HERE TO SERVE YOU!

 

RemTecH Associates LLC has been in business since 2013 and during that time we have made every effort to share our several suggestions to architectural firms, design groups, and facilities we have worked with. Best Practices, Carbon Footprint Designing, and Lean Designing is not enough to fix the problems experienced today in Health Care; neither is depending on GPOs to manage your inventory levels for JIT demands! 

Being a consultant can be very difficult at times; especially one that can only offer 43+ years in Material Management / Design Management Engineering - as an employee. In addition to this, we have worked with two Materials Management Design Groups for several years and saw gaps. In 2013 we decided that "one-size-doesn't-fit-all as most other consultants offer and struck out on our own to prove that -- each facility "must be looked at uniquely" because your problems are unique to your site. We have offered helpful suggestions through our BlogSpot, on our website, and /or sent out numerous emails to CEOs and others that would allow them to address our current situations in Health Care. 

Health Care will be reaching a critical pointing at the end of this year (2025), as to whether to continue down the same road by reinstating Obama Care, which has been a failure or start by trying new avenues not yet explored. There are those who wish to modify what is in place now, but to truly fix Health Care - facilities must take control of their own future and stop others thinking they know what they are doing to fill this gap.

Inventory Management, alone with a different approach in designing how each facility maintains the levels must start at the project phase. Normally, during designing, inventory is not discussed; only to find out later it should have. 30-40% of all annual lost to a facility's revenue comes from inaccuracies in their inventory level - billing incorrectly the patient - and poor inventory designing. We have tried to share such information and have outlined numerous steps to take within our website information - including a "free-assessment" to get them started. Even offering our services free - facilities would rather continue losing funds and blaming others for the lost. We don't know what else to do to help, but this street must be a two-way one to fix today's problems.

We are commended to Health Care in finding the best solution for your facility to again allow you to meet your patient needs, increase your profit margins, and better serve. All we ask is - contact us to discuss "your future."  We are here to help, but you need to make the first step ... 

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OWN YOUR FUTURE NOW!

 

Facilities Operations and Critical-Design-Requirements!

The future of any facility requires that – “your facility must own their Supply Chain and that begins with how you design your facility.” For numerous decades most, if not all facilities, have been told – “I have your back and what we offer will save you money when you purchase your materials using GPOs.” This has made most facilities very lazy with untrained staff. 

The following potential drawbacks should be considered and why such contracts can soon become very challenging. Such conversations are not discussed but all too soon your soon realize there really is not a cost savings and you are limited to the choices to purchase. These are just a few:

• Limited Product Choices – in a complex ecosystem of procurement, organizations are constantly faced with critical decisions for acquiring medical supplies and services in a cost-effective manner. Choice is primarily limited within the GPO system and therefore, price controlling to only purchase certain manufacturer goods are in play. Independent purchasing of goods has always led to competitive pricing, but it is easier – according to the GPOs to allow them to develop and maintain that negotiation point.
• Pricing Disparities – most knows about the concept of “wholesale” vs “retail” purchasing. The GPO needs to negotiate pricing from suppliers in a manner to allow their profit margin to be maintained. Simply, purchase low and sell higher to the facility is common. A band-aid costing $0.05 now cost $1.00/per unit, thus driving up the cost to the next level – the patient who requires such products.
• Conflict of Interest – in addition to pricing disparities, we must talk about conflict of interest. Typically, the GPO negotiates product that only serves to better their bottom line and not what is good for the facility they are selling to. This profit margin and potential mark-up, again increases per cost and decreases the quality chosen. GPOs often receive fees or rebates or suppliers but not pass those saving to the end-user. This financial only relationship builds loyalty between GPO and suppliers and not those who they are in business to support – the end user.
• Compliance and Transparency Issues – compliance normally reflects “those who write the rules and truth has slowly become questionable in many areas.” Therefore, transparency reflects “what they want to tell.” Their made purpose is making money, even at the expense of those developed partnership that suggests a better outcome for the end-user. Because of this condition: limited customization is available, membership fees become a moving target, and quality of goods purchased become the downfall through built in short-cuts experienced. This complexity can make it difficult for hospitals to navigate compliance requirements at the same time - ensure they are adhering to contractual obligations, which lessens quality at the same time increased cost.

What not discussed – It soon was realized, during COVID -- the reality of Supply Chain limitations soon appeared, and many today have not learned anything from such shortages. The only way to minimize and increase your operation is “own your own inventory levels and take back control over your future” and that begins at both the CEO and staff level through better communications in designing. Warehousing of inventory is a must, and you need a professional to help you and your staff "man-up" to meet the demands now yet discovered to see true savings; not to mention better efficiency.

