A detailed Patient Throughput Analysis by Applied Management Systems (AMS) identifies the root causes and the development of specific strategies to decrease the throughput time for both discharging and admitting patients.
Currently, due to increased emergency department volumes and inpatient census, there are “log jams” in getting patients through the emergency department and when needed, to the appropriate inpatient bed on a timely basis. This can impact the service and quality of care delivery.
The project purpose is for AMS to evaluate the current systems for overall effectiveness and recommend improvements to the process. This is accomplished through formulating a process improvement team and the verification and utilization of data currently available.
The three main AMS objectives are:
- Review and streamline all systems that relate to the timely placement of patients. The current processes will be flowcharted to understand the impact and relationship of each system and/or department on patient throughput from arrival or admission decision to discharge or inpatient bed. This process will include all admission types.
- Develop a means of predicting bed availability by service type. Utilizing current available data, develop a model to determine the potential discharge date by patient. It is the objective to integrate and centralize this information in the current information systems network.
- Implement a mechanism to monitor patient placement efficiency and system changes. In any change process, a mechanism should be in place to monitor improvement and ensure the gain is maintained.
At AMS, we believe efficient patient throughput is an outcome of multiple disciplines and systems working in harmony. A thorough review assesses all systems that impact bed placement. The areas/issues to be addressed include:
- Environmental Services
- Case Management
- Admitting
- Emergency Department
- Triage Nurse Role
- Nursing Unit Operation and Staffing
- Ancillary/Clinical Services
- Patient Transfer Process
- Decision to Admit Communication
- Information Systems
- Physician Practices
A Patient Throughput Analysis serves as a catalyst to bring together different stakeholders to determine a new work design for patient placement. The following roles can be provided by AMS:
- Facilitate the process improvement meetings.
- Provide ideas/research from other institutions, Internet, literature, and vendors.
- Collect and analyze data.
- Formulate recommendations.
- Build a consensus for recommended changes based on fact, not emotions, or assumptions.
- Document findings and implementation plan.
- Present results.