Most healthcare facilities management (HFM) departments' top priority is to maintain a first-rate environment for patient care as well as the safety and security of both patients and staff. Managing healthcare facilities is becoming more and more vital, as well as more and more difficult, as the COVID-19 epidemic draws to a close and technology develops. 

The duties of facilities management are becoming more and more complex, whether it be preserving certification compliance or guaranteeing cybersecurity. Therefore, OfficeHelps today will widen your knowledge about facility management companies for healthcare.

Definition of “Healthcare Facilities Management”

Facility management is a corporate function that integrates people, location, and processes within the physical environment with the aim of enhancing both individual well-being and core company efficiency. The development, maintenance, security, and administration of a healthcare facility are all under the control of healthcare facilities management. This covers every facet of facility maintenance and includes any structure that offers healthcare services, such as clinics, long-term institutions, surgical centers, and hospitals.

In order to establish an atmosphere where the systems operate seamlessly from the parking lot to the executive suite, the combination of job duties supports the activities of each organization. Facility managers are responsible for ensuring that we have the safest and best experience possible by managing the procedures necessary for the success of the built environment.

Healthcare Facilities Management's Functions

The facilities management department, frequently referred to as HFM, is in charge of overseeing the operation, maintenance, and general security of healthcare facilities. This includes anything from managing significant construction projects and ensuring government compliance to routine cleaning, maintenance, and upkeep.

The six essential duties and tasks of managing healthcare facilities are as follows:

1. Taking charge of daily operations

Facilities managers' regular duties include:

• Establishing maintenance and safety policies
• Identifying the need for maintenance or upgrades
• Supervising new construction design
• Coordinating contractors to guarantee code compliance for construction and building repairs
• Monitoring the condition of medical supplies and equipment
• Ensuring adherence to laws and facility standards
• Performing routine evaluations of life safety and fire safety
• Performing inspections on HVAC, refrigeration, and medical gas systems
• Ensuring that security requirements are met by all structures
• Overseeing electrical engineering and utilities management
• Checking the cleanliness and organization of patient rooms, waiting areas, operating rooms, etc.
• Buying and setting up furnishings and equipment
• Building inspections to spot any current or potential structural problems
• Establishing and maintaining budgets for facility operations
• Dealing with outside vendors and service providers to negotiate service agreements
• Coordinating safety and cleaning campaigns at work

Although healthcare facilities management professionals may not individually handle each of these duties, they frequently act as the general decision-maker, manager, and overseer on a daily basis.

RELATED: healthcare operations: everything you need to know 

2. Regulation and Certification

One of the most important duties of any healthcare facilities manager is to maintain certification and building compliance, both of which are essential to the operation of any healthcare business. Facilities must be compliant with legislation like the Americans with Disabilities Act, and facility managers must oversee the ongoing maintenance of certificates and accreditations.

3. Providing a High-Quality Care Environment

Providing a secure and dependable Environment of Care (EoC) for patients is consistent with the objective of any healthcare facility. This refers to any hospital or medical facility where patients are treated, whether it be in an inpatient or outpatient setting. The main objective of the EoC is to give staff members and patients a secure and effective environment.

Regular inspections by healthcare facilities management teams are required to find and address any potential problems in and around healthcare institutions, including:

• Fire detection
• Energy Reserves
• Management of water
• Management of air

In order to create comprehensive EoC strategies and policies that promote the safety and wellbeing of patients, visitors, and employees, healthcare facilities management teams usually collaborate closely with hospital administration.

4. Project Management in Construction

Facilities management teams are highly involved throughout the construction process and are in charge of making sure that projects stay on schedule and within budget, even if they may not directly handle or lead building projects. Professionals who work in healthcare facilities are also responsible for managing capital plans for new facilities.

5. Upholding Security

Security continues to be a top priority for healthcare facilities management as a whole. For facility managers, this may entail overseeing:

• Access - refers to who has access to a medical facility.
• Real-time visual evidence of what is being watched, including with heat and foot traffic maps.
• Equipment Safety - Upholding patient data privacy and record integrity, including electronic medical records.

The demand for more cybersecurity is growing rapidly as healthcare facilities management turns more and more to technology and goes into the cloud. Hospitals are increasingly using the Internet of Things (IoT), so facilities management teams and IT are collaborating to develop cybersecurity plans that will ensure patient care data is protected from hackers who might use outdated equipment as a gateway into the organization's networks in order to steal sensitive patient information and research data, or to disable systems that could jeopardize the safety of facilities and equipment.

6. Preventive upkeep

Any team that does hospital maintenance will find it challenging, especially if the procedures used today follow a reactive maintenance policy. The healthcare facilities management team is able to manage routine maintenance before problems arise, lowering the number of requests they receive, increasing the life of their assets, and ensuring that equipment is operating at peak efficiency. It may also result in:

• Fewer equipment outages
• Increased patient and employee safety
• Increased labor productivity of maintenance personnel
• Increased equipment lifespan
• Lower operating and acquisition expenses

Additionally, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has granted authority to healthcare organizations to implement defensible alternative equipment maintenance (AEM) programs. These programs permit a healthcare facility to change the frequency of facility and medical equipment maintenance, inspection, and testing from that advised by the manufacturer based on a risk-based assessment made by qualified personnel. Providers can significantly save costs by implementing AEM programs without compromising overall patient care or safety.

Hospital facility management's "New Normal"

The upkeep of the facility and plant operations are important for patient and provider safety. In addition to ensuring compliance and security for any hospital, a top-notch facilities maintenance personnel that combines knowledge of patient care with technological solutions can assist in halting the spread of disease.

Hospital facility management leaders must face the harsh fact that there may never be a return to the previous normal while many companies aim for a quick return to "normal." The road to a knowledgeable, contemporary facilities management team is getting more difficult for many hospitals. Hospitals are increasingly confronted with problems that, at best, endanger their general functionality and efficiency and, at worst, jeopardize patient care. These problems range from declining margins to an aging workforce.

Diverse tactics are being used by healthcare organizations to overcome declining margins and growing expenses. The margins of many hospitals' businesses have seen cost and efficiency reductions. The organization and delivery of services may need to undergo a profound digital transformation in order to be sustainable over the long run.

RELATED: facilities services for healthcare 

Top 10 Facility Management Service Companies

OfficeHelps have created a list of the top facilities management solutions and service providers to assist the healthcare facilities management in improving its operational capabilities and fostering industry growth.

1. Commercial Fire - offer multi-site enterprises and organizations comprehensive Fire and Life Safety service and maintenance

2. Emerald Textiles - support healthcare businesses in cutting costs across the board without sacrificing care quality or patient pleasure

3. ABM Industries - with offices across the US and other countries, they are the top provider of facilities solutions

4. Aramark - provide experiences that nourish and enrich people's lives by offering cutting-edge cuisine, facility management, and uniform services

5. Compass Group - offer food and assistance services throughout five market segments

6. Ecolab - leading provider of services and products for water, sanitation, and infection control globally

7. ISS A/S - top facility management and workplace experience firm

8. Medxcel - combines the provision of healthcare facilities

9. Mitie - the top facilities management and professional service provider in the UK

10. Sodexo - a world authority on services that enhance quality of life

Healthcare facility management is still essential to giving patients the best care possible. Healthcare facility managers can support the transformation of healthcare organizations by overseeing cybersecurity initiatives or managing day-to-day operations. There are some useful explanations about healthcare facility management that OfficeHelps brings to you.

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