Hospitals are known for being a beehive of activities round the clock. This is to mean there is hardly any room for error in service delivery. Just like in any other industry, hospitals also have a complex process that needs to be addressed if the management seeks to increase the efficiency and productivity of both the facility and its employees.
Connect and work closely with other organizations.
It is difficult for hospitals to explore all aspects of the medical field, from research to community outreach and even service delivery. To improve the quality of services rendered to the community, the hospital needs to constantly research and benchmark from other organizations. This way, they can exchange new ideas and information that can be instrumental in improving their processes and service delivery in general.
Try and engage other health facilities enjoying some level of success and borrow a few concepts that they’re using to optimize their service delivery.
Focus your attention on patient engagement.
A patient is mostly in tune with how they are feeling. However, as a hospital, you need to come up with programs to engage and teach patients on proactive healthcare practices. These programs are not easy, with most primary care physicians opting to go through the patient’s medical history at the healthcare facility.
However, hospitals need to divert attention to primary care physicians, as they play an important role between the hospital and the patient. They are the links. Through effective connection and engagement, the hospital can establish a link between the patients, physicians, insurance providers, social services, and other care throughout the patient’s medical journey.
Automating various process.
This is where technology is used to boost efficiency and productivity in hospitals. There are several processes that, when automated, can help improve patient satisfaction and flow at the hospital. Some of these include;
•Queue management and wait time communication- this service utilizes a self-service kiosk with a display screen where a patient can select the service they need and be matched with the appropriate personnel. The patient doesn’t have to manually fill the paperwork. This system also helps managing queues, thus effectively reducing the wait time.
•Patient Check-in – this system is designed to streamline the patient arrival process and reduce the margin of error bough on by manual paperwork. Fitted to a kiosk, the patient can register themselves and access the real-time waiting period.
•Patient journey boards- this arguably one of the best-automated services for hospitals. They are usually wall-mounted touch screens fitted inside the nursing station to display a patient medical history and current medical progress.
•Medical digital signage– A medical digital signage can be used for both interior and external uses for communication purposes. LED signage is quite reliable due to its versatile and customizable nature. They can be used for direction, parking instructions, operational hours identification, and even to portray a welcoming message.
Collect and analyze data on patient outcomes.
To boost your process, you need to organize the current data to evaluate your current standings. Broaden your focus to cover both the hospital’s operations and patient population to identify the key area that needs adjustments. With this data, you can set the groundwork for patient outcomes.
Suppose your health facility is keen on making lasting changes. In that case, you should focus on keeping tabs on patient health journey by using Electronic Health Records to view outcome studies, patient satisfaction, and other sources of data that are integral in coming up with solutions to improved services.
Set achievable goals and commit to the current evaluation.
Armed with your data, it is time to formulate goals geared towards streamlining the grey areas. Keep in mind there are several health organizations that are more than willing to help you come up with quality and progressive measures throughout the entire process. Some of them include the National Quality Forum, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and Quality Payment Program.
Don’t just set the goals. Implement them and leave them at that, put in place systems to monitor and evaluate the changes brought by the new plans.
Improve access to care.
Providing healthcare is one of the core missions of improving processes at the hospital. Giving patients the right care in the right time frame is key in boosting their performance. However, a significant number of patients do not have access to basic medical care due to a lack of insurance. By coming up with solutions on how patients can access healthcare should be part of your goals.
It is advisable for hospitals to work closely with other partners and organizations in order to improve patient outcomes. Hospitals should also initiate outreach programs to increase convenience and accessibility to healthcare.
Create a balanced team.
To smoothen the complex process for improved efficiency, the hospital needs to be backed by a balanced team. The team should consist of professionals with various unique skill sets. Experts suggest the team should be all-rounded, i.e., it should have a leader to provide oversight and insight, medical experts, and project managers to manage daily tasks to ensure the team works like a well-oiled engine.
