Hospitals and Healthcare: Phelps County Regional Medical Center Streamlines Workflows

Business Challenge – Outdated Software Couldn’t Keep Up the Pace

PCRMC’s previous computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) was difficult to navigate and was overwhelmed by the number of requests for assistance.

“User-friendliness was a big problem,” according to Patricia Broaddus, Administrative Assistant for PCRMC Plant Operations. “The previous system was outdated and couldn’t handle the volume of what we entered into it.”

Users from across PCRMC would enter work requests, which automatically printed in the Plant Operations department. Patricia and her boss were greeted each morning by piles of paper to sort through and prioritize. Scheduling preventive maintenance proved difficult as well. With an average of over 500 work orders per month, PCRMC had to find a better way.

Key Concerns

• User-friendliness; unable to handle work order volume
• Work orders automatically printed; excessive paper
• No way to prioritize work orders
• Difficult to schedule Preventive Maintenance

SOLUTION – Streamline Workflow with MPulse

To improve their workflow management, PCRMC implemented MPulse v7 Gold Edition. This full-featured edition of MPulse offers a complete array of basic services, including PM Scheduling, Work Order Management, and Basic Inventory Control. It also includes advanced features like Service Request Management, Vendor Management, and Advanced Inventory Tracking.

In addition, the Gold Edition provides a robust Maintenance Advisor Dashboard, Cost Center Budgeting and Tracking, and Unlimited Custom Tabs and Fields. PCRMC also added additional advanced features to supplement their Gold Edition implementation, including Inventory Clerk with Barcode Scanning and additional MobileWorks licenses for smartphone users.

As the primary MPulse user in the department, Patricia prioritizes work requests from users, ensuring that patient safety and satisfaction remains the primary focus. Users easily enter work requests online and Plant Operations management can efficiently review each task before assigning it to a technician.

“The Director knows what our technicians are doing, and vice versa,” Patricia says. “Our technicians know that our Director has seen the work order and assigned a priority to it. It really streamlines the workflow.”

BENEFITS – Saves Time, Saves Money, and Enhances Security

PCRMC has significantly extended the capabilities of its Plant Operations department with MPulse. Along with improving their workflow, the department has experienced numerous additional benefits.

Asset History Saves Time

According to Patricia, MPulse helps PCRMC manage assets extremely well. “We can access an Asset History, which helps us with budgeting. We can also review expense trends from previous years, such as for filter replacement, to help us determine how much to budget for the upcoming year.” Patricia estimates that MPulse reduces time spent managing and tracking assets by 20%.

Vehicle Expenses Easily Managed

PCRMC also uses MPulse to keep track of vehicle expenses, as well as the need for vehicle replacement. “We can go to our Board and show them the amount that we are putting into a particular vehicle each year, which we can then use to justify requests for replacements,” says Patricia.

Long-range planning in other areas is easier for Plant Operations Management with MPulse. “We spend about 10% less time on long-range budget planning with the information MPulse provides,” she says.

Key and Lock Control Improved

Key and Lock management is a major concern for PCRMC.

“We have 834 different keys to manage, along with tracking how many employees need to have a particular key,” according to Patricia, “We’ve gone from around 1300 employees a few years ago to nearly 2000 now.”

Before implementing the MPulse Key and Lock Management module, Patricia used a box of index cards to track keys. “It was a pretty big box,” she laughs, “and there was no way to gather information if anyone had a question about keys.”

MPulse worked with her to customize the Key and Lock Management module to meet PCRMC’s particular needs. All employees are listed in the module, allowing Patricia to determine which areas a particular employee can access.

“It’s greatly increased our capabilities,” she says.

Biggest Benefit – A Partner Who Listens

The primary factor that has made PCRMC a satisfied customer for twelve years is a simple one: “MPulse really listens to their customers,” Patricia says.“The technical support they offer means everything to us. Regardless of the issue, there’s always someone who can solve it. They have gone out of their way to help us. I’ve recommended MPulse to several other providers, and have brought them in to show them how we use MPulse to manage our workflow.”

“I’m very proud of what we’ve been able to do with MPulse,” Patricia adds. “We keep a tremendous amount of information in the system, and the reports I can pull from it are pretty amazing. It helps us do things we could never do before. It’s a wonderful system, and is completely user-friendly. On a one-to-ten scale, I give MPulse an eleven.”

Company Bio

Phelps County Regional Medical Center (PCRMC) is a 242-bed hospital serving Rolla, MO, and the surrounding area’s more than 250,000 residents. It includes more than 20 affiliated clinics and medical groups across the region, and has experienced substantial staff growth over the past decade, with over 1500 employees and 100 physicians currently on staff. Roughly 30 maintenance, repair, and operations employees work 24/7/365 at PCRMC, handling over 500 work orders per month.

Company Profile

• Industry: Hospitals & Healthcare
• Employees: 1500
• Opened: 1951
• Population Served: 250,000
• MPulse Solution: MPulse Gold Edition