There is hope that will allow your facility to regain ownership of products used and the first step is designing your system better and, that begins during project-phasE-DESIGNING. 

Tomorrow is but a promise! It will take a partnership you can trust that will lead you forward - to fix both todays and tomorrows problems. 

Contact us to discuss and allow us to partner with you!

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CLIMBING HIGHER TO THE NEXT LEVEL #3

NEWSLETTER #3

There have been many projections offered by different groups as to where Healthcare is heading in the coming years, but if anything is certain, we all need to have a serious decision as to our Nation’s Supply Chain. If we continue headfirst on our current path and not fix the real problem, most certainly there will be another event, just around the corner, similar to what happened during COVID-19 that will shut everything down once more. The one question on everyone’s lips - have we truly learned anything from past or are we simply slated to repeat them again? Problems that simply will not go away:

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• Designing facilities to withstand disruptions – it is apparent there is still no discussions associated with Materials Management Design-Development. Burn-out within staff continues to create shortages; along with lack of controls with software interfacing, has produces inventory accuracies, as to what and where materials actually reside within a facility. Unfortunately, designs continue to be offered with no new features; just carbon-copies of the past.

• Containing Costs - remain very high; with no signs of reducing outlays charges to the patient. Availability seems to be controlled by suppliers to keep pricing high (much like experienced with fuel charges at the pumps) – “supply / demand” – raising costs and for the purpose of profit-margins.

• Purchasing the right technologies for sustainability – everyone talks about AI as the “savior of humanity” to reduce the above two items but are we just moving in a direction for the sake of advancement without truly understanding what is represents (Terminator I / II / III / etc.). Must like software development, it can be a beast (Pandora’s Box) that will not go back into the lamp once rubbed. Progress is needed, but caution must also be considered. Automation as certainly assisted progress within our Nation and others, but there must be controls put in place to monitor; to ensure it they meet our needs.

 

In future newsletters, we will be addressing, in more detail, these three areas – so stay tune. In the meantime, know that we at RemTecH Associates vet everything before offering information to you to allow you to think before executing any action. We do this as your partner, not just another consultant in hopes that – what is offered will allow you to “climb-to-the-next-level” safety to produce true sustainability within your facility without causing ill-reversible-damage costing you more money to repair.

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CLIMBING HIGHER TO THE NEXT LEVEL #2

NEWSLETTER #2

For more than five decades countless Healthcare organizations have chosen to under-invest in the critical and necessary designs to support many of their Operational Supply Chain processes. Only now, with the advent of the 2020 crisis have they finally realized their oversight in not meeting their patient needs in a timely fashion. Why has this occurred? In short: culture, limitation within design processes, and the lack of desire to look at it from the standpoint of true sustainability.

​Healthcare has traditionally been late adapters; many industrial standards that have been adopted as the norm by other industries has allowed them to move forward. Healthcare, however, has always been about risk and how it would affect their profits over developing functional proficiencies within operations. COVID-19 altered everything over-night, showing them just how unprepared they really were to meet a “potential pandemic.” Their inability to simply listen to those who get their hands dirty (back-of-house operations) to acknowledge their skills and elevate them to departmental chairs within the decision-making process has produced a design-development oversight misalignment to what is truly needed to support and develop inventory accuracies. Back-of-house operations were not even reviewed as a critical requirement in design during project phasing. Characteristically, most facilities depend on 3rd party organizations to manage their on-sight materials. This decision was based on having limited in-house staffing skills through hiring and or lack of training of existing staff. It doesn’t have to be a pandemic as much as a weather event to bring to light, producing shortages.

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In addition, limitations in budgets have reshaped and hindered many bid documents that reflected band-aiding of operations verses long-term sustainability needs. Software capacities, equipment limitations, and material flows were replaced with “standard square footage calculations” as the norm for departmental space allotments. Architectural firms (based on limited budgets) rely on standard guidelines to ensure awarding; hence they offer building designs that are “only functional but not practical to support future demands.” Regardless of cost to the project budget, the supply chain process “must be part of project phasing”—including how to purchase, store, and distribute materials bringing the basement to the boardroom and or those who know how to help together as a team!

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If you don’t have the necessary manpower or information to design your facility properly, depending on just an architect to direct your future growth that is the definition of insanity, which Albert Einstein suggested. Don’t let past mistakes dictate how you design your next modification—you cannot afford to continue to move in that direction.

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CLIMBING HIGHER TO THE NEXT LEVEL #1

NEWSLETTER #1

Over the past few years, we have seen healthcare designs change - not to mention Supply Chain limitations and less than acceptable recommendations that will truly advance designs to offer sustainability. There will always be a different needed in approach between rural and metro facilities designs, but there are some specific and unique commonalties – one size doesn’t fit all; both must be advanced reflecting a Campus Master Plan.

