APPA

As part of the massive restructur- ing of multiple corporate entities, the university decided to centralize services to leverage administrative expenses. "Facilities management is a por- tion of that," says Becker. "erefore, methodologies for standardization and ongoing improvement of facili- ties operations and maintenance, planning design and construction, and compliance are rapidly being implemented. Part of the initial plan- ning for this transition was develop- ing a corporate-wide, service-level agreement, which included com- mitments to APPA service levels for maintenances and custodial services in the academic and research facilities, as well as prioritization levels that align with hospital expectations and service levels ac- cording to our healthcare-quality consulting firm's standards." RUNNING FACILITIES LIKE A BUSINESS Yet another challenge is the requirement to operate med-ed facilities more like a business rather than a not-for-profit. For example, Children's Heath reviews its financial numbers daily. "As a senior vice president," says Elvey, "I report directly to the CFO and am a member of the executive leadership team, which meets bimonthly, including three off-site strategic planning ses- sions a year." Children's Health is highly streamlined from an operating and governance standpoint, which translates into quicker decision- making and execution of projects than most educational insti- tutions could manage. Because it operates as a health system instead of a large public research university, Children's Health can plan, design, and construct a large-scale, complex healthcare capital project in two to three years. For traditional-ed universities, the complete life cycle for a similar capital project, from planning and budget development to approval by the university, governing boards, and the state, and through design and construction, could take 10 years or more. SAFETY AND SECURITY Although all colleges and universities emphasize safety and security, med-ed facilities maintain a deeper focus on quality of healthcare delivery (i.e., patient safety). orough, top-notch infection-prevention and control sys- tems are paramount in hospital settings, especially in pediatric healthcare. For example, all planning, design, and construction at Children's Health, as well as operations and maintenance activities, are carried out with this directive in mind. To reduce the risk of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), all renovation and construction projects in patient areas are conducted under barricades and in a negative pressure environment to prevent any possible contaminants from escaping the project site. "On a college campus in an educational setting, this level of attention was usually only reserved for certain activities such as asbestos abatement," says Elvey. "I have rarely experienced this level of concern on a traditional college campus." PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE According to Transparency Market Research, the medical education market is expected to reach $38.4 billion by 2024, driven by an expanding patient base, medical technology innova- Jefferson facilities leadership team. From left, Ed Sampey, Tom Becker, Doug Pastore, Kevin Donahue, Joe Byham, Frank Daly, Randy Hainas, and Clayton Mitchell. Student center, left, and alumni gym, right, at University of Kentucky. 14 MAY/JUNE 2019 FACILITIES MANAGER Courtesy of Thomas Jefferson University Courtesy of University of Kentucky

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