The IQEQS Model for Lean Hospital Facility Management: Standardization, Closed-Loop Repair, and Safety Governance During Multicampus Growth

During multicampus expansion, Peking University First Hospital faced fragmented repair and materials-management processes, weak links between operational and financial data, and increasing demands for cost stewardship and safety governance. The hospital implemented the IQEQS (Intelligence, Quantity, Effectiveness, Quality, and Safeguard) model by standardizing repair and materials-management processes, establishing a digital closed loop, linking operational records with the hospital resource planning system, and extending the framework to security and fire safety governance. At the central campus, the number of repair work orders increased from approximately 31,200 in 2024 to 33,600 in 2025, while expenditure on repair parts and hardware decreased by 20.3%, from 1.6632 million renminbi (RMB) to RMB1.3248 million. The average repair time decreased by 8.6%. The number of false alarms per week decreased from 3-5 to fewer than 2, and alarm-confirmation time decreased from 1-3 minutes to approximately 10 seconds. Hospital-wide clinical activity increased faster than selected facility-related operating expenditure, but campus-level patterns were heterogeneous. The IQEQS model provides a practical framework for standardizing repair processes, linking operational and financial data, and strengthening safety governance. Intervention-proximal improvements were observed during phased implementation; however, hospital-wide expenditure trends cannot be attributed to the IQEQS model alone.

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Publication Details

Journal
NEJM Catalyst
Published
2026-10-27
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1056/cat.26.0290
Primary Topic
Healthcare Quality and Management
Type
article
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article

The IQEQS Model for Lean Hospital Facility Management: Standardization, Closed-Loop Repair, and Safety Governance During Multicampus Growth

Yatao Zhou, 末尘, Yuecheng Sun, 孙浩林 et al.
NEJM Catalyst
Healthcare Quality and Management
article

The IQEQS Model for Lean Hospital Facility Management: Standardization, Closed-Loop Repair, and Safety Governance During Multicampus Growth

Yatao Zhou, 末尘, Yuecheng Sun, 孙浩林, Wang Nan, Yin Wu, Haoran Liu, Hui Jiang, Yueqiang Song, Zhang Hao, Zhengang Zeng, Fang Hongjun, Li Ying, Dong Wei, Sun Jiaxing, Zhao Yao, Wu Lu, Ma Han, Zhao Yuhan, Tang Xin, Sun Lu, Ji Chao
article en

Abstract

During multicampus expansion, Peking University First Hospital faced fragmented repair and materials-management processes, weak links between operational and financial data, and increasing demands for cost stewardship and safety governance. The hospital implemented the IQEQS (Intelligence, Quantity, Effectiveness, Quality, and Safeguard) model by standardizing repair and materials-management processes, establishing a digital closed loop, linking operational records with the hospital resource planning system, and extending the framework to security and fire safety governance. At the central campus, the number of repair work orders increased from approximately 31,200 in 2024 to 33,600 in 2025, while expenditure on repair parts and hardware decreased by 20.3%, from 1.6632 million renminbi (RMB) to RMB1.3248 million. The average repair time decreased by 8.6%. The number of false alarms per week decreased from 3-5 to fewer than 2, and alarm-confirmation time decreased from 1-3 minutes to approximately 10 seconds. Hospital-wide clinical activity increased faster than selected facility-related operating expenditure, but campus-level patterns were heterogeneous. The IQEQS model provides a practical framework for standardizing repair processes, linking operational and financial data, and strengthening safety governance. Intervention-proximal improvements were observed during phased implementation; however, hospital-wide expenditure trends cannot be attributed to the IQEQS model alone.

NEJM CatalystVol. 7(s1)
Peking University (CN), Peking University First Hospital (CN), Taiyuan Central Hospital (CN)
Good health and well-being, Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Openalex Percentile: Top 7%
Healthcare Quality and Management
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