How do you know if your hospital equipment needs replacing? How do you know when to replace aging equipment? What should you look for in a replacement plan? How can you measure the asset utilization and determine whether it’s time for a replacement? This article covers the basics of equipment replacement planning. Learn how to create a Gantt chart to assess asset utilization. This is an essential component of healthcare equipment planning.
Costs involved in equipment planning
Healthcare organizations often face intense competition for scarce capital equipment dollars. As a result, healthcare equipment planners must fully understand the differences between the total cost of ownership and purchase price, which is the price paid to a supplier. The former represents the initial cost of acquiring the equipment, while the latter refers to the recurring maintenance and repair costs. Regardless of the method used to determine the total cost of ownership, hospital administrators must fully understand the impact of this cost distinction when determining equipment requirements.
New technology may improve patient outcomes, meet quality measures, and decrease costs. This new equipment often features faster and smarter capabilities, making them more effective and user-friendly. Moreover, unique equipment often integrates better with electronic health records, making them more convenient. B
Scope of equipment planning
The role of an equipment planner in healthcare projects involves the coordination and management of the selection of medical equipment. Their primary responsibility is ensuring that the selected equipment meets functional, regulatory, and budgetary requirements and is delivered on time and within the building program. Typically, equipment is categorized into groups (groups 1, 2, or 3). The scope of the job is wide and often entails the management of medical and non-medical equipment.
Equipment planning involves gathering information from stakeholders, including staff members, patients, or community members. Stakeholders may include the client, other project team members, or patients. Here are a few common types of stakeholder engagement in the equipment planning process. To make a project successful, equipment planners must thoroughly understand the intended end user’s needs and expectations.
Scope of equipment replacement planning
The scope of equipment replacement planning in healthcare is wide and varied. One example is the need for advanced surgical systems, but a single hospital organization might only need to replace a few thousand pieces. Other workhorses include wheelchairs and patient beds. B
To begin, healthcare organizations should develop a comprehensive plan to ensure enough equipment in their facilities. This plan should identify where a new piece of equipment is most needed and when it needs to be replaced. If the equipment has reached its asset life, it is essential to have a plan to keep it available. Many rural organizations cannot afford to keep spare parts in stock. A failure could prevent patients from receiving care. Leaders should plan for equipment failures and develop a contingency plan in case one piece of equipment fails. They may partner with another healthcare organization to provide a backup, or they may decide to discontinue that piece of equipment altogether. Whatever the case, replacement decisions should be based on the patient’s best interests.
Gantt chart
The first step in developing a Gantt chart is to define what you are trying to achieve. For example, if you are planning to purchase a hospital bed, a good Gantt chart will show you precisely what that bed will look like. A Gantt chart is a bar chart that illustrates the start and finishes dates of the summary and terminal elements that make up a work breakdown structure. Several commercially available versions of this chart, such as Gantt charts.
A Gantt chart is a way to show a project’s progress visually and is used to manage projects. The first Gantt chart was developed by a Polish engineer named Karol Adamiecki in the mid-1890s working in the steel industry. Adamiecki dubbed his invention her monogram, and he published several articles about it. Although Adamiecki may have been the first to use a Gantt chart in his work, it was not until the twentieth century that the concept became popular and began to be used in healthcare.
Checklist for equipment replacement planning
First, consider the impact on your facility’s performance. If the asset is no longer meeting its expected performance, it might be time to replace it. Consider your hospital’s patient volume. Are you planning to add or upgrade equipment? Then you’ll want to know the cost of an upgrade before you start planning for a replacement.
Secondly, you should record the current state of the equipment. Many facilities end up losing track of which equipment is in operation. Auditing the current state of equipment can simplify the maintenance process. Document all the parts that need replacement, average response times, and costs. This information can help you determine the best equipment replacement options. And you can update the list based on any changes in the equipment’s operation or maintenance. Lastly, a checklist should include your company’s goals, too.