Here are 4 questions that will be the biggest indicators of how well your flow operations are running:
1) By 8:30 am, are the units and nursing staff aware of exactly what tasks need to be executed upon (and order of priority) over the next 4-6 hours to avoid bottlenecks and create the right flow for that day for the entire hospital?
2) Do your ancillary / support areas know what / who to prioritize given the predicted issues for that day?
3) Is the nursing staff (unit managers) protective of their units or do they feel like they control and manage the flow for the hospital?
4) Do you have a daily collaborative problem solving process in place to resolve issues based on real time data and predictions?
Real Time Demand Capacity Management (RTDC) is a methodology that combines real time visibility and situational awareness with a problem solving process that allows flow leaders to proactively resolve bottlenecks before they happen. Most, if not all hospitals do a great job of reacting to bottlenecks effectively, but what processes are in place to tackle bottlenecks before they happen?
Reach out if you want our flow experts, who have spent over three decades working with health systems around the world join your flow related meetings and provide a quick assessment!