By Healthcare Facilities Today

Many health facilities managers would like to be better at getting depreciation dollars to fund maintenance and infrastructure capital renewal. Gaining access to this funding usually means being more successful at selling the maintenance mission and requires a multifaceted approach, according to an article on the Health Facilities Management website.

Facilities managers need to be able to produce and present sophisticated but brief financial analyses based on all of the facts relating to the facility infrastructure and risks associated with its condition, the article said.

An effective tool to help facilities managers in budget negotiations is historical and current facility infrastructure data. This includes the ages and condition of the physical plant's major equipment, useful life compared with years in service, availability of spare parts, past operational history and other considerations, the article said.

According to the article, it is often helpful to relate specific components and systems to the areas that they serve, such as the operating rooms, critical care units, emergency department and imaging facilities. Photos or tours of existing infrastructure that is in poor condition or other weak links are a plus. Facility condition assessments can establish the current infrastructure status. The assessments can include equipment age, equipment failure histories and repair or replacement costs.

Many facility managers are dealing with ongoing under-budgeting that results in deferred maintenance, so a master list of all deferred maintenance can be a useful tool in future budget discussions, the article said.

Read the article.