In the healthcare field, a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) is not just a convenience; it’s an absolute necessity. CMMS allows hospitals to meticulously monitor assets in need of maintenance, ensuring their safe and efficient operation. It also empowers staff to effortlessly generate work orders, and compile lists of assets awaiting preventive repair and maintenance. CMMS can help health systems plan out their equipment lifecycle and gain valuable insights. How far can it go with RTLS?
The Missing Link: Limitations of conventional CMMS
While CMMS enhances hospital asset management, there is a critical piece of the puzzle that remains absent in many of these systems: comprehensive information regarding the real-time location and status of equipment. CMMS might display the department to which a specific piece of equipment is assigned, but it does not provide any extra information that is beneficial to ground staff. This is further exasperated when the level of detail falls short when it comes to quickly and effectively locating and retrieving the equipment when needed. The absence of this information can trigger a long and consuming game of “hide-and-seek,” consuming valuable hours in labor costs.
Considering the dynamic nature and intensity of hospitals, it’s rather surprising that numerous CMMS systems have yet to integrate with Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS). CMMS systems were initially borne to optimize efficiency and uphold robust management protocols, but its effectiveness is significantly hampered when equipment location remains a constant challenge for ground staff.
Enhancing CMMS with RTLS integration
Many hospitals, after grappling with this persistent challenge of poor equipment management and its ever-increasing labor costs, have taken a bold step to optimize their health operations. They have chosen to “supercharge” their CMMS systems by incorporating RTLS systems. Through this integration of RTLS data with CMMS, they have achieved substantial savings in labor hours and staff members can now quickly locate equipment due for preventive maintenance. This seamless integration thereby enhances staff productivity and key performance indicators. Furthermore, hospitals mitigate the risk of missed maintenance, which could cause costly downtime of equipment halting patient operations.
Perhaps even more critically, an AI-RTLS-enabled CMMS opens the door to even operational possibilities such as real-time location information, equipment insight, predictive information, and much more. Staff can instantaneously locate and remove malfunctioning or recalled equipment, reducing potential hazards.
Maximizing ROI: A win-win for Efficiency and Safety
By infusing your CMMS system with RTLS-based intelligence, your healthcare organization can secure a substantial return on investment while cultivating a safer environment for your patients and staff. The fusion of CMMS and RTLS isn’t just a technological enhancement; it’s a potent catalyst for efficient healthcare management and elevated patient safety that puts your best foot forward when it comes to patient care.