requests and work orders. This improves communication, increases workflow efficiency and shortens response times to maintenance requests.

• Prioritize and schedule maintenance tasks: With a CMMS, hospitals and clinics can prioritize maintenance tasks based on urgency, importance, and resource availability. The system enables efficient task scheduling and ensures that the most critical issues are resolved promptly.
• Monitor work order progress and completion: Software provides real-time visibility into work order status, allowing facilities and maintenance managers to monitor progress, and identify bottlenecks. It facilitates better coordination and communication between maintenance teams and third-party providers.

Poor inventory control and warehouse management:

Maintaining an optimal inventory of consumables, spare parts, and consumables is critical for healthcare organizations. Additionally, inaccurate inventory counts, inventory outages, or excess inventory can disrupt operations by delaying completion times.

Healthcare CMMS automates inventory control processes such as tracking inventory levels, setting reorder points, and generating orders. It helps healthcare organizations maintain accurate inventory records, streamline procurement processes, and ensure critical supplies are always available when needed.

• Streamlined procurement process: By integrating with procurement systems, CMMS streamlines the procurement process of maintenance materials and spare parts. It automatically creates orders, tracks delivery status and facilitates seamless collaboration with suppliers.
• Track and monitor supply chain activities: A CMMS enables healthcare organizations to monitor and track supply chain activities. It provides insights into supplier performance, delivery times and inventory replenishment to ensure a smooth and reliable supply chain.

Comply with legal standards:

Furthermore, healthcare facilities operate in a highly regulated environment with strict compliance requirements to ensure patient safety. Manual compliance management is time-consuming, inefficient and error-prone.

This software helps healthcare organizations stay compliant by providing document management tools, audit trails, and regulatory reporting.

• Ensure compliance with healthcare regulations and standards: CMMS software provides tools for document management, compliance tracking, and audit trail creation.
• Create audit reports and documentation: With a CMMS, healthcare organizations can streamline the process of collecting maintenance records, equipment history, and audit and inspection compliance documentation. It creates comprehensive reports that make it easier to assess regulatory compliance.

Hospital profit margins and financial pressures:

Additionally, healthcare facilities face financial challenges, including reduced reimbursements, rising costs and shrinking profits. This puts pressure on healthcare organizations to find ways to optimize operational efficiency and reduce costs.

CMMS provides healthcare organizations and operations with valuable solutions to optimize costs and increase operational efficiency.

• Efficient Healthcare Asset Management: By implementing a CMMS, healthcare organizations can effectively manage their medical equipment and facilities. Preventive maintenance planning and performance tracking minimize costly repairs, extend asset life and improve financial profits.
• Optimized supply chain and inventory control: CMMS solutions offer powerful inventory management capabilities designed specifically for the healthcare industry. Real-time tracking, automated reordering, and streamlined purchasing processes optimize supply chain management, reduce waste, prevent shortages, and negotiate favorable prices.
• Data-driven resource allocation: With the help of data analytics capabilities, a CMMS can make informed resource allocation decisions. Analyzing staffing plans, equipment usage and patient demand can optimize maintenance staffing levels, reduce overtime costs and efficiently utilize resources.

What to Look For in the Best CMMS Healthcare Solutions?

The best healthcare CMMS software solutions are mobile-enabled and web-based CMMS solutions that manage asset management (medical equipment, facility equipment, and biomedical equipment), work order management, finance and expense, preventive maintenance software, risk and all aspects of compliance reporting, and equipment distribution. Modern healthcare CMMS offers:

• Complete asset lifecycle management from pre-assessment, procurement and support to final disposition and data insights.
• Ability to create flexible workflows using a configurable rules engine – no code or SQL required.
• Predictive analytics implemented by AEM.
• Robust and updated capital planning data.
• Improve communication between facilities, operations and IT teams.
• Big data is used for better analysis.
• Automated parts procurement process with industry-leading suppliers.
• Proactively protect medical devices and protect against cyber threats.

Conclusion

CMMS software offers many benefits to all industries, including healthcare organizations.

Maintenance tracking allows us to determine which assets require maintenance. Additionally, the software notifies the maintenance team of upcoming maintenance work and creates maintenance work orders.