The lack of resources has led some hospitals to consider outsourcing all or part of their facilities management departments. Companies such as ServiceMaster (Downers Grove, IL) and Sodexho Marriott (Avon, CT) have stepped in to offer their services, saying they can save hospitals money while providing better technical skills and improved infrastructure.
In-house engineers remain skeptical, saying that outsourcing can create more problems than it solves. They wonder which hospital personnel will be watching the outsourced personnel to ensure facilities are maintained properly. They question whether outsourced personnel will cut corners in order to show short-term profits. They also worry about whose interests the outsourced personnel have at heart – their for-profit employer’s or the hospital’s.