do a economic project

Equipi Comprehensive equipment rental and purchase system for Acute, Sub-Acute

Cindy Eason 5221X1-Research Findings and Evidence-Independent Research October 4, 201 [email protected]

The current status quo is not sustainable at preventing injury, per the 2013 Bureau of Labor Statistics study, the nursing and related healthcare workers sustain more non-fatal work related injuries, more than any other sector. In response to this the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has a new equipment recommendation for Acute and Sub-Acute facilities to decrease the incidence of musculoskeletal injuries. Information does suggest a factor to add to this data is, hospitals report costs are so insurmountable for patient care and compliance, is a priority over prevention of worker injuries. The current population includes increasing numbers of aging and obesity, which poses challenges to healthcare.

The Current Status Quo is not Sustainable for Preventing Musculoskeletal Injuries in Healthcare

My proposed solution is to provide a system to meet hospital compliance needs and decrease the incidence of musculoskeletal injury in the nursing and related professions.

*Availability of equipment will be around a 30 mile radius from user’s zip code, in compliance with current Centers for Medicaid and Medicare.

*This equipment ordering system will be in conjunction with existing equipment suppliers with option to buy or rent.

*This system has advantages over the existing status quo providing efficiency and convenience.

*No more lengthy phone calls, using the app and photo share option will eliminate errors with orders and billing.

*Equipment availability for Home Health, Acute and Sub-acute for existing patient and facility needs to decrease untimely length of stay.

*Routine inspection, maintenance and rotation of equipment will occur seamlessly for safely and efficiency.

*Offer a cost effective solution to Acute and Sub-Acute which they can afford.

*Free app for smartphones and tablets will provide seamless availability of services and equipment options.

*As a rule applications have not made mainstream in healthcare, this research will explore barriers and reasons as to why apps are not commonly used.

*Given this new app will introduce technology and efficiency in the current healthcare equipment market as a third party facilitator, will ensure practices and processes are in government compliance.

*Successful business models will be explored and a combination of them will be combined to find the appropriate fit for this application called, Equipi.

Uber and Amazon, and Wal Mart business models and practice are particularly interesting given their efficiency and high customer satisfaction. In developing this application Equipi, some sustainable aspects of each business model will be taken into consideration in developing this equipment application for hospitals, facilitating to increase supply. OSHA studies show when safety transfer equipment is readily available, the cost of worker compensation drastically decreases.

Exploring Various Business Models to Find an Appropriate Fit for Equipi

You-Tube Video example of a current medical application in the market now from Canvas Medical.

Plan of Action is to use the technology option of the Uber app, in collaboration with local equipment suppliers will provide real time equipment availability. This also will allow for the maintenance and safety inspection of patient transfer and bariatric equipment needed. Via this app one will have the ease of ordering equipment with aspects of the Amazon experience such as the quick delivery of items and real time reporting to customers and account sign up options. Walmart is of particular interest as they are able to offer low prices.

Using the favorable aspects of the above business models, in collaboration of local equipment suppliers will offer to sign up with this service to better serve Acute hospitals and Sub-Acute. So one would ask what is the value for a small supplier to sign up with this service? The answer would be they would gain more exposure within the local market, possibly outside the 30 mile radius, which would increase their business. The incentive for hospitals to sign up for this application would be the ease of obtaining the equipment, which will decrease length of stay and ensure safety equipment for patient needs, and decrease back related injuries by increasing transfer and lift equipment meeting OSHA recommendations.

Hospitals currently have not embraced the application market and use, which if this application is

successfully designed and executed there is an opportunity to break into the medical equipment supplier arena.

THANK YOU!!

References:

Bureau of Labor Statistics. PDF table:Highest rates for total cases-Injuries and Illnesses-2013. Available at :bls.gov. /lif/oshsum.htn. Accessed September 13, 2015.

Centers for Disease Control Workplace. Safety and Health Topics-Safety Patient Handling. Available at cdc. gov/micsh/topics/safepatient/. Accessed September 13, 2015.

Google Images. Available at google.com. Accessed September and October 2015.

Luck, Rachael. “Design Research: Past, Present and Future.” Design Research Quarterly. September 2006. pp 19-20. Available at Design Research Quarterly Archives. drsq.org. Accessed September 9, 2015.

Nelson, Audrey PhD RN et al. “Myths and Facts About Back Injuries in Nursing.” American Journal of Nursing. February 2003. Volume 103. Issue 2.pp 32-40. Accessed September 13, 2015.

Zwerding, David. “Hospitals Fail to Protect Nursing Staff from Becoming Patients.” National Public Radio Website. 2015. Available at npr.org/2015/02/04/382639199/hospitals-fail-to-protect-staff. Accessed September 13, 2014.

Zwerding, David. “OSHA Launches Program to Protect Nursing Employees. NPR Website. Available at npr.org/sections/the two-way/2015/06/24/417186384/osha-launches-program-to-protect-nursing-employees. Accessed June, September, October 2015.

References:

You-Tube Video. Available at Youtube.com. Accessed October 2015.

United States Department of Labor. Guidelines for Nursing Homes. Available

https://www.osha.gov/ergonomics/guidelines/nursinghome/final_nh_guidelines.html. Accessed October 2015.