Cover Story: Profile of Brian Crimmins

Part 1: Brian Crimmins Uses Facilities to Help Crozer-Keystone Health System Increase Market Share

Part 2: Health Care Facilities Strategy: Ambulatory Care at Crozer-Keystone

Part 3: Health Care Facilities Management Team Runs Lean at Crozer-Keystone

Part 4: Tips for Facility Service Contracts for Large Health Care Organizations

Part 5: Brian Crimmins on the Evolution of Crozer-Keystone Health System

Tips for Facility Service Contracts for Large Health Care Organizations

By Naomi Millàn, Senior Editor - January 2012 - Health Care Facilities

Pro Tip: Leverage a Portfolio's Size Wisely

With five hospital campuses and more than 40 off-campus facilities, Crozer-Keystone Health System can leverage its size to gain efficiencies with its service contracts. For example, it's a lot easier to drive a good deal from a vendor for elevator maintenance contracts when all 130 cars are on the table.

But setting up contracts as a system is not always a good deal, says Brian Crimmins, vice president, facilities planning and development. When the snow removal contract was sent out to bid, operating as a system was expected to attract a larger, more well-equipped company. Though that goal was achieved, the logistics problem it created ended up nullifying the benefit.

The hospitals are close enough that a significant snow storm hits them all. "We ended up in a situation where one facility was screaming to get more equipment, and it was at another of our facilities," says Crimmins. "There's limits on any contractor." Now, each facility has its own snow removal contract, so each can try to be the top priority for that contractor when the need is greatest.

— Naomi Millàn, senior editor