Rapid advancements in technology are shaping the future of healthcare facility management software. Along with robust Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) like MaintainX, healthcare industry leaders are experiencing improved maintenance efficiency, reduced equipment downtime, and enhanced patient experience and safety.
This post reviews three critical developments influencing hospital facility management: the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, and predictive maintenance.
1. Internet of Things (IoT) in Healthcare Facility Management Software
IoT is already playing a crucial role in healthcare facility management solutions. In much the same way that sensors attached to patients–think blood pressure cuffs, heart monitors, and oxygen sensors)–IoT asset condition monitoring and sensors capture the state of your machines and equipment.
IoT Sensors and Meters
These sensors send automatic notifications and alerts in real-time. As such, you get immediate visibility into asset functionality and utilization. Such asset management and equipment monitoring can increase efficiency, reduce downtime, and improve patient safety.
“Technologies such as smartphones and tablets continue to impact the use of CMMS software in hospitals. Phone and tablet capabilities allow technicians to collect information and provide updates, especially when working remotely. Interconnectivity is more important as technology stacks become more complex with a broader array of solutions.”
Health Facilities Magazine
Sensors and meter readings can strengthen your hospital maintenance program by allowing you to perform usage- and condition-based maintenance. However, it’s easy to miss a reading if you still rely on manual processes to schedule and assign work orders to collect meter readings.
Additionally, the seamless integration of CMMS and IoT enables predictive and proactive maintenance, ensuring the timely identification of potential issues and reducing the risk of equipment failure.
2. Cloud Computing and Healthcare Facility Management Software
Cloud computing continues to revolutionize the deployment and management of facility management software. Cloud-based CMMS solutions offer enhanced scalability, flexibility, and accessibility, allowing hospitals to adapt quickly to changing needs and requirements.
Moving your maintenance to the cloud offers significant benefits to the healthcare maintenance sector.
Centralized Platform
The cloud-based approach provides a centralized platform for managing and monitoring medical equipment and facilities, streamlining maintenance processes, and enhancing overall operational efficiency. In addition, by leveraging real-time data generated by IoT devices, healthcare providers can make data-driven decisions, optimize asset utilization, and minimize downtime.
Overall Equipment Effectiveness and Other Metrics
In MaintainX, measuring Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) helps eliminate waste, benchmark asset performance, and improve production efficiency. But, if you rely on paper logs or spreadsheets to track your asset downtime, it’s hard to get the accurate data you need to conduct proper downtime analyses and improve your OEE.
With downtime asset tracking in MaintainX, your techs can easily tag an asset as online or offline. In addition, techs can add the reasons for the downtime. Such data points provide a clearer view of your equipment status, giving you more accurate analyzable data to better identify the root causes of downtime.
OEE is just one of many maintenance KPIs and metrics. Key performance indicators (KPIs) are measurable benchmarks to evaluate our ongoing progress, both personally and professionally. Maintenance KPIs help us know where we’re gaining momentum, where we’re falling behind, and where we’re standing still.
Collaboration and Communication
Moreover, cloud-based CMMS and IoT systems enhance collaboration and communication between healthcare maintenance teams, ensuring critical information is easily accessible and shared across departments. By automating routine tasks, maintenance teams can focus on more strategic initiatives and contribute to improved patient care. Furthermore, data security and regulatory compliance are paramount in healthcare; cloud-based solutions provide robust security features and maintain up-to-date compliance with industry standards.
“On a grand scale, the IoT consists of billions of devices and sensors—such as across a supply chain—that transmit a continuous stream of data. For business leaders in every industry, access to better, more accurate, and real-time data enhances decision-making.”
Forbes
3. Predictive Maintenance in Healthcare Facility Management Software
Predictive maintenance (PM) is an advanced form of planned maintenance that monitors asset conditions in real-time. The proactive strategy relies on sensors that alert maintenance teams when preventive maintenance is needed to maintain optimal performance levels.
