Proactive discharge planning for more efficient patient flow: reduce “avoidable” days through actionable data
As the physicians, nurses, staff, and patient caregivers involved know all too well, inpatient discharge planning is critical to minimizing length of stay (LOS) and supporting the patient care journey. The process, however, is complex. Staffing shortages, fluctuating inpatient capacity, and economic pressures have complicated it even further. Hospital personnel do their best in these […]
Multidisciplinary rounds: how transparent communication reduces inpatient discharge barriers
Those who work in patient throughput are constantly focused on “placing the right patient in the right bed at the right time.” Implementing multidisciplinary rounds (MDRs) is a productive way to help achieve this goal. A patient-centered model of care emphasizing patient safety and efficiency, MDRs enable all members of the patient care team to […]
More than chair counts: using operational factors to maximize infusion center capacity
All infusion centers share the common goal of providing services to meet the needs of as many patients as possible. Before optimal patient scheduling can occur, however, an infusion center must first determine its maximum capacity. Determining an infusion center’s maximum capacity entails two key steps. First is the calculation of a center’s theoretical maximum […]
10 ways to strengthen hospital length of stay management: reduce inpatient census, improve patient experience
Hospital length of stay (LOS) management has become a major priority for healthcare leaders. While reimbursement requirements are a major driver of this focus, reducing length of stay can also decrease hospital-acquired conditions (HACs), which are subject to payment reductions of their own. Efforts to reduce LOS have led to a flurry of research into […]
UCHealth’s new success in directing patient flow, part 1: a data-driven approach to hospital bed management
In many hospitals, the ongoing inability to place the right patients in the right bed at the right time is both a burden and source of frustration for clinicians and staff. Patients are impacted by barriers to inpatient beds as well. Along with their families, they grow tired waiting hours when it comes to admissions, […]
Systems thinking for cancer centers: lessons from the trenches
At a roundtable session that took place at the inaugural LeanTaaS Transform virtual event in June 2021, cancer center leaders and infusion managers gathered to discuss how their facilities could apply systems thinking to finally address fundamental challenges and improve their operations, as well as experiences for patients, clinicians, and staff. This write-up summarizes session leader Ashley […]
7 ways to reduce Length of Stay (LOS) in hospitals
Originally published in Becker’s Hospital Review, September 2021. To reduce hospital length of stay (LOS) became a critical priority during COVID-19, and continues to be one as surges continue. Even in “peacetime”, however, capitated reimbursement levels and the need to decrease hospital-acquired conditions made LOS reduction key for health systems. While efforts to reduce hospital length […]
Today’s hospital command center: it’s virtual, mobile, and distributed
Hospital command centers, often housed in one large room, are connection nodes for many functions, including managing patient flow, staffing, scheduling, communication of urgent updates and alerts, and even telemedicine, using a high level of predictive analytics. Over the past several years, hospitals have adopted thee onsite command centers to centralize operations and improve quality […]
Managing hospital bed capacity in a crisis: before and after
Update Sept. 2021: Since this post originally ran, many health systems have begun facing COVID-related surges once again, and rapidly managing capacity among inpatient units has again become a priority. The insights here on weathering “crisis mode” and being prepared for emergencies once again are more relevant than ever. Throughout the UCHealth system, we were striving […]
4 steps to supporting a better bed management system
A healthcare facility with a robust inpatient bed management system benefits from real-time operational awareness of the status of all of their available beds. Understanding which technology and tools to utilize for bed management is the first step in improving the process. The pure economic value of each inpatient bed is substantial — a single […]