| A study by National Center for Policy Analysis | | | | making use of data warehousing techniques and |
| (NCPA) suggests that by the middle of the | | | | retrieval via internet. |
| century, healthcare will consume a whopping 33% | | | | 2. Inter-departmental co-ordination: Increased |
| of the total national income. This amount will | | | | co-ordination between departments helps in |
| gobble up entire state/local budgets as well as the | | | | getting cost saving measures sink into the entire |
| federal budget. Unlike other developing countries, | | | | hospital structure more easily. |
| the US government exercises minimal restraint on | | | | 3. Corporate style benchmarking: Hospitals are |
| healthcare spending. Also, the government is | | | | now starting to fix corporate styled goals and |
| focusing its attention on covering more and more | | | | adopting industry best practices. A professional |
| people rather than just the needy like in other | | | | approach would definitely go a long way in |
| countries. With the population of the aged rising | | | | effecting cost cutting measures envisaged. |
| rapidly, the healthcare costs of the state are | | | | 4. Clinical pathway mapping: Bringing together a |
| bound to rise upwards. | | | | team of physicians whose primary aim is to |
| In the direction of reducing healthcare costs, | | | | identify patient group requirements and map the |
| hospitals are now being pushed by the state to | | | | means by which the needs can be met frugally |
| reduce their costs. | | | | and efficiently. |
| Here we present 5 proven techniques by which | | | | Expected savings: 35 percent |
| your hospital/clinic can reduce its operating costs | | | | 5. Hiring case managers: Case managers look |
| without cutting corners: | | | | after the transition procedures of a patient when |
| 1. Cost tracking: Making use of an integrated | | | | shifted from one department to the other. They |
| electronic approach by which all multiple accounts | | | | are usually members of the nursing staff. |
| databases can be combined into a single database, | | | | |