Crothall Momentum

Environmental Services–

Improving Indoor Air Quality

Healthcare organizations struggling with Indoor Air Quality (“IAQ”) know that there are cleaning systems that address this potentially hazardous environmental issue. Indoor air pollutants are usually two to five, sometimes a thousand, times higher than those found outside, causing complications for many patients and illness for healthcare workers. Crothall EVS Director Dave Rufo recently pilot tested GreenGuard Indoor Air Quality Certification at Jersey Shore Medical Center. GreenGuard Environmental Inspectors audited both the process and the products used in cleaning the medical center and awarded certification to the EVS Department. The program uses leading third-party standards for emissions to measure the effects of an entire cleaning process on the environment. It also looks for chemical interactions between cleaning products, addressing product misuse, a major cause of IAQ problems. This process will be available to Crothall client locations using green solutions.

Laundry & Linen–

Automation Improves Efficiency

Large laundry operations often present opportunities for increased efficiencies; however, without an automated system in place to capture the necessary data, it is often hard to tell what can be improved unless a time-consuming manual data collection and compilation system is in place. Recently, the Texas Medical Center Hospital Laundry installed a Spindle Direct Labor System and is saving approximately five man hours per day per lead worker in collecting data manually. The system has increased both employee productivity and morale by accurately measuring and documenting individual throughput and comparing it to a set standard. Workstation monitors provide real-time information and automated data collection and databasing. The Spindle Software is expected to provide for approximately 9% improvement in productivity at the facility within six months of installation, and so far, it is living up to that expectation.

Patient Transportation–

Piloting New Technologies

Transport gets a technological face lift with two innovative approaches to our services. First, two-way wireless communication devices are being piloted at Maryland General Hospital. The new devices allow the transporters to interact with the system to update their status without using a telephone. It also features “instant messaging,” providing two-way communication between transporter and dispatcher. In addition, it is more reliable since it does not depend upon a 3rd party paging system and the cost of the device can be amortized over the length of the contract. This eliminates monthly rental and service fees, offering potential cost savings. In other news, Crothall is researching Real Time Location System (RTLS), a technology that can reduce time trying to find specialized equipment when transporting specific types of patients and, if utilized for patient transport equipment, can minimize pilferage and replacement costs. These two technological innovations assist us in developing strategic alliances with our clients by increasing productivity and reducing costs.

Facilities Management–

We Do Conference Centers!

Some large healthcare facilities need a partner to manage and operate large conference centers, even some with hotel facilities. Crothall Facilities Management is able to provide the same quality facilities management and maintenance services for conference centers and hotels as they do in hospitals. Currently, in a new collaborative effort with sister food company Flik, facilities managers are guiding teams at the University of Texas and Tuskegee University in Alabama. In surveys of the conference centers, our teams discovered that a lack
of basic maintenance was causing temperature discomfort for guests, costly mold problems, leaks in the ceiling, overly hot showers, and even fire code violations. Crothall Facilities Management has since raised the bar for maintenance quality at both universities’ conference centers, earning the praise of both the Flik and university management teams, and creating happy conference attendees!

Clinical Equipment Services–

Collaborating for the Future

Keeping at the forefront of technology and continuous operational improvement are issues for every healthcare facility’s biomedical equipment department. Crothall’s Division VP Kevin Scoggin has impaneled two groups to harness the innovation and best practices of his CES teams. The TeamTrace Steering Group, chaired by Director Darin Hollis at UT-Tyler, is charged with driving continuous improvement with the form, function, and utilization of our core maintenance management software in cooperation with our CMMS vendor. The Operational Excellence and Standards Group, chaired by Director Peter Cheney at SW Vermont Medical Center, focuses on the development and review of CES operating policies and procedures, account standards of performance, and measures of excellence. Areas of concentration will be Operations, Human Resources, Performance Improvement, Safety, Fire Safety, Hazmat, MEM (Environment of Care), and Maintenance. The teams will assure the best ideas and practices are driving development of the division’s systems and standards.