Operational Performance
Today’s operating environment continues to challenge organizations to
reach higher and farther for improvements in productivity, efficiency, and
service. High-performing health care organizations have combined the benefits
of core process redesign, “best practice” implementation, mission-operational
alignment, disciplined management, and performance management systems. Typical
operational problems we address include:
Process Improvement
Complexity breeds inefficiency
- unless it is strategically managed. Many health care organizations have
grown opportunistically and have become inefficient along the way; and many
functions and departments still operate in “silos” independent from one
another. Process improvement demands intra-departmental examination and cross-functional
solutions. Through process redesign, improved management techniques, and
application of “best practices” within core clinical, support, logistical and
administrative areas, processes are streamlined and performance measurably
improved.
Margin Improvement
What distinguishes top-performing hospitals from
the rest of the pack? Solid and growing operating margins. Many hospitals have
been unable to sustain growth in their operating margins and others are losing
money each quarter. A thoughtful and strategic approach to uncovering
opportunities to improve operating margin balances expense reduction with
revenue enhancement without the trauma of major restructuring.
Merger Integration
A hospital merger can spell relief or disaster for
the parties, depending not only on the structure of the transaction, but more
importantly, on the successful implementation of the plan of integration. By
implementing a structured approach to assessing integration opportunities and
planning for operational integration, the merged organization will have a road
map for optimizing staff and services, so that it can be better positions to
achieve its mission.
Capacity Management and Patient Flow
Demand for inpatient services frequently outpaces
bed capacity creating bottlenecks and waiting queues. This increased demand for
services can cause gridlock and fuel staff burnout and patient dissatisfaction.
By uncovering “latent” capacity and implementing new processes, organizations
can expedite patient admission, ensure appropriate bed placement, streamline
patient discharge, reduce unnecessary length of stay, and improve patient and
physician satisfaction.
Emergency Department Reform
Many hospital ED’s are under siege from a variety
of fronts: a growing uninsured population using the ED as its primary care
provider; increased demand from an aging population; specialists reluctant to
provide call coverage; and downstream bottlenecks in patient flow. Relieving
these bottlenecks and accommodating pent-up demand can expedite patient
throughput and improve satisfaction, while capturing previously foregone
revenues.
Labor Resource Management
Comprising over half of most hospitals’ operating
budgets, labor is the most challenging expense item to manage. Redesigning work
processes, redefining staff roles, and implementing staffing models to improve
productivity, can increase staff satisfaction and enhance recruitment and
retention efforts.
Revenue Cycle Reform
From the point of patient access to receiving
payment for services rendered, the hospital’s revenue cycle is the engine of
financial viability. Yet, the revenue cycle is a difficult process to manage
due to continuing regulatory changes and payer cost-management initiatives.
Viewing the revenue cycle as a continuous process and implementing integrated
improvements in patient access, revenue capture, denials and underpayment
management, and accounts receivable management can yield substantial financial
benefit to the organization.
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