Taking care of people’s health is an expensive endeavor. Hospitals must maintain a fine balance between patient experience and cost of care. But cutting costs doesn’t have to mean sacrificing patient experience. Here’s how to reduce hospital costs without sacrificing quality.
Focus On Your Employees
A hospital’s hardworking employees are its greatest asset. It’s important to take care of your doctors, nurses, surgeons, and other crucial staff members, but health care costs can be expensive. You don’t want to cut your employees’ benefits, though—so what do you do?
Simple. Focus on preventative maintenance. The less often your employees are injured or sick, the less you and them both must pay for health care. Implementing a disease and wellness management system that supplies employees with the information, tools, and incentives they need to stay healthy can help your hospital save money on employee benefits and cut down on the number of sick days employees take.
Go Green
We don’t mean painting the hospital green. The next way to cut hospital costs without sacrificing quality is to choose eco-friendly energy alternatives. The more energy and water your hospital saves, the more money your hospital saves. You can cut down on lighting expenses by:
- Reducing the number of light bulbs in areas where a lot of light isn’t required
- Using LED lightbulbs
- Installing occupancy controls, dimmers, and daylighting controls
You can cut down on water expenses by:
- Installing low-flow toilets, sinks, and showers
- Install waterless (no-flush) urinals
- Repairing leaks as soon as they occur
Installing eco-friendly fixtures in your hospital will, of course, cost money initially. But these eco-friendly fixtures can save you thousands of dollars per year once you make the switch.
Cut Equipment Costs
Let’s face it; hospital equipment is insanely expensive. Exam tables can cost thousands of dollars, and high-tech machines such as MRIs can cost up to a million. Luckily, you can reduce equipment costs in your hospital without having to sacrifice on equipment quality.
Instead of outright purchasing new equipment, consider renting from a reputable rental service instead. This reduces upfront costs dramatically. Rental services often handle equipment maintenance, too, which is another expense that your hospital won’t have to worry about.