Asset Management & CMMS

A Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) is the system of record for every device in the biomed inventory - asset tag, location, PM schedule, service history, and open work orders. Its value depends entirely on data discipline, not on the sophistication of the software itself; a well-run department with a basic CMMS beats a poorly-disciplined one with an expensive system every time.

What good data discipline looks like

• Every repair and PM gets logged against the asset record at the time it happens, not batched and entered later from memory - memory-based entry loses detail and introduces errors.
• Location tracking matters for more than day-to-day convenience - during a recall (Chapter 16), accurate location data is what actually lets you find every affected unit quickly rather than searching the building.
• Work-order closure includes the real outcome, not just "completed" - what was found, what was done, matching the documentation standard from Chapter 20.

Formal retirement

Retire assets formally in the CMMS - mark them as decommissioned with a reason and date - rather than just letting them fall off the active PM schedule. Utilization and failure-rate reporting for equipment still in service stays accurate only if retired equipment is properly removed from the denominator, and formal retirement also creates the paper trail needed if a retired device is ever asked about later (a warranty dispute, an incident investigation involving a device that has since been replaced).

Using CMMS data for decisions, not just recordkeeping

A mature CMMS practice goes beyond passive recordkeeping - failure-frequency and repair-cost trending by asset and by model is what actually justifies (or rules out) replacement decisions, and it's the same underlying data Chapter 20 describes building toward one repair record at a time.