New mergers and acquisitions are announced daily in the healthcare industry, and as these healthcare networks grow, so do the challenges to create and communicate facility standards across the systems.
The February issue of Building Operating Management magazine takes a look at one such system — Ascension Health, the nation’s largest non-profit healthcare network. In 2006, Ascension created a central facilities group to manage capital projects nationwide. Since then the role of the Facilities Resource Group has expanded so “it is a repository for facility data, and it maintains standards, best practices, and lists of preferred vendors, architects, engineers and consultants.”
The article highlights the particular success the group has had devising a plan so facilities projects are not competing for capital funds with clinical projects.
According to BOM, the group created a Facilities Infrastructure Pool into which Ascension sets aside between $30 million and $50 million to be used on facilities projects annually. Facility managers across the healthcare network can submit project proposals for funding.
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