A new division aims to improve efficiency and effectiveness when it comes to providing the services that colleagues rely on to continue to do extraordinary work.
Nebraska Medicine and UNMC jointly announced the creation of the Integrated Services Division.
“Change is necessary within a growing organization, and in this case, the necessary change comes in the form of organizational realignment,” said Bryce Brackle, vice president of finance for Nebraska Medicine. “The creation of integrated services makes complete sense as we align resources to better support the health system.”
This new Integrated Services Division includes the following:
- Biomedical services
- Environmental services
- Equipment centralization
- Facilities
- Food services
- Linen
- Nebraska Medicine fleet services
- Nebraska Medicine warehouse
- Patient care equipment
“This new division brings us in alignment with industry best practices, while the name, Integrated Services, signifies the opportunity for the services to more closely collaborate,” said Jen Bartholomew, Nebraska Medicine vice president of facilities management and assistant vice chancellor of Facilities Management and Planning for UNMC. “One thing we’ve heard throughout the years is that some of the silos between support services within the organizations resulted in delays in service and an opportunity to improve the experience for people who need help from our support teams.
Tess Kuenstling, PhD, assistant vice chancellor for research resources at UNMC, said the vision for integrated services is exciting.
“This new approach will not only improve efficiency across key operational areas but also deliver a user-centric experience with the goal of improving service and consistency to our colleagues,” Dr. Kuenstling said.
There already are integrated services initiatives underway, including one to improve the time to completion of facilities projects such as relocations/moves, interior renovations, signage and furniture requests.
“The goal of this initiative, which began Jan. 1, and is on a six-month timeline, is to create efficiencies, reduce lead times and get items quicker so we can focus on taking care of our patients,” said Jerry Stone, director of facilities.
No matter the initiative, they all have the same objective.
“The goal of integrated services is to provide a world-class customer experience,” Bartholomew said. “We’re excited to share more initiatives and outcomes from this change in the coming months.”