Optimizing inpatient bed management in a rural community-based hospital: a quality improvement initiative

BMC Health Services Research

Research

Hanyin Wang¹  Pawan Bhandari²  Nadine N. Vanhoudt³  Ashley A. Anderson⁴  Jennifer M. Bartelt⁵  Danielle L. Juliar⁶  Gokhan Anil⁷  Brian N. Bartlett⁸  April D. Lanz⁹ 

[1] Chair, Hospital Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic Health System – Southwest MN region, Mankato, USA;Department of Automotive and Manufacturing Engineering Technology, Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN, USA;Department of Finance, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA;Emergency Medicine, Mayo Clinic Health System – Southwest MN region, Mankato, MN, USA;Hospital Operations, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA;Nursing Administration, Mayo Clinic Health System – Southwest MN region, Mankato, MN, USA;Regional Chair of Clinical Practice, Mayo Clinic Health System – Southwest MN region, Mankato, MN, USA;Regional Vice Chair of Clinical Practice, Mayo Clinic Health System – Southwest MN region, 1025 Marsh St., 56002, Mankato, MN, USA;Vice Chair, Administration, Mayo Clinic Health System – Southwest MN region, Mankato, MN, USA;

关键词: Acute care beds;    Capacity constraints;    Community hospital;    Inpatient bed management optimization;    Patient transfers;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12913-023-10008-6

 received in 2023-02-13, accepted in 2023-09-07,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundAppropriate use of available inpatient beds is an ongoing challenge for US hospitals. Historical capacity goals of 80% to 85% may no longer serve the intended purpose of maximizing the resources of space, staff, and equipment. Numerous variables affect the input, throughput, and output of a hospital. Some of these variables include patient demand, regulatory requirements, coordination of patient flow between various systems, coordination of processes such as bed management and patient transfers, and the diversity of departments (both inpatient and outpatient) in an organization.MethodsMayo Clinic Health System in the Southwest Minnesota region of the US, a community-based hospital system primarily serving patients in rural southwestern Minnesota and part of Iowa, consists of 2 postacute care and 3 critical access hospitals. Our inpatient bed usage rates had exceeded 85%, and patient transfers from the region to other hospitals in the state (including Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota) had increased. To address these quality gaps, we used a blend of Agile project management methodology, rapid Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, and a proactive approach to patient placement in the medical-surgical units as a quality improvement initiative.ResultsDuring 2 trial periods of the initiative, the main hub hospital (Mayo Clinic Health System hospital in Mankato) and other hospitals in the region increased inpatient bed usage while reducing total out-of-region transfers.ConclusionOur novel approach to proactively managing bed capacity in the hospital allowed the region’s only tertiary medical center to increase capacity for more complex and acute cases by optimizing the use of historically underused partner hospital beds.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023

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