News

Improving Post-COVID Healthcare Facilities for the Next Emergency

8/13/2020

When the pandemic hit, facilities’ operations and emergency management plans had to be quickly adapted to the new disease. The crisis challenged hospitals to develop new approaches to manage population health and services when time, money and resources became scarce. As stay-at-home orders lifted and states began to reopen, some as early as mid-April, hospitals were faced with a “new normal” and a new task: What do we do now to continue fighting this pandemic, how do we ensure the health of our patients outside of COVID, and how can we be more prepared for the next crisis?

The Importance of FTEs for Pandemic Preparedness

7/1/2020

Full-time employees and contractors must be determined on an environment-by-environment basis. The larger a healthcare system is, the more complicated the method becomes to measure, but it is worth examining per building to have the right balance of employees. 

Healthcare construction management: Debunking myths

6/23/2020

Like all healthcare fields, the healthcare construction industry has its own set of myths. Let’s learn the truth and debunk four of the most common ones.

Industry Voices - 4 Healthcare Construction Management Myths Debunked

5/27/2020

Those who have never worked in the healthcare construction industry may have a few misconceptions and questions about the field. Is construction management an easy job? Do facilities management and construction management correlate?

Let’s separate healthcare construction fact from fiction, so you can set the foundation for your facility’s next project. 

How are sustainability trends impacting the healthcare market?

5/1/2020

Sustainability trends are bringing about changes for just about every industry, and the healthcare sector is likely experiencing some of the most. From more efficient buildings, to the better use of resources, to streamlined diagnostic and treatment methodologies, sustainability is affecting healthcare in lots of different ways. Hear from Medxcel's CEO and hospital leaders about the role sustainability plays in the healthcare industry.

Edge Mentoring Launches Work Development Program

4/9/2020

Indianapolis-based EDGE Mentoring announced the launch of its new development program, EDGE Work. The company says the program features a mentoring approach designed to improve the “whole-person development” of a company’s team members. It includes participants from several Indiana companies, including: California Closets, Elanco, KSM Consulting, and Medxcel, among others.

Common Myths in Healthcare Construction Management

4/2/2020

Every healthcare profession has its own set of myths, and the healthcare construction industry is no exception. Learn the truth about the four most common healthcare construction management myths: 

Common Myths in Healthcare Construction Management

3/25/2020

Every healthcare profession has its own set of myths, and the healthcare construction industry is no exception. Learn the truth about the four most common healthcare construction management myths.

Emergency Preparedness

2/27/2020

Institutional and commercial facilities of all types have to properly invest in effective planning, mitigation and preparation. When the emergency plan is activated, ensuring the protocols are current, efficient, and followed is the key to a successful outcome. Where should managers begin? Along with other emergency planners, they need to perform risk assessments that identify and prioritize the most likely potential threats, spotlight specific vulnerabilities and undertake upgrades to mitigate worst-case scenarios.

Infectious Disease Outbreak

2/18/2020

No matter what it is – coronavirus, flu, etc. – epidemics can strike at any time. Is your hospital ready? In this guest post, Scott Cormier, VP of emergency management, environment of care and safety at Medxcel, explains how you can keep your facility safe by preparing now.

Upgrade Opportunities to Improve Facility Resilence

2/9/2020

By identifying weaknesses in facilities and plans, managers can improve an organization's resilience in an emergency.

Industry Voices

1/15/2020

Managing Health Systems' Infrastructure can be a big job.  With this tech it doesn't have to be.  Designed to help healthcare maintenance teams carry out their jobs more efficiently, a CMMS lowers overall costs, maintains continual compliance and creates a culture of accountability amongst the organization.

Creating a culture that puts an end to Sexual Harassment in Healthcare

12/2/2019

The #MeToo movement has encouraged a wide range of industries that once looked at sexual harassment as "part of the job" to start taking steps to improve working conditions. Healthcare is among those industries that are not only finally recognizing the extent of the problem but looking for ways to prevent this behavior in the future. These tips can help you implement training and reporting that drive the incident rate to zero.

Environmental Sustainability: More process than progress

11/18/2019

Environmental sustainability is neither a fad or a trend, but a philosophy with roots and tentacles that have been – and will continue – burrowing deep into administrative, clinical, financial and operational planning. The questions linger about how deeply, how pervasively and how quickly?

Telehealth and its role in facilities management

11/12/2019

Over the past few years, telehealth has been gaining in popularity providing patients with access to the specialty care they need. In this guest post, Jason “JD” Duigou, CIO of a company that provides healthcare service support products, talks about the role facilities management plays in telehealth.

Establishing and maintaining compliance with vendors to provide the best care

11/5/2019

Working with vendors can be challenging. In this guest post, Larry Lacombe, VP of program development, support and FM compliance at a company specializing in facilities management, safety, environment of care, emergency management and compliance, tells you how to provide quality care while remaining compliant.

The Importance of a Computerized Maintenance Management System

10/29/2019

It’s no secret that maintaining a functional, safe healing environment can be a full-time job, after all, the maintenance team needs to be ready at a moment’s notice. To provide extra time for their team members, facilities across the U.S. over the last decade have been implementing a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) software intended to lower repair costs, ease work order management, boost productivity, meet compliance standards and increase daily efficiency while ensuring the hospital functions at its best.

Industry Voices - 10 Steps to workplace violence reduction in healthcare

9/30/2019

According to the American Institute of Stress, 25% of workers have felt like screaming or shouting because of job stress, and 10% are concerned about an individual at work who could become violent.

Unfortunately, these fears of violence are not unfounded, and in healthcare, it can be more than coworkers who become violent.

In Minnesota in 2014, a 68-year-old hospital patient attacked a team of nurses with a bar from the side of his bed. In Chicago in 2018, a hospital shooting left two innocent healthcare workers and a law enforcement officer dead, heightening healthcare leaders’ already existing fears about violence in the healing environment.

House calls are making a virtual revival.

8/21/2019

As healthcare providers, we know that telehealth allows physicians to deliver medical, health and education services by utilizing telecommunications and electronic information technologies. Telehealth supports long-distance communication through real-time video conferencing, remote patient monitoring or mobile alerts (such as targeted texts or mass notifications about certain disease outbreaks). Patients across the country can now connect to their doctors with the simple touch of a button.

10 Steps to Workplace Violence Reduction

7/17/2019

Workplace violence entails “any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation or other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site,” according to OSHA. With nearly 2 million American workers reporting that they have been victims of workplace violence each year, the time is now to act against this too-common occurrence.