Master Planning recommends a precise roadmap to determine space allocation based on functional usages. It also ensures that - your original conceived vision can be transformed into reality, but not jeopardize costs through undo risk producing project failure. Whenever you consider a new facility or envision a need in renovation, the only way to move forward is to – know what things work and what things don’t and in need of fixing. Such an approach requires help - to develop the proper baseline (benchmark). The  key to increase efficiency, advancing your quality of care to your patients, meet staff needs, not jeopardize your profit margins, and produce proper planning added members are needed in partnership. This integrated approach can fill the gap between the many different diverse functions within departmental areas, thus ensure a healthy workable cohesion.

Facility staff are accustomed to pulling down silos that exist between departments, but in today’s market most facilities still depend on Architectural Designing Groups to suggest project phase necessities. Third-party consultants, who are highly qualified to meet this task in design are not hired - based on existing limiting budgets. This oversight will cost more to fix in the future than address at the start of a project. Consultants can cross numerous stakeholder lines (administration, finance, facilities and management staff to offer specific delivery technological packages needed) to ensure proper interactions critical to critical functionalities. Consultants offer an impartial path (as a partner) helping your staff avoid the never-ending-rabbit-trails that soon produce costly overruns if not considered.

RemTecH Associates was developed to meet your unique conditions by becoming your partner in success. Allow us to prove it, by filling out the following information [Facility Assessment | Remtech Associates]. This is a free evaluation, that can set the stage for your future sustainability. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose by filling this document out and forwarding it back to us to evaluate. It will address:

1.       Launching a clear vision to uncover current challenges and future unknowns

2.       Weigh the costs by defining specific equipment capacities

3.       Align your expansion needs with strategic planning

4.       Look at the bigger picture toward true sustainability to capture value to each purchase

Together we can build a better future and it only takes am email or phone call to start.

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HEALTHCARE AT A CROSSROADS - WILL IT SURVIVE?

           WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR HEALTHCARE TO SURVIVE?

Healthcare has certainly been pulled in all directions over the past few years. Those who believe they know what is best have forced many facilities to adopt pathways that are both unproven and not sustainable - all in the name of progress. 

We have all sat through hours-on-end watching Star Trek's Mr. Spock as he spoke logic, but no one today is thinking logical. Much of the reasoning behind pathways offered or even suggested today - don't follow any logical pattern. Within our younger societal demographics, more often they have been indoctrinated to think one-way; it is to fix existing problems for today and not look at how it will affect tomorrow. Logic suggests that we, as a Nation, must think further down the tracks - beyond the horizon - as to the cause and effect of decisions made today that will cause additional damage that will need to be resolved. Band-aiding will not produce long-term sustainability. Let me offer you just one example:

Many facilities look at adding a patient bed tower as an individual project and not how it will affect future expansions. Placement, if not reviewed fully, tends to disrupt functionality of existing services - causing additional funds to be expended to correct the problem. Projects must be reviewed at a Master Plan Level based on overall campus needs - not just project designs.

Architects and even well-known Consulting Firms are fearful of suggesting further studies to determine the total impact their designs offer - based on limited budgets within the facility to just get the expansion up and running now. To consider "cheaper-is-better" at the beginning of a project will only cost the facility more in the future to correct. Logic suggests (Mr. Spok) we all need to look at the "larger-picture" within every project to determine the "what-ifs" they can produce if designs are not fully explored. 

Since we represent a Consulting Firm (RemTecH Associates LLC) we have lost more projects suggesting the facility or even the Architect take a second look at the larger picture to determine if it has true sustainability capabilities. We would personally accept the loss of a project verses taking a short-cut just to be awarded. 

Allow us to show you "new paths to a brighter future."

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Change can be confusing - IT IS TIME TO "THINK-OUTSIDE-THE-BOX"

 

Today, every Owner, CEO, or Business Management Group must review how much it will cost to make necessary, but critical adjustments to their facility prior to executing their work efforts. It is common practice to put everything on a spreadsheet under the heading ROI; but are they truly looking at the ramifications for going forward to justify their expenditure to be larger or truly modifying their facility to meet tomorrow’s demands. The ultimate reason behind an addition should be “better-services-offered,” and not just be the “bigger-kid-on-the-block.” 

