Patient Flow

Learn about the next steps in improving healthcare delivery and facilities operations.

How We Define Patient Flow

Patient Flow is the operational state when a healthcare facility is functioning at the top of its ability: moving patients through the care experience in a fluid process, providing the necessary resources as needed, coordinating between teams for a fluid healthcare experience for both clinicians and patients.

Deliver Best Care

  • EHR is the core operational data repository
  • New specialties are novel
  • Providers managed on tasks rather than time
  • Grease boards and ED specific solutions for displaying operational status

Deliver Best Experience

  • Operational software that interfaces with EHR
  • Complete, end to end capture of patient path across departments
  • Recapture operational data from grease boards, notepads, conversations
  • Provide flexible displays based on department/role need

How Patient Flow Works

The pressures of value based healthcare mean that cross departmental collaboration is essential to achieving operational excellence.

Healthcare Institutions Compensated on Value

Straight-line path

Focusing on the patient's next step and placing orders

Before

Holistic Managed Operations

Each department actively mapping capacity in real time, understanding how small changes impact their day.

After

Achieving Patient Flow Requires Addressing New Challenges

Improving operations requires some positive change. Improved clinician satisfaction requires a complete strategy for removing obstacles to success.

Structure and Accountability

Developing partnerships and collaboration will provide opportunities for shared learning, and create accountability across departments

Align Reporting

Create consistent reporting structure between departments.

Empowering Staff to Drive Strategy

Give staff the tools to input and influence their process and the ability to get the information they need most.

Engaging in Robust Data Collection

Capture data beyond your hypothesis - across the care continuum.

Healthcare Institutions Offer Inadequate Operational Technology to Achieve Patient Flow

What are hospitals doing poorly?

Relying on passive EHRs that are focused on data not operations.

Inadvertently create barriers to access operational information and communication

Measurable operational data lost to analog tools with no memory

New Operational Technology Makes it All Possible

Patient flow is attainable when healthcare facilities have the right tools for collaboration and measurement.
 

See how it works