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T Harlin

Publications and source records attributed to T Harlin.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Length of stay. It's not just an inpatient concern.

This article outlines five strategies that can help reduce LOS, a key indicator for improving both service to the patient and cost reduction for the hospital. 1. Reduce the Roles Within the Emergency Department. Expand staff job descriptions, and as a result, the ED's flexibility by reducing the number of separate and distinct roles in the ED. 2. Streamline the Admission Process. Avoid the backup in the ED by streamlining the admission process, paying special attention to ensuring that incentives are aligned to get the patients into inpatient beds. 3. Redeploy and/or Cross-train Key Ancillary Services. Cut down on the delays associated with coordinating with outside ancillary departments by bringing those services which make sense into the ED or at a minimum streamlining the process for accessing them. 4. Use Technology Wisely. Look at available technology as a means to put more information into the hands of your staff or reduce the overall work involved in the process. 5. Establish Team Accountability and Measure Performance. Develop a baseline LOS, measure it going forward, and most importantly, push down accountability for improving it to your clinical and support teams.

Admitting Department, Hospital↗
PubMed1994

Establishing economic savings targets right out of the gate.

Although very important, establishing savings targets at the outset of a restructuring program is by no means an exact science. This article outlines three options for setting targets that vary according to the basis for the target and the level of effort required to arrive at the target. Under Option 1, financial realities dictate the target. Restructuring is simply pursued as a means to achieve the required cost reductions. Under Option 2, a hospital does not pre-suppose a target, but adopts directly the achievements of other institutions as their own economic goals. Lastly, under Option 3 hospitals compare themselves to other successful restructured hospitals across specific organizational and operational characteristics. With these comparisons as guides, the hospital establishes a comfort level within each area and sets targets accordingly. Regardless of the method you choose, our experience & research has taught us one universal truth about savings through restructuring. The hospitals that save money are the hospitals that try.

Cost Savings↗
PubMed1994

Pulling the right economic levers.

Efforts throughout your restructuring program should be as focused as your targets. If you are targeting large amounts of savings through infrastructure reduction, push for extensive service redeployment, implement new operational enablers and reexamine burdensome policies. If the savings are expected to come from skill mix reduction, analyze the workload, study licensure laws, get comfortable with competency thresholds and understand training costs. If management hierarchy reduction is the key, then put in place qualified managers, foster employee involvement to optimize SDWTs and modify your environment to reward risk taking and initiative. Lastly, if reduced LOS is the savings opportunity, rethink your patient groups. LOS reduction can also be achieved through improved care team continuity with physicians and patients. Understanding how your savings opportunities are influenced by ++your project decisions, direction and emphasis, will help you pull the "right" economic levers to meet your goals. Ultimately, that economic health will allow you to continue to provide uncompromised care and service quality to your communities.

Cost Control↗