It is hard to establish “fixed-value-costs” when the marketplace is constantly changing. What is needed today may not meet tomorrow’s demands in services. Changes can also be reflective of forced-issues: compulsory design restrictions generated by some governmental politician who believes they know better (the new-green-deals); OSHA forcing new methods that limit design capabilities and functions, of which most architects must adhere to within bids; or so-called best practices / carbon footprint reductions / lean environmental conditions that are costly. What is not considered, until it is too late – the affects additional space has on existing operations, staffing levels, equipment usages, and functionality in cost to maintain, inventory movement, and proper storage requirements. With sky-rocking costs “per-square-foot,” each square-foot must be able to support-itself and the amount-of-investment; not to mention whether it will meet tomorrow’s demands? Frustration soon sets in, and this struggle is ongoing during every phase of the project. Lack of options offered at the beginning will certainly require additional modifications later. It’s important to nail every possibility earlier to stay on track and reduce budget over-runs, and future failures to determine exactly what is needed.

RemTecH Associates LLC is not just a consultant that looks at your current conditions and then offers a cookie-cutter-solution that has been used before for another client. One size doesn’t fit all, and we don’t just change past facility names in hopes that solutions will fit your unique conditions; therefore, we look at your unique needs and only recommend / suggest solutions that will function properly to meet the demand for tomorrow.

TO START YOUR JOURNEY - we are offering you a “free-facility-assessment” [Facility Assessment | Remtech Associates]. Call us to discuss it and how we can fold information received through this free offer to develop your unique path forward towards better services tomorrow and answer the primary question – what does true sustainability look like?

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FREEDOM

4th of July 2020

The cost of freedom is more than just a word; it can never be fully paid nor can it ever be forgotten. History is our legacy, good and bad; tearing down or removing any part of our past will not change who we are as a Nation. We are made up of many nations; melted together as one body that has been made in  the God's Image. Sin has separated us from Him and each other. Freedom is a gift - One Nation Under God - unfortunately even that fact has come under fire.  

"The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender or submission."

John F. Kennedy

We must always remember the sacrifice; to share it with each generation to preserve our heritage, as a Nation. There are those who would want us to forget the past. By doing so, we dishonor those who have come before and given so much to obtain the rights we have to be free. NEVER FORGET THE COST.  

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WHO WE ARE 

John W. Hensman, Jr.

With the pace of change facing today's health systems, particularly for those who serve patients, most are overwhelmed. Challenges between new value-based reimbursement models, not to mention the constant pressure to improve effectiveness brings new hurdles in performance. No wonder that those serving soon show signs of burn-out. 

The art of doing healthcare smarter has given way to numerous mundane tasks to ensure accuracy of records and proper billing. Care for the patient has taken second place. With the impact of an unsettled political landscape, increased regulatory scrutiny, the rise of other consumerist care models shrinking margins, ever-diminishing inpatient admissions, competitive marketplaces, and the limit of wisdom for thinking outside the box; no wonder costs continue in rise. 

We can and will make a difference in how you conduct business. Call us to discuss some possibilities today.

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Personal Message from - RemTecH Associates LLC

From My Desk to Your

The information offered on our website was developed to assist you, your facility, and your processes - so you can better serve your clients (patients / suppliers). We do not offer it to promote our expertise, but simply summarizes how we can address your daily needs - as a partner.

Today, there are many things not working the way you feel they should. You may be asking [personally and as a facility] - how do we determine what is the correct path forward, whether information received from different vendors only reflect propaganda by the organization just to advance their sales agenda, or how can we - as a facility - best change our policies and procedures to meet tomorrow’s demands? All of us ask these questions, but we must believe there is will be brighter days ahead; when there will be some company that can help dig through all the SoundBits to the truth and guarantee the best results in such a complex environment? That is what we do!

All of us are currently living through the COVID-19 Pandemic and just trying to survive its affects. But if anything, it has forced us to reassess our operations to determine what is truly important and change our methods of operations before it is too late. 

Unfortunately, too many of us place our job ahead of other important things in life - yet others only desire to increase company status over their closest competitor. When things fall apart, (internally and externally), those who look to the future tend to change their perspective as to how to change their existing business approach. Certainly today our Healthcare System is in disarray, not to mention other industrial operational facilities all around the world. This Pandemic has exponentially amplified many existing problems that no one wanted to talk about before - now is the time for change! 

I believe our Nation requires us all to reevaluate our methods in design-development, daily functional, operations, and processes.  The direction taken, however, must reflect future demands and not current conditions. Supply Chain Management (GPOs) as to methods of purchasing materials and inventory control must be considered top priority to move forward; especially when considering the impact of COVID-19 has had on our supply availabilities.

As I stated above – our website is not about us (it never was). It was designed to help you to sift through to alternative methodologies that reflect truth. Certainly the best way anyone can meet tomorrow’s challenges is through personal prayer; prayer for our Nation, for the many facilities that serve it, and individuals that ensure things get done right the first time. 

