Top 4 Takeaways from the ASHE Conference 2024 for Facilities Professionals

The annual ASHE Health Care Facilities Innovation Conference brings together Facilities professionals and the vendors that serve them each year for a few days packed full of connection, education, and looking ahead at pressing topics or challenges the industry is facing in the near future. 

As the FSI team returned from this year's conference in Anaheim, CA, we reflected on a few of the topics that surfaced on the floor and in sessions and what they mean for Facilities teams.

The rise of technology in the Facilities space

Across industries, the rise of newer and more advanced technologies is becoming increasingly apparent. As the healthcare facilities landscape evolves, the tools facilities professionals are using in day-to-day work must evolve too. 

Here's what we heard at ASHE on key areas of advancement in frequently-used tools:

• Mobile capabilities: Taking CMMS capabilities on the go is a priority – the accuracy and efficiency benefits of having access to tools while in the field are undeniable. 
• Streamlining of processes: Whether it be workflow automations, integrations with other tools, or easy ways to view data, the pressure to optimize processes is on. 
• Ease of use: Every tool has a learning curve, but those that make the user experience as straightforward as possible really shine in an industry with high turnover. 

Attention to these areas and adopting new platforms or processes to further develop them is more important than ever in keeping up with the level of efficiency and capabilities becoming the norm in the healthcare facilities space – those using pen and paper systems may need to consider adopting a new strategy for maintenance management.

Streamlined implementations are essential for keeping your teams on time and on budget

Success with a CMMS platform begins at the beginning, with the implementation process! One of the most important steps in adopting a new system is initial setup and training. Without an implementation that ensures your team is fully comfortable with the system and understands accessible features, how to utilize key tools to manage daily work, and how to get further support when needed, users can feel unprepared when it comes time to fully utilize their new software. Without this thorough training, users are left to search for more information on their own, leading to frustration and an avoidable waste of time and resources. 

Updating your CMMS is a big decision, and your vendor of choice should act as an extension of your team. In a recent case study with Penn State Health's Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, we learn from their Director of Facilities Operations and Maintenance the non-negotiable components that lead to a successful implementation. 

Compliance management in the face of shifts in standards

Staying on top of regulatory compliance benchmarks is on everyone's mind, especially in anticipation of changing standards. Keeping track of a facility's current status for key compliance areas and adjusting to updated metrics is tricky but can be made significantly easier with dedicated tools in your CMMS. 

Before compliance standards change is a great time to take stock of your compliance management process and make any necessary changes to enable a smooth transition. Consider your workflows in this area from start to finish – is your team typically on top of preventive maintenance to stay compliant, or is it relying mostly on reactive maintenance to fix issues after they happen? How are you keeping track of what has been completed versus what needs to be addressed? Is your CMMS helping keep things organized, or is it adding frustration and extra work?

Having access to tools like FSI's Compliance Dashboards (available to all CMS users) enables a more organized, less stressful approach to compliance management, with an organized and easy-to-understand overview of the status of each element that automatically update according to procedure results. Other solutions like eBinders take compliance management to the next level with searchable digital binders that save storage space, reduce time spent hunting down information, and automatically pull exactly what an inspector needs with the click of a button. 

Increased reliance on/expectations of data and reporting

Data and reporting are the sources of truth fueling several pieces of maintenance operations, including:

• Staffing and labor decisions
• Developing and defending budget plans
• Reliability Centered Maintenance strategies
• Asset management

These are just a few examples of where accurate, thorough data supports decision-making for Facilities departments. If reporting is clunky, data isn't trustworthy, or information is difficult to digest, it can be nearly impossible to keep a pulse on team performance and know where to focus optimization efforts.

Although this year's ASHE Conference has passed, the industry trends discussed and feedback heard from current FSI customers during our time in Anaheim add fuel to the fire behind FSI as we constantly look to innovate and adapt to the ever-evolving priorities of Facilities professionals. 

Want to learn more about the only CMMS purpose-built for, and by, Healthcare Facilities professionals? Explore the FSI suite of solutions and services or see our tools in action here.