Deaconess Gateway Hospital Drives Lean Six Sigma Initiative With STANLEY Healthcare's Asset Management Solution

Solution enables operational and capital cost reduction along with improved regulatory compliance of preventive maintenance

STANLEY Healthcare, a market leading provider of visibility solutions and analytics for the healthcare industry, recently announced an advanced deployment of its AeroScout Asset Management Solution at Deaconess Gateway Hospital. The Southern Indiana-based hospital has leveraged STANLEY Healthcare’s Real Time Location System (RTLS) technology to realize substantial savings in the management of critical equipment, including IV pumps and telemetry packs.

The solution was selected as part of a Lean Six Sigma project to improve the management of mobile assets. Deaconess Gateway Hospital recognized the strengths of STANLEY Healthcare’s RTLS solution to not only automate asset tracking but also as the foundation for a more efficient asset management process. “With asset tracking at our aid, we have the ability to deploy a centralized distribution system for equipment that allows the staff to quickly locate, service, and clean equipment,” says Beth Kroft, one of the hospital’s Lean Six Sigma Black Belts.

The solution also streamlines the preventive maintenance schedule for the hospital’s fleet of IV pumps and modules. Prior to the STANLEY Healthcare solution, the Biomedical team took at least 30 days to locate only 85% of the IV pumps on their preventative maintenance list. Now, in less than one week, they can find and perform maintenance on 100% of the pumps.

Deaconess Gateway Hospital is also using the solution to track telemetry monitors. In the past, the hospital had to rely on a written log of each monitor’s transmitter ID, the patient’s room and the name of the patient wearing the monitor. Information was often improperly updated, resulting in manual searches and repeated phone calls to locate equipment. In addition, the hospital suffered a steady loss of monitors that were accidentally thrown into the laundry or left the premises never to be returned.

“With real-time visibility into the location of these packs, the hospital no longer faces annual five-figure expenses related to accidental loss of its telemetry packs,” Kroft says. “Since implementing the STANLEY Healthcare solution at the end of 2013, the hospital has not had to purchase any packs due to loss, theft or accidental damage.” This equates to an annual saving of $17,400 for the hospital.

Given the proven, measurable success achieved with the STANLEY Healthcare solution, Deaconess Gateway Hospital is now exploring options for advanced data analytics, using location and usage data to help inform purchase planning and drive decision making about other assets.

About STANLEY Healthcare
STANLEY Healthcare provides over 5,000 acute care hospitals and 12,000 long-term care organizations with enterprise solutions that transform safety, security and operational efficiency. The STANLEY Healthcare solution set enables customers to achieve organizational excellence and superior care in five critical areas: Patient Safety, Security & Protection, Environmental Monitoring, Clinical Operations & Workflow and Supply Chain & Asset Management. These solutions are complemented by consulting, training, implementation and integration services. STANLEY Healthcare is proud to be part of Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. For more information, visit www.stanleyhealthcare.com.

About Deaconess Health System
Deaconess Health System is made up of six hospitals in Southern Indiana: Deaconess Hospital, Deaconess Gateway Hospital, The Women’s Hospital, The Heart Hospital, Deaconess Cross Pointe, and HealthSouth Deaconess Rehabilitation Hospital. Additionally, the health system includes Deaconess Clinic, a fully integrated multispecialty group featuring primary care physicians as well as top specialty doctors. Also included in the health system is a freestanding Cancer Center, Urgent Care facilities, a network of preferred hospitals and doctors, more than 20 care sites, and multiple partnerships with other community health care providers.

Deaconess is the premier provider of health care services to 26 counties in the tri-state area of southwest Indiana, southeast Illinois, and western Kentucky. We strive daily to achieve our mission of providing quality health care services with a compassionate and caring spirit to the community.