Health Care : Current Reviews

Strategic facility management data planning for futuristic processes in hospitals

5^th International Congress on Healthcare & Hospital Management

December 03-04, 2018 | Rome, Italy

Monica Anand

Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Health Care Current Reviews

Abstract:

Statement of the Problem: With the implementation of Swiss DRG, the hospital environment has become very competitive. Hospitals are now under immense pressure to cut costs by streamlining their processes to deliver high-quality care services. Teisberg (2007) suggested that healthcare should now focus on increasing value for patients in order to stay competitive. This requires the facility management (FM) to be increasingly involved in decision-making process. For the core business to meet its strategic objectives, a well-defined FM strategy is needed that understands the core business and supports it in new construction projects and futuristic processes by providing reliable data and key figures during the planning phase. But, the challenges that the hospital face today is that the FM data currently available is unstructured and unreliable and only relevant to current status of affairs. The study aims to clarify the need for developing an information platform to support the futuristic non-medical process in Swiss hospitals. In the process, it tries to answer the question - What are the challenges in developing an information platform for futuristic services in a hospital undergoing transformation? Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: The approach used for the study is case study and literature review. Findings: The study indicated that by creating a reliable information platform with key FM data is indispensable for a hospital. Moreover, using a data-driven approach to FM, non-medical support services can be well planned with minimal wastage. However, there are some challenges to be addressed. Conclusion & Significance: Creating an information platform with FM data requires a structured approach. A clear definition of the new FM concept followed by logical estimations of what sort of FM data is needed. Recommendations: Use of intelligent software that can search through data for patterns, offer possibilities of increasing efficiency and reducing costs in HC.

Biography :

Monica Anand has completed her Master’s in Facility Management from the ZHAW Institute of Facility Management and is currently pursuing her PhD at the ZHAW Institute of Facility Management (IFM) in Switzerland in collaboration with Liverpool John Moores University (JLMU). She also holds a Bachelor and Master degree in Biotechnology from India. Her master thesis focused mainly on vested partnership in FM, where she attempted to understand soft elements such as trust, collaboration, communication and relationship management between buyers and suppliers, wishing to work towards mutual gains in FM. Currently, she is employed as a Research Assistant under the competence group hospitality management and is actively pursuing her PhD under the broader theme FM in Healthcare. The focus of her PhD is to understand how vested or collaborative contracts can help facility management in swiss hospitals to function efficiently.

E-mail: monica.anand@zhaw.ch