Running a hospital is no easy task. Running a hospital well may seem nearly impossible. Thankfully, there are healthcare consulting companies that specialize in helping hospitals to run smoother, save costs, and improve patient care at the same time. It can be difficult to recognize when to bring in a healthcare consulting company to help your hospital.
If you’ve noticed any of these warning signs, it may be time to make the call.
Inefficient Operations
Have you noticed processes or procedures that don’t function well? Perhaps the hospital is using ineffective planning tools or reactive crisis management rather than dealing with issues proactively. Common hospital process inefficiencies include a shortage of clinicians, poorly-managed patient flow, lengthy stays, high readmission rates and poor communication. Healthcare consulting will work with the management team of the hospital to determine better models for delivering patient care and reducing process inefficiencies. These changes will mean increased capacity, decreased cycle time and improved overall efficiency.
Chronic Understaffing
If you have troubles managing staffing levels, finding your hospital chronically short of employees, healthcare consulting may be for you. Shortages of nurses and doctors are most troubling with regard to patient care. Knowing future patient demand is critical to getting the staffing balance right. Training and professional development are other areas of concern of the staff of a hospital. Healthcare consultants will usually train staff on new policies and procedures that have been implemented, allowing hospital management to enjoy the full benefits of improved operations.
Declining Patient Experience
Patient experience is an amalgamation of many factors. Everything from time with doctors and nurses, to food quality and nutrition, affects the patient experience in your hospital. It is most important for patients to feel that they are being well taken care of, and that they understand their treatment. Healthcare consulting services can help improve patient experience on many factors. New care models may be introduced that improve clinical quality, demand management, and patient safety. The healthcare provider, along with the consultant, will ensure patients know the care team is invested in their health outcomes.
Ballooning Costs
Finally, if costs are out of control, it may be beneficial to hire a healthcare consultant. Cutting costs across the board is never a good answer. For example, outsourcing cleaning and food preparation services has been shown to increase infection rates, adding an extra $30.5 billion in costs per year. Along with improving patient experience, operations and staffing levels, a healthcare consulting company can help you drive performance improvement by expanding capacity and reducing costs to increase financial leverage.
When your hospital is not optimized, you may see several key performance indicators start to suffer. Poor productivity and efficiency, inadequate staffing levels, deficient patient experience and out-of-control costs are all signs that your hospital needs a healthcare consulting firm. These industry experts will step in to offer both advice and implementation strategies to bring your hospital’s performance to the next level.