Of the healthcare executives who responded to a recent Trane survey, 96% said they believe that a hospital’s physical environment directly affects quality of care.
Their opinion is supported by researchers at The Center for Health Design who analyzed hundreds of independent studies before concluding that hospitals that effectively control and monitor temperature, humidity, indoor air quality, and other environmental factors consistently outperform facilities that do not.
Hospital facilities directors play a vital role in counseling C-level executives on ways to improve and sustain the performance of hospital buildings as a strategy for achieving patient care, operational, and financial objectives, and helping the organization achieve its overall mission.
Today’s best high-performance hospitals rely heavily on advanced building technologies and software that improve facility performance, conserve natural resources, and reduce operating costs while creating a better indoor environment for patients, staff, and visitors.
(See the end of this article for a sidebar on how a physical environment of care study is a good way to identify improvement opportunities.)
System and software innovations drive building performance
High-performance hospitals take full advantage of advanced technologies and software that automate routine processes and equip hospital staff to make knowledge-based decisions.
Advanced, Web-enabled building automation system (BAS) technology is a good example. Thanks to the adoption of industry-wide interoperability standards, facilities professionals can automate, monitor, and control many formerly independent building systems remotely using their facility’s BAS capabilities. Facilities teams can manage major systems in multiple buildings or even on multiple campuses from a single, central location.
The BAS is also an important tool in the early phases of conducting an energy or critical systems audit, which includes gathering as much information as possible about the hospital’s energy use and the performance of key building systems. An audit can help hospital leaders understand their energy use and identify and prioritize potential energy conservation measures.
In concert with the BAS, today’s best energy management software provides a hospital with unprecedented capabilities to reduce energy consumption, operating costs, and environmental impact. New software options include Web-based applications that are hosted by an energy services provider, reducing both software acquisition costs and demand on the hospital’s information technology infrastructure.
Energy reporting software lets users collect, analyze, and compare energy-consumption data across multiple buildings, units, or floors and over periods of time. Comparisons can also be made against best-in-class industry benchmarks for comparable buildings.
State-of-the-art financial analysis tools include sophisticated rate engines that enable users to continuously compare actual energy consumption to historical usage rates and budgeted amounts. Sophisticated rate engines automatically evaluate available rate options and take advantage of less expensive utility rates, such as off-peak or time-of-day rates.
Software also can help facilities directors allocate energy costs to various users, including multiple tenants in a medical building. Features that report, analyze, and track energy use data are also valuable for facilities directors looking to justify investments in energy conservation measures or to launch hospital-wide conservation and awareness initiatives.
These kinds of capabilities have become more important in recent years with rising energy costs and increased focus on energy conservation and environmental stewardship, which makes the adoption of a high-performance hospital approach even more appealing. Studies show that hospitals use more energy than any other type of structure, according to the National Institute of Building Sciences.
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