Managing any area of a healthcare facility is challenging enough. Add to that a hospital expansion project and managers are going to have to draw upon their own positive personal attributes to manage and succeed in this complex endeavor. It is helpful to have professionals in the industry to aid in streamlining the necessary workflow and optimizing the equipment delivery tasks to support it.
Procurement Strategy
We recognize that it is difficult for managers to accomplish daily responsibilities with the additional duties of an expansion project. O’Neal Engineering recommends that every piece of equipment that needs to be ordered and delivered should be assigned to one facility Procurement Lead and regularly reviewed.
This single point of contact will coordinate ordering and delivery between departments and suppliers, and work closely with the persons responsible for overseeing each department’s equipment delivery and installation. “If done properly," they say, "the team will account for equipment delivery first (as this usually has the greatest impact on overall project schedule).”
Risk Assessment
If you are cognizant of the difficulties and risks involved in a major, physical expansion project, you can take steps early to reduce and prevent construction fallout like noise pollution and visual stressors as well as maintain patient and staff safety.
The Logistics Plan
To successfully implement your facility expansion project, your leadership team definitely needs two very important things: planning and patience. Your primary goal is, of course, a smooth transition, but the overall plan revolves around being able to continuously provide uninterrupted patient services. There are many factors that will make this project successful, and three key actions for your facility expansion include:
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Making the community aware of and involved in the project
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Conducting a thorough equipment inventory
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Coordinating equipment delivery to effectively work with your expansion project timeframe
Number 3 is critical, and your equipment supplier(s) should be eager to stage deliveries and set-ups to maximize workflow management. O’Neal suggests the leadership team devise a procurement strategy and logistics plan that takes you from equipment needed to equipment delivery and installation.
Direct-to-site delivery is a service that allows you to avoid the confusion of equipment delivery and set-up. You’ll work with your own single-point-of-contact supplier who will assist in procurement by helping you order, and then your supplier will handle delivery, assembly and installation of the equipment.
We at CME have worked with numerous facility expansion project leaders to ensure that equipment procurement – and especially delivery – is easier and “non-invasive” to the patient care environment. We have over 30 years of creating and implementing medical equipment solutions for healthcare facilities of every size. The recent merger of Claflin Medical Equipment, Hospital Associates and RSI serves only to increase our geographic capabilities and further enhance customer service. That union of strength, coupled with a higher standard for customer satisfaction, is why our clients include us in new-build or expansion planning at the beginning of the project.
With Direct-to-Site delivery service, your medical equipment will be pre-inspected, pre-assembled, and we’ll handle any problems before delivery. And delivery will be timed to meet your needs, not ours. Contact your account professional at CME for more information about our free project assessment for facility leadership teams.
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.
