From kickoff to go-live, the implementation of the project took less than one month to set-up and deploy. Since then, the results have been compelling:
• Time savings. Now with the comprehensive RTLS solution providing infusion pump status, Biomedical Engineering staff can easily find devices even when they are hidden in utilities closets. It also makes it possible to avoid wasting time looking for devices when they are in use with patients. The time saved for
Biomed labor alone amounts to cost savings of about $21,000 a year. In addition, nursing personnel now spends less time searching for infusion devices. They can easily locate the closest available pump in the MobileView dashboard for greater efficiency.
* Subject to internet connection, devices’ variability and selected setting
• Better performance with more efficient preventive maintenance. Understanding the significant investment in infusion devices, Saint Francis realized BD Alaris Asset Management would be a particularly useful tool to help protect their investment. With the implementation of the RTLS solution, Saint Francis has achieved a yearly 100% preventive maintenance performance on over 800 devices with only two FTE biomedical engineers across a 1.1M-square-foot facility.
• Achieve 100% device remediation. Saint Francis has embraced their integrated RTLS solution to minimize disruption for staff and patients when device remediation is required. Knowing the device location and status
has had a tremendous impact on the speed and efficiency of device collection. During these efforts, the technicians were able to find and remediate 100% of the affected infusion devices within the five-day contract period—which had never happened before. Prior to the integrated solution, techs took a top-down manual approach, searching floor by floor and in every
room, including occupied patient rooms. An incomplete remediation of the devices often left the staff at Saint Francis responsible for sending the remaining devices back to the manufacturer—a time consuming and inconvenient process. Using data collected by MobileView, techs can strategically plan device pickup by only focusing on infusion devices with the status of Not-In-Use or OFF and skipping In-Use pumps to avoid disrupting patient care, while ensuring 100% remediation completion.
• Faster drug library updates. The new fleet and integrated solution have fueled cross-functional collaboration across the hospital. That, in turn, has empowered Saint Francis to transform the way it updates the drug library data set on the infusion devices. Prior
to the new solution, the hospital would spend up to a full year completing drug library updates to all infusion devices. With visibility to device location and infusion status, Saint Francis can now accomplish 100% of the drug library updates in as little as three weeks.
• Loss prevention. Saint Francis has been able to prevent losses before they occur on some of their most critical devices. The hospital uses STANLEY Healthcare’s RTLS inventory shrinkage control application to monitor device location and automatically alert staff if equipment enters strategic egress locations—namely, hospital exits and trash chutes. Saint Francis staff has retrieved devices from the trash and ambulatory units, resulting in cost savings of at least $60,000. In addition, Saint Francis’ infusion device management enables the hospital to monitor device location and utilization so it does not overspend on rental equipment.
In short, Saint Francis is a pioneer for its infusion device management with BD Alaris Asset Management with STANLEY Healthcare—transforming rich information into meaningful change across the organization.