Author: Stephanie Dorwart

Any healthcare consultant that focuses on productivity will tell you the unfortunate look received when sharing that your job is to improve performance. There is the obligatory head nod paired with the uncomfortable question “so, you fire people?” At that very instant, your body tenses, and you feel the need to defend the work that you do and the value that increased efficiency brings to hospitals and health systems. But why do we fear the word productivity and/or the reaction to it? Historically speaking, productivity was synonymously linked to a reduction in force, otherwise known as a layoff.

The value of great customer service transcends industries from retail to foodservice and everything in between. Most organizations rely heavily on reputation to drive revenue. Effective public interactions, media exposure, marketing strategies, and word-of-mouth communication are barometers from which customer satisfaction can be measured for any business.

When it comes to their health, the general public tends to put a great deal of trust in their local hospitals, doctors, surgeons, and medical staff. Why shouldn’t they? After all, they are highly educated, well-trained professionals that have gone through many years of schooling and hands-on experience to hone their unique set of skills. Hospitals and health systems worldwide are saving more lives than it was ever thought possible.

According to a recent study, the typical Emergency Department processes 64% of their daily volume from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.

The evolution of healthcare continues and now it’s patient transportation that is being given a spin! With the introduction of Uber Health and Lyft for Healthcare, hospitals are using available technology to change both the ride as well as the destination. These services offer many benefits and present forward-thinking care delivery concepts that are being adopted across the industry. However, there are still the naysayers out there who continue to push back against the non-traditional.

With personnel expense making up more than half of the total operating expense of most hospitals and health systems, understanding how many FTEs your organization actually needs to run efficiently is a priority. A Full-Time Equivalent, or FTE, is the sum of all worked or paid hours divided by the total hours in a pay period. For most organizations, that’s 80 hours per pay or 2080 hours per year.

Fall is a season of change; changing leaves, changing temperatures, and lately the change of all regular-flavored food/drinks to some variation of pumpkin! As we enjoy the beautiful foliage or our first pumpkin-spice latte, we should think about the importance of another type of change: change management. The healthcare industry is constantly undergoing significant change due to shifts in reimbursements and compliance requirements. In addition, the shortage of skilled workers and low unemployment rates are driving personnel costs higher.

Successful budgets should not just exist in a galaxy far, far away or once upon a time! Budget numbers are only meaningful if they can be achieved and maintained. As organizations draft and finalize the budgets for the 2019 fiscal year, it is important that the focus not just be on fixed, annual numbers, but on flexible, volume-based staffing goals as well. This will ensure alignment with performance improvement strategies and real-time control over labor costs.

What does “Best Practice” mean in the healthcare environment? Just as in any other field, “Best Practice” is the commitment to using all the knowledge, processes, data and technology at one’s disposal to ensure success. However, let’s take that one step further and note that this success must be realized in the most efficient manner possible in order to make a difference to your organization’s bottom line. Controlling costs through the proper utilization of resources and minimization of waste are ways that hospitals and health systems are achieving “Best Practice” status.