SMC Partners, LLC teams with Boston Children’s Hospital to release the SafetyMap system to help ensure the safety of employees and patients
The top-rated pediatric hospital in the U.S. has collaborated with SMC Partners to put environmental health and safety in the hands of its staff. The web-based SafetyMap application co-developed by Boston Children’s Hospital and SMC Partners has mobile functionality for employees to identify and address safety issues and health concerns. SafetyMap is a culmination of seven years of Boston Children’s Hospital’s investment in process and system development with the objective of predicting and preventing accidents.
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SMC Partners, LLC
BOSTON, December 18, 2018 — SMC Partners, LLC (www.smcpartners.com), a consulting and technology company that develops application systems for healthcare and social services providers, and Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH), the leading children’s hospital in the United States have co-developed SafetyMap which is now live at BCH. BCH’s Environmental Health & Safety and Digital Health Accelerator teams contributed their best practices and EH&S data management knowledge; SMC developed the system that puts that knowledge in the hands of front line users. In collaboration with BCH, SMC is now offering the system to other hospitals, which are invited to join a group of thought leaders to share best practices and gather data to enhance health and safety processes and results throughout the industry. Solutions for Patient Safety (https://www.solutionsforpatientsafety.org/) is a network of 130+ children’s hospitals and SPS has announced a new program focused on reducing employee injuries, and thereby reducing patient risk.
Nick Kielbania, MS, CSP, CHMM, Boston Children’s Environmental Health & Safety Director, explains, “Most people don’t realize that hospitals are among the most complex environments to keep safe for staff, patients and visitors. Unlike other industry sectors, healthcare contains various degrees of risk. Around the clock operations, construction projects, chemical and fire hazards, employee injuries and regulatory oversight from federal, state and local governmental bodies all contribute to the challenges we face. Every day, thousands of employees and patients come through our doors, presenting significant challenges that need to be addressed. The SafetyMap application suite enables us to eliminate paperwork and manual processes so we can focus our resources on increased field activities. These activities help minimize negative health and safety outcomes and rapidly adopt successful risk mitigation strategies.”
Scott Cleary, SMC’s President and Chief Servant states, “This is a unique opportunity for SMC to impact results in an area of significant concern – and cost – for our hospital clients. BCH has been at the forefront of effective environmental health and safety programs, so it is very special to be partners with such a leader. They provide EH&S subject matter expertise; we build the software to make their vision come to life. We have built the system on a technology platform that can support multiple hospital clients. The vision that we share with BCH is that this platform will enable thought leaders to come together to share the system and data to develop best practices that can help everyone in the industry enhance their EH&S outcomes.”
The SafetyMap application suite provides a comprehensive, web-based platform to mitigate risk and liability – while improving safety and workflow efficiency for employees within healthcare, research and construction environments. The application automates the hospital’s comprehensive health and safety processes so that staff can be freed to address issues instead of processing paper. Using mobile technology enables front line patient care teams to report safety issues as they arise so intervention can occur before accidents happen. The system automates the administration of fire drills on every floor in every building on every shift, manages radiation safety checks in X-Ray departments, enforces construction methods and procedures, and helps ensure that research staff wear protective equipment, have close-by eyewash stations, and handle hazardous bio and chemical materials with care.
The SafetyMap application suite currently supports more than a thousand registered users including architects, contractors, subcontracts, engineers, patient care staff, facilities staff, and the safety teams. It is the system that enables all these users to share the same set of expectations, policies, procedures, assessment criteria, workflow, communication and data collection tools.
Nick Kielbania summarizes, “SafetyMap helps reinforce the critical importance of safety. It’s an everyday thing, and it’s everybody’s job, from leadership to the front lines.”
About SMC Partners, LLC
Helping the Caring: SMC Partners, LLC is an information technology and consulting company serving health providers, health insurers and social services organizations. They design, build and operate administrative and care delivery processes, and information technology applications that help grow their clients’ enterprises. They help improve the quality of their clients’ services, ultimately enhancing the quality of life for their clients’ customers. SMC’s employees enjoy balance in their lives, continuous learning, teamwork and entrepreneurship. This culture nurtures happy, engaged employees who are energized to deliver great things for their clients.
About Boston Children’s Hospital
Boston Children’s Hospital (http://www.childrenshospital.org/), the primary pediatric teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, is home to the world’s largest research enterprise based at a pediatric medical center. Its discoveries have benefited both children and adults since 1869. Today, more than 3,000 scientists, including nine members of the National Academy of Sciences, 17 members of the National Academy of Medicine and 11 Howard Hughes Medical Investigators comprise Boston Children’s research community. Founded as a 20-bed hospital for children, Boston Children’s is now a 415-bed comprehensive center for pediatric and adolescent health care. For more, visit our Vector and Thriving blogs and follow us on social media @BostonChildrens, @BCH_Innovation, Facebook and YouTube.
The Innovation & Digital Health Accelerator is shaping the future of health care and extending Boston Children’s pediatric leadership by building new technologies, collaborating with industry, and deploying a comprehensive digital health platform. They combine data, clinical expertise, and health care technology development experience, with leading worldwide industry partners – including start-ups – to transform health care. They work to surface, support and accelerate Boston Children’s innovations for the purpose of improving pediatric care Until Every Child is Well. See https://accelerator.childrenshospital.org/.
