In business, there are plenty of straightforward ways to measure operational efficiency. But when it comes to healthcare, things aren't so black and white. How do you strike a balance between the most effective patient care with productivity and cost savings?
Let's take a look at what operational efficiency is in healthcare settings, and how you can measure and improve it.
Meet the Expert
Mical DeBrow is an accomplished healthcare leader and clinician with extensive expertise spanning pharma, healthcare payers and providers, and healthcare information technology.
Operational efficiency in healthcare is about aligning resources with patient needs. It involves having the right staff, tools, and supplies available for each patient when they need them.
At the patient level, operational efficiency translates to a smoother healthcare journey. It can lead to quicker diagnoses and more effective treatments, ultimately improving patient outcomes.
As resources in healthcare become more scarce and expensive, operational efficiency also becomes a necessity.
It's important because it directly impacts the quality of care. Efficient operations mean patients receive timely and effective treatments.
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When you're trying to assess how efficiently things run in your organization, you need to look at multiple areas where bottlenecks can arise.
Operational efficiency and data go hand-in-hand. It's not about hoarding every bit of data we can get our hands on. Instead, it's about zeroing in on those key data points that have a direct impact on patient care and outcomes. That's how we make sure our data is working for us, not the other way around.
Efficiency is also tied to how we manage our staffing models. Having the right personnel available when and where they're needed most is crucial. By closely observing patient needs and aligning that with our staffing, we pave the way for better outcomes.
Managing resources, like pharmaceuticals, is a key part of operational efficiency. We need to make sure we're using our resources wisely and not wasting anything. For instance, if we're using powerful drugs for things like weight loss when they're not really needed, that's a sign we might not be as efficient as we could be.
Health information technologies, like electronic health records and monitoring tools, are game-changers when it comes to operational efficiency. They cut down on time spent collecting info we don't need, freeing up healthcare providers to concentrate on what really matters-patient care.
If you've run through the list of metrics to assess whether things are running smoothly, and finding that they aren't quite there, it's time to look at ways to improve efficiencies.
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One of the biggest challenges in healthcare is balancing high-quality care with operational efficiency demands.
The key is to remember that operational efficiency is not just about healthcare cost reduction-it's about improving the quality of care.
By focusing on patient needs, outcomes, and smart use of data, healthcare organizations can increase operational efficiency without sacrificing the quality of care.