Infusion scheduling: winning the game of Tetris
Operational leaders in oncology know exactly how difficult it is to balance the multiple tradeoffs needed to create infusion center scheduling templates. Patients want a consistent appointment for each week of their 8-week infusion regimen; nurses want a predictable time to eat lunch and end their shift each day; the clinical staff want the flexibility […]
Digital innovation transforms Novant Health
Not every healthcare system has a “Chief Transformation Officer.” It’s a title more likely to be found at CVS, Conagra, Viacom or CBS. But healthcare is an industry under transformation. The way healthcare providers get paid for their products and services is continuing to evolve. That’s why leading health system Novant Health tapped Angela Yochem as their […]
Bridging the (wide) gap between EHR data and analytics that drive optimal operating room utilization
Hospital EHR systems deliver strong capabilities around their core intent: a single source of truth for each patient and each patient visit. Because of the data collected, the EHRs are repositories from which historical usage, like key operating room performance data (turnover times, on time starts, block utilization, etc.) can be extrapolated. However, EHRs are […]
Achieving “systemness” in perioperative care
COVID-19 has taught the healthcare industry many valuable lessons. It has especially highlighted why health systems must work efficiently as “one system,” from an operational and financial perspective. Given the many challenges modern health systems face, however, this is easier said than done. Enter “systemness,” or the practice of providing consistent patient, provider and staff […]
Increasing infusion center resource utilization: a strategic approach to scheduling
This article originally appeared in Oncology Practice Management. We often compare scheduling infusion appointments to playing a game of Tetris, as most of the effort is focused on fitting patients with appointments of varying lengths into all available resources in the center. Once every resource is scheduled into and there are no more gaps on any […]
Hospital-surgeon data transparency delivers surgeon satisfaction and hospital ROI
Hospitals across the country have been increasingly adopting technology to proactively optimize surgical capacity. By leveraging technologies to improve the accessibility, accountability and visibility of operating room time, hospitals that have implemented LeanTaaS’ iQueue for Operating Rooms have achieved impressive results including increased primetime utilization (6 percentage points, on average), increased block utilization, hospital-surgeon data transparency […]
Optimizing a service process by finding its “heartbeat”
Virtually every health system has launched various process excellence initiatives over the years. The exact methods range from a series of Kaizen events, Value Stream Mapping, or a top-down Six Sigma or Lean Initiative. The transformation efforts could have been guided by internal process excellence teams or external consultants. These initiatives often succeed in demonstrating […]
Filling the gaps in infusion nurse scheduling
Operational leaders within the Oncology service line are fully aware of exactly how difficult it is to balance the multiple tradeoffs that must be made in order to schedule infusion services efficiently. Patients would like to have a consistent schedule for each week of their 8-week infusion regimen; nurses would like a predictable schedule to eat […]
UCHealth improved admission/discharge predictions, increased agility, and reduced daily chaos with advanced analytics
iQueue for Inpatient Beds is a cloud-based solution that drives daily inpatient capacity management decisions at all levels from a single operations-focused source of truth, including discharge and admissions predictions for each unit by time of day. iQueue for Inpatient Beds was developed to combat the key patient flow issues hospitals are facing, including poor […]
Optimizing speciality clinics in a telemedicine world
Patients resign themselves to this simple fact every time they have an appointment with a specialist: nearly half of the total time that they spend in the clinic will be spent waiting alone. This clinic “alone time” begins in the waiting room, both before and after check-in. Then there is the time spent perched on the […]