In today’s hospital setting, missing mobile medical equipment is a widespread problem. Nursing teams and biomedical teams can’t find equipment, which not only impacts the timeliness but also the safety of patient care.
Hospital executives typically look to resolve perceived equipment shortages by purchasing more equipment. However, the equipment they already have is likely underused: the average asset utilization rate is 30 to 40%.
Real-time locating systems (RTLS) provide a remedy to this problem with asset tracking and management - one of the most common and helpful use cases for the technology. RTLS offers a bird’s-eye view of where tagged equipment is in the hospital, and it allows staff to proactively manage inventory levels in different areas or on different floors.
RTLS for asset management brings benefits to many different roles and teams across the organization. Here are six reasons why healthcare organizations choose to invest in RTLS:
1. It drives higher equipment utilization with reduced inventory
RTLS allows hospitals to get more out of the equipment they already own, simply by providing visibility to asset locations. This means fewer devices to purchase, no bloated inventory, and fewer service contracts.
2. It addresses demand across multiple departments/facilities
Midmark RTLS Asset Tracking + Management allows staff to set PAR (Periodic Automatic Replenishment) levels for different units in the hospital. Units can choose the level of inventory they need to operate efficiently, and RTLS monitors the inventory, providing alerts when the number of assets falls outside of the selected range, or PAR levels. This allows each unit to proactively assess demand.
3. It enables better asset and rental inventory management
If your facility rents mobile medical equipment, using RTLS for asset management may allow you to reduce equipment rentals and operate with a smaller (but more highly utilized) fleet. When each piece of equipment is used to its fullest potential (see #1), less equipment is needed.
4. It improves caregiver satisfaction and productivity
On average, caregivers spend 30 minutes each shift searching for equipment to provide patient care. By proactively replenishing units with the help of PAR level alerting, caregivers will have the equipment they need where they need it, when they need it, with no searching necessary.
If your facility isn’t ready for a proactive equipment replenishment system, RTLS still provides a significant benefit through real-time visibility: it helps caregivers find equipment quickly, minimizing delays to care.
5. It helps achieve the Joint Commission’s standard of 100% preventive maintenance (PM) completion
When equipment is nowhere to be found, an expectation of 100% PM compliance seems impossible. With RTLS, biomedical technicians can easily locate equipment to perform maintenance and ensure continuous uptime. Asset locations can even be integrated into your health system’s Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), so there’s no need to look outside the work order to locate equipment.
6. It improves patient care
Last (and perhaps most important), RTLS can reduce delays to patient care. Caregivers have (or can easily find) the equipment they need—and that equipment is safer and well-maintained. Timely, attentive care increases patient satisfaction, which can result in a better experience for both patient and caregiver.
Want to learn more about using RTLS for asset management? Download Midmark's eBook “How to Eliminate an EAE (Evasive Asset Epidemic)”.
CME Corp is proud to partner with Midmark to provide RTLS solutions to our customers. Contact your local Account Manager to learn more or visit our website!
About CME: CME Corp is the nation’s premier source for healthcare equipment, turnkey logistics, and biomedical services, representing 2 million+ products from more than 2,000 manufacturers.
With two corporate offices and 35+ service centers, our mission is to help healthcare facilities nationwide reduce the cost of the equipment they purchase, make their equipment specification, delivery, installation, and maintenance processes more efficient, and help them seamlessly launch, renovate and expand on schedule.
About Midmark: Midmark helps physicians and care teams deliver exceptional patient care with better equipment, smarter workflows, and integrated technology. Midmark Corporation is the only clinical environmental design company that enables a better care experience for the medical, dental and animal health markets.
With more than 1,800 teammates worldwide, Midmark focuses on harmonizing clinical space, technology and workflows for caregivers and patients at the point of care.