Although we may not have had the fortune to serve you as your partner in the past, know that we continue to pray for you and your facility; even more so at this time. This COVID-19 situation will past, but to ensure true change happens and things like this don't happen again to our Supply Chain, we want to offer you a means of completing your critical changes. “Business-as-usual” cannot be the norm. 

Our approach will always reflect a unique solutions that was designed specifically for you and not one that was developed for a past client - like so many other consultants. We also want you to know that efforts to resolve your problems will always reflect a win-win for you, which is over and above our market share or even our ability to grow our company. It has never been about our personal growth as much as to see you be successful. That is our promise.

We continue to pray for our Nation and your success to meet its needs. Be safe and stay healthy!

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

(Numbers 6:24-26)

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WE ARE REMTECH ASSOCIATES LLC

Without change, we continue to do the same things over and over. Allow us to partner with you to make sure your future truly reflects your Vision. It is never to late to start and the first step will always be the hardest.

RemTecH Associates LLC

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CHANGING THE FACE OF HEALTHCARE

FRAGMENTATION

It would be an understatement to say that the health care industry will not continue to undergo a transformation over the next few years. 

Both economic and governmental interventions have not made it easy on many facilities to deliver optimal services with diminishing cash flow. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act only raised the stakes, thus shifting the focus from thinking about reform to demanding it.

If we lived in a perfect world, those controlling the outcome would spend their time designing a better means of care to patients, regardless of the cost and manpower; thus placing the patient first when considering design-service-development procedures. But we don't like in a perfect world. Health care organizations are being forced to find new ways to cut costs, improve efficiencies, but at the same time reallocate critical and expensive resources to achieve optimal patient care. Realigning priorities is a difficult task; choosing the right strategies is not easy. And having enough insight to make the correct decisions that will sustain and transform health care takes an analysis that may not be in-house. With more than 32 million new patients coming into the U.S. health care system based on forced governmental reform, health care organizations will need as much agility as they can get. What will it take to make that final leap in Health Care Patient Services?

Certainly doing business as usual will not make it happen; believing that if we continue to move in the direction set before, we will eventually get there. Albert Einstein suggests: "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different results."

You will need to take some very bold steps to break the mold from where we have been to where we need to go. A rethinking of the Health Care Business Model is required and to do that, it will mean that many mind-sets will need to be changed in the fields of: Architecture, Supply Chain Management, Procurement, and most important Physician run facilities. Each group has their own specific interest; most being control, but over and above that power is income. If you have control you have the mean of convicting other groups that you know what you are talking about and deserve the funds requested to execute the work tasks at hand. True sustainability must go beyond guidelines now recommended by Lean and Green advocates when developing a Strategic Master Planning. Considerations to develop and accommodate departmental location, deliverables (process flow), and management of waste must be part of the overall design methodology if any facility is to survive. 

Since trends towards outpatient care and wellness venues are expected to continue, all the more reason to consider the need to fully develop an executable plan that takes into consideration: integration of material-traffic-flow in addition to facility aesthetics. Management cannot continue to do-what-we-have-always-done, for that will not change the outcome. If we leave true change to the lawyers and politicians to fix, the solution will look like it was made by lawyers and politicians and it is highly likely that we won't like it. 

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MEASURING SUCCESS

WHAT IS BEHIND CURTAIN #1

Staying in Tough with Project Needs

1. Recognizing and embracing the fact the change is a journey and not a destination. It will take time and investments to complete
2. Adopting a comprehensive approach that provides organizational growth based on a common language that sets goals before acquiring additional tools to execute work
3. Exhibit unequivocal leadership through consistency, that includes input from all relative parties to ensure the correct pathway
4. Communicate regularly a clear message as it unfolds to empower team decisions. All information is critical
5. Clearly defined roles and responsibilities to ensure measurable and proper execution
6. Ensure ownership of tasks, recognizing phase completions by team players
7. Do not avoid discussions that are needed to correct dysfunctional behaviors, be tough but fair
8. Make sure all staff are heard and suggestions reviewed. No idea is too small as to its potental
9. Never underestimate the success of change efforts and give honor to the ones who contributed
10. Failure is not a option, but should be viewed as a learning process that leads to higher levels of accomplishments

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CHANGE IS ONLY POSSIBLE - TOGETHER!

Albert Einstein once suggested: "Imagination is more important than knowledge." We believe they go hand-and-hand. True change begins with an imagination, needs someone knowledgeable to execute tasks, and then shed some light as to how to move vision into reality. And that takes a partner! Allow us to show you the way.

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