Move Management and Hospital Transition Planning: 6 Key Elements to Keep in Mind

The significance of strategic sourcing when medical equipment planners are involved in a new construction project, is critical to its success. Delivering all the individual equipment components to the site at the appropriate time to coincide with the construction phases takes a concentrated amount of coordination between departments and suppliers, but consolidating those efforts with a single point-of-contact can serve to lower the margin for error.

“Too many times I’ve seen disconnects with the equipment planner and the transition planner, not to mention the facilities service contracts portfolio.  A true turn-key offering will cover all of these aspects and quarterback the project from the ground breaking to the ribbon cutting,” said Cindy Juhas, CSO, CME.

The 6 P Rule
A simple takeoff of an old adage remains true over the years: Proper Project Planning Prevents Poor Performance.  During the transition phase, space planners, equipment managers and transition planners analyze the scope of work and the logistics of what is necessary and critical to provide superior health diagnostics and treatment in a new facility without interruption of service.

There’s a distinct difference between transition planning and move management, says Healthcare Design Magazine: “Transition planning answers the ‘why and the how’ questions related to the use of the new space, while move management is critical to answering the ‘what and when.’  Transition planning services happen first and often phase into move management.”

Ideally, the transition phase begins 18 months prior to go-live (opening).  You’ll concentrate on the new layout and how furniture, equipment and peripherals and department-specific equipment will be arranged in the new facility.  Electricity and wiring, monitors and telephones will need to be considered.

Move management should begin 6-9 months before opening.  At this point, you’ll begin asset tagging, plan a move schedule that includes moving staff, and develop a “command center” and its activation.

6 Key Elements
There are numerous key elements to keep in mind during transition and move management; six of these include:

1. Moving current equipment

2. Ordering, taking delivery of, and installing new equipment

3. Individual department requirements (records management and storage, for example)

4. Federal guidelines for moving a hospital plus government inspection and local compliance requirements

5. Patient migration and uninterrupted service

6. Work processes

It is important to recognize that staff, accustomed to their own habits and procedures, will move into a newly designed facility or space with their current work processes, which are usually what the new design was intended to improve upon or avoid completely.

In order to successfully open a new healthcare facility, it is critical to create and test future state workflows that are consistent with the intended vision, culture, technology, best practices, and physical design.     - Terry Thurston, RN, BSN, MBA

You might also want to consider including the hospital staff’s suggestions and concerns in the proper online forum.  Your team will be asked questions like, “Which departments will move first?”  “How will we transition the Emergency Room service for walk-in patients who are not aware of the move?”  “What will happen to the ‘old’ hospital building?”

With over 30 years of knowledge-based medical equipment solutions, we at CME have set the customer service standard for medical equipment distributors.  Your account professional will ensure transition planning and move management for your new equipment is efficient and smooth with minimal down time.  Your equipment will arrive at the appropriate time, pre-assembled and pre-inspected; any problems are resolved before you receive shipment.

Call 800-338-2372, or contact CME if you have any questions or would like to learn more about our free project assessment for medical purchasing managers, buyers, and equipment planners.

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.