Capital Planning for Healthcare Facilities Leaders

by Deanne Avery, MPM, CHFM, CHC, PMP, Jacob Linhart, CHFM, CHC, Jordan Plyler, MHA, FASHE, Nicholas Lewis, Sean Tracy, MHA, CHMF, SASHE 

Capital planning in healthcare facilities management is more than a technical exercise. Done well, it is a leadership function that directly affects reliability, continuity of care and the organization’s financial footing. With healthcare systems facing heavy operational pressure, aging infrastructure and limited capital dollars, the facilities manager’s job now extends well beyond keeping buildings and equipment running. The modern facilities leader has to think strategically, communicate clearly and advocate effectively, turning day to day realities into business cases that stand up in the boardroom.

Fortunately, facilities managers are experts in the domain of the healthcare physical environment. They understand the equipment, infrastructure and systems that support effective care delivery better than anyone else in the healthcare facility. This places them in a strong position to both advocate for capital for their teams and guide the organization's long-range view for capital projects. With the right skills — and the right mindset — facilities leaders can not only succeed in securing support for investment in the physical environment; they can enable more effective financial stewardship for the entire healthcare organization.  

This monograph equips health care facilities leaders with perspectives, tools and strategies to embrace capital planning as both a core responsibility of healthcare facilities leadership and a key component of operationalizing a healthcare organization’s mission and strategy.