| The outbreak of epidemics coupled with the | | | | goodwill. In-house surgeons and on-call surgeons |
| exodus of medical professionals skills make | | | | should be able to jump into action in no time. |
| running a hospital a nightmare. The lack of funds | | | | 5. Reduce Process Times: Long process times like |
| to purchase essential equipment only adds to an | | | | accident and ICU admission can prove fatal to |
| already bad scenario. Add to this administrations | | | | patients. Reduction of the amount of paperwork |
| with outdated notions about hospital management | | | | necessary saves critical time. Dedicated, |
| and you have an impending disaster. | | | | uncluttered pathways leading to operating rooms |
| In a quest to better run their hospitals, many | | | | also saves a lot of time. Trained staff and |
| hospital administrators have deployed six sigma | | | | personnel can handle things better than they |
| process improvements and have started to show | | | | always used to do. Computerized documents like |
| such good results that they have converted | | | | case histories should be able to be accessed over |
| skeptics to believers. Running hospitals better | | | | a computer network. This saves time, costs and |
| requires a lot more effort than running a regular | | | | reduces staff fatigue, which can reduce burnout. |
| business. Here are 7 things that help you to run | | | | 6. Separate Administration And Stores From |
| your hospital better: | | | | Other Areas: It is crucial that the administration, |
| 1. Critical Illness Care: Facilitate treatment for | | | | stores and the front office are far removed from |
| critical illnesses like cardiac diseases, cancers, brain | | | | the critical areas where absolute silence is |
| surgeries etc as these specialized treatments are | | | | essential for recuperation of patients. A clean and |
| not possible just anywhere. A good infrastructure, | | | | serene environment will have a curative effect on |
| a team of specialized doctors and adequate | | | | the patients. Provide a separate entry, bypassing |
| support staff should be dedicated to these | | | | the main building, to this area for the use of |
| services. The general increase in the successful | | | | patients and their loved ones. |
| treatment of these cases should help promote | | | | 7. Simplify Billing And Documentation: It removes |
| your hospital. | | | | the necessity to have additional staff to maintain |
| 2. Develop A Network Of Physicians: A | | | | a mountain of paperwork. Keep only those |
| professional partnership with a network of | | | | records required by regulations. Paperwork |
| independent physicians gets you more referrals. | | | | reduction also reduces the probability of mistakes |
| Physicians refer their patients to known hospitals | | | | occurring in billing and other patient documents. |
| when necessary. | | | | North Carolina Baptist used Six Sigma process |
| 3. Good Inventory Of Essentials: Keep every | | | | improvements to revolutionize cardiac care. By |
| emergency and non emergency essential like | | | | getting heart attack patients from the emergency |
| oxygen, blood of all groups, medicines and | | | | room to the cardiac catheterization lab faster, |
| syringes available at all times. Not having to run | | | | they slashed 41 minutes off the hospital's mean |
| around looking for essentials not only saves crucial | | | | time, and as a result saved lives. |
| time but also impresses patients and their | | | | The foundation for all these activities must be a |
| relatives. | | | | rational thinking and questioning of every process |
| 4. 24/7 Service Popularizes Your Hospital: You | | | | and system as to their necessity, in addition to |
| never know when you need emergency medical | | | | providing the best treatment to patients. As a |
| attention. A hospital, open 24 hrs and 7 days with | | | | hospital, if you aren't running lean and mean, |
| all facilities available can save lives as well as gain | | | | everything else will fail miserably. |