Electronic work-request model can improve communication within the environmental services department (ES) as well as patient satisfaction, according to an article on the Health Facilities Management website.

After moving to a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), the environmental services department at RiverView Health in Crookston, Minn., became more responsive to patient and staff requests,helping its organization raise its HCAHPS score from the 41st percentile to the 84th in less than six months, the article said.

“When we were using paper tickets, they could sit there for a while, and people in other departments either didn’t know if we had responded or didn’t think we responded,” Jennifer Tate, ES manager said.

The 21-person staff manages the main hospital campus plus three off-campus clinics, two recovery centers and a home care office. Because work requests now do through a central feed, the department no longer has to post reminders to employees across locations.

Read the article.