3 Goals of PdM
The goal of predictive maintenance is three-fold:
- Maximize uptime, improve reliability, and enhance productivity by reducing the number of unplanned breakdowns.
- Reduce operational costs by performing maintenance tasks before they become cost, labor, and time excessive.
- Extend asset lifespan by performing maintenance before equipment failures occur.
While many healthcare organizations use CMMS to automate preventive maintenance scheduling, predictive maintenance (PdM) is becoming increasingly important in healthcare facility management software. This technology leverages data analytics and machine learning to foresee equipment failures before they happen, enabling proactive maintenance that minimizes unexpected downtime.
Predictive maintenance (PdM) utilizes equipment data to inform routine maintenance decisions. Also called condition monitoring, PdM technology is the most advanced form of maintenance. First, machine learning technologies establish baseline patterns of “normal equipment operations.” Then, these key performance indicators are combined with complex algorithms to predict future performance issues.
Simply put, PdM uses advanced technology to remedy minor equipment problems before they become big, expensive ones.
QR and Barcode Scanning
Currently, CMMS software like MaintainX allows users to scan QR and barcodes to locate assets and maintenance history.
Gone are the days of matching QR codes to equipment via spreadsheets. These days, QR codes help you save money, keep track of assets seamlessly, and significantly reduce time on task.
Using QR codes with a CMMS in healthcare maintenance has several benefits, including:
- Time-saving: QR codes enable teams to quickly and easily access asset information, such as maintenance history, repair instructions, and safety protocols, without having to search for this information manually.
- Improved accuracy: With the codes, teams can be confident that they are accessing the correct information for a specific asset, reducing the risk of errors and accidents from using outdated or wrong information.
- Enhanced asset tracking: The codes allow for improved tracking of assets by helping teams quickly scan the code to access information about the asset, including its location, status, and maintenance history.
- Improved safety: The codes can provide access to safety procedures and protocols, reducing the risk of accidents and injuries during maintenance and repair activities.
- Reduced costs: By enabling maintenance teams to access asset information quickly and accurately, the codes can help reduce costs and downtime while increasing the life of assets by ensuring they receive proper maintenance and repairs on schedule.
Step into the Future of Healthcare Facility Management Software
By implementing a cutting-edge cloud-based CMMS solution, healthcare, and medical facilities can access real-time maintenance data, digitize information, generate insightful reports, monitor equipment status, maintain audit trails, collaborate across departments, streamline communication, decrease reactive maintenance, and boost efficiency and profits.
Implementing modern healthcare CMMS software enables your facility maintenance teams to:
- Collect real-time data about its operations for streamlined work order management
- Digitize information and eliminate version control issues and outdated data
- Generate KPI and metrics reports to analyze trends and implement continuous improvement. MaintainX provides instant visibility into critical facility maintenance metrics with custom dashboards.
- Monitor equipment status and respond rapidly to unplanned breakdowns
- Maintain an audit trail of maintenance work requests, work orders, and regulatory inspections
- Collaborate across departments and streamline communication
- Decrease reactive equipment maintenance, improve efficiencies, and increase profits
Let MaintainX Drive Your Healthcare Maintenance Management
With MaintainX, it’s easier than ever to ensure your meter readings are up to date. If you see a meter overdue to be read, you can create a work order directly from an asset’s detail page with the relevant procedure automatically attached. As a result, you can easily transition to more condition- and usage-based maintenance, increasing the efficiency of your PdM initiatives.
MaintainX is a Healthcare Facility Management Software accessible via the web and mobile app on the AppStore or Google Play. This user-friendly platform allows healthcare professionals to create checklists, add standard operating procedures, assign tasks, and log work orders, ensuring seamless facility management.
Check out MaintainX’s free basic plan and other pricing options.
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Caroline Eisner
Caroline Eisner is a writer and editor with experience across the profit and nonprofit sectors, government, education, and financial organizations. She has held leadership positions in K16 institutions and has led large-scale digital projects, interactive websites, and a business writing consultancy.
