Avoid the Reactive Model’s Inefficiencies and High Costs
One of the biggest challenges that facilities face is how and when to update equipment. This is particularly relevant in the healthcare industry, where the success of your technology is linked to patient and business outcomes.
Nonprofit research institution Battelle estimates that unplanned outages and equipment failures cost the healthcare industry $2.5 to $5 billion annually. Importantly, no facility wants to run the risk of equipment failure that would lead to hospital-acquired harm. The cost of liability associated with hospital-acquired harm, including infection or injury, is likely to be significant.
Compliance also motivates facility managers to keep up with equipment. Each health facility’s equipment, as well as infrastructure, is also held to strict standards for safety and performance. For example, hospital facilities that house critical environment HVAC solutions must be certain that the equipment they’ve purchased and installed from a critical environment manufacturing facility can meet compliance benchmarks for indoor air quality and more.
However, not all facilities act before a problem occurs. What can be done to help facilities develop a more proactive approach? What measures can be put into place to ensure team members are constantly aware of their facility’s condition?
Critical Environment Readiness
An October 2023 article from Health Facilities Management explains the dilemma facing the majority of healthcare facilities that have a reactive approach to their facility’s equipment. If they haven’t noticed any signs of disrepair, the equipment is typically left alone.
However, an important body for compliance standards, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has other thoughts on the matter, which is driving facilities to make proactive, as opposed to reactive, changes.
ISO 9001, a standard concerning quality management for facility systems, has found its footing in the healthcare industry, prompting facility managers to think more deeply about how they address equipment, and why.
ISO 9001 recommends a “plan, do, check, act” (PDCA) approach, which allows facilities to be proactive about their facilities. The Health Facilities Management article interprets this approach in the following way:
- Communication: If facilities were to have direct conversations about equipment condition and solicit feedback from those who interact with that equipment daily (including patients and colleagues) a far clearer picture of what needs to be done would come into view.
Limit redundancies: There is far too much overlap when making facility decisions. Facility managers should be relied upon to create efficient, streamlined processes that enable more action and fewer committee meetings.
Continue to grow: Health Facilities Management suggests that survey readiness is an area where a mindset shift must occur. They encourage facilities to shift from a proactive to reactive approach. Facilities should consider an evolving process, in which the team cycles through all equipment to provide maintenance and care before a problem occurs. Although unexpected challenges will still occur, the costs associated with a reactive approach are far greater than the proactive model.
How You Can Apply This Approach for Your Critical Environment
When it comes to a critical environment solution, such as an HVAC system, Health Facilities Management’s suggestions are highly relevant.
Here are three recommendations from AJ Manufacturing to ensure your facility has taken a proactive approach to quality management:
- Implement ISO 9001’s quality management standard, developing a clear plan as outlined in the article.
- When opportunities for installation or replacement arise, ensure you have a high-quality manufacturing facility, such as AJ Manufacturing, at the ready.
- AJ Manufacturing can help you select equipment, along with customizations, to ensure your cleanroom operates as planned. We can even provide troubleshooting on our products at the time of installation or whenever you need us.
AJ Manufacturing’s custom HVAC products ensure that a proactive approach to your critical environment is a success. We can cover all of your critical environment needs, including:
- Fan filter units (FFUs).
- HEPA and ULPA filters.
- Ceiling systems and ceiling grids.
- Diffusers.
- Return and supply grilles.
Partner with Our Critical Environment Manufacturing Facility for Facility Readiness
You want your facility to operate effectively. You want to ensure that your equipment supports your mission of providing exceptional services. AJ Manufacturing looks forward to supporting you in that goal whenever you need us.
Your proactive approach begins by choosing high-quality custom HVAC products. Our critical environment HVAC solutions are intuitively designed for high performance and reliability.
For an estimate on our critical environment solutions, contact Amy VanWagner, National Sales Manager, at amyvanwagner@ajmfg.us. You can also contact us online or call us at (816) 231-5522.