453 - Ripple Effect of Patient Flow in Healthcare: An Independent Study on The Benefits of Miya Flow, Alcidion
In this episode of Talking HealthTech , Nick White , Chief Marketing Officer at Alcidion , provides a comprehensive analysis of the potential embedded within modern patient flow systems in healthcare. As the healthcare sector confronts pressing challenges such as resource constraints, workforce shortages, and persistent demand for heightened efficiency, innovative solutions like electronic patient journey boards are emerging as pivotal advancements.?
The Role of Modern Patient Flow Systems
Modern patient flow systems are rapidly becoming essential components within healthcare infrastructures. These systems are designed to ensure that patients navigate through various stages of care with maximised efficiency and safety. Data analytics can potentially impact healthcare resource allocation and reduce clinician burnout . Through the utilisation of robust patient flow systems, healthcare facilities can streamline operational processes, mitigate delays, and ultimately enhance patient outcomes.
Alcidion's Miya Precision platform exemplifies such impactful tools. By facilitating the integration of data from existing health IT assets, it provides crucial real-time insights into patient flow, bed availability, and other critical facets of healthcare management. This integration is essential for enabling informed clinical decision-making and operational efficiency .
Benefits of Digital Patient Journey Boards
Nick explains the distinct advantages of adopting electronic patient journey boards, referencing recent research conducted at Alfred Health. These digital interfaces supplant traditional whiteboards, delivering real-time data on bed statuses, patient information, and operational metrics. This transition not only modernises workflow management but also yields measurable benefits.
One of the prominent outcomes is the marked reduction in patient length of stay. At Alfred Health, the implementation of electronic patient journey boards precipitated a 12.1% decrease in the length of stay over an 18-month timeframe. This reduction alleviates strain on hospital resources and enriches the patient experience by promoting timely discharges.
Reducing Variations in Workflow
Uniformity in workflows is paramount for efficient hospital operations, especially when dealing with inconsistent demand and staffing shortages. Before implementing Miya Precision, Alfred Health identified 30 disparate workflow variations at the ward level, posing significant challenges for staff transitioning between wards.
Resourcing flexibility is critical for a hospital to manage spikes in demand and resourcing shortfalls effectively. The new system consolidated these variations down to nine clinically aligned workflows . This standardisation facilitates customised care delivery while enabling staff to transition between wards seamlessly, thereby ensuring more efficient and safer patient care.
Optimising Discharge Planning
Effective discharge planning is indispensable for patient flow and bed management. At Alfred Health, prior to adopting Miya Precision, nearly 40% of patients lacked an Estimated Date of Discharge (EDD) in their records. This deficit often resulted in delays and inefficiencies.
Implementing electronic patient journey boards ensures that EDDs are universally recorded and monitored. Furthermore, changes to the EDD necessitate a reason to be provided, aiding in discharge practice analysis and ongoing improvement. This approach significantly enhances discharge planning, enabling accurate predictive analytics for bed availability and truncating patient stays.
Interoperability and Real-Time Data Access
Interoperability and data sharing frequently present challenges, especially concerning electronic discharge summaries. In numerous healthcare settings, discrepancies between different data sources may lead to inaccurate or outdated patient information. Alcidion's Miya Precision addresses this challenge by delivering accurate real-time data through its FHIR-based integration .
Access to real-time patient information through Miya Precision has been shown to eliminate discrepancies between different data sources. Precision in data is critical for clinicians, as it ensures an accurate and comprehensive view of patient status, thereby improving patient safety and care.
Addressing Workforce Shortages and Flexibility
The healthcare sector faces an anticipated workforce shortage of 10 million by 2030. Addressing this shortfall necessitates solutions that bolster workforce flexibility and efficiency. Modern patient flow systems significantly contribute to this by streamlining processes and alleviating administrative burdens on healthcare professionals.?
Nick emphasises the significance of creating intuitive user interfaces in these systems, aiming to reduce clinicians' time on computers, thus allowing more time for patient care. Minimising administrative tasks enables healthcare workers to focus more on direct patient interactions, improving care quality and job satisfaction.
Enhancing Emergency Department Outcomes
Effective patient flow management is crucial, particularly in emergency departments (EDs). Delays in transferring patients from the ED to appropriate care settings can culminate in overcrowding and extended waiting times. At Alfred Health, the implementation of electronic patient journey boards effectuated significant improvements in ED outcomes.
Nick highlights the impact, noting a 67% reduction in call duration for bed allocation, streamlining the process of moving patients to inpatient wards. Additionally, there was a 17.7% reduction in outliers at the point of admission. Outliers, or patients admitted to inappropriate wards, often suffer from poorer outcomes and extended stays. Reducing these mismatches is crucial for both patient care and operational efficiency .
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Innovative Technologies in Healthcare
Adopting innovative technologies, including AI and predictive analytics , further augments patient flow systems. AI can offer valuable insights for discharge planning and bed availability by analysing vast amounts of patient data and forecasting future needs. This technology optimises bed management, reduces waiting times, and ensures timely patient care.
The Impact of Data Analytics
Data analytics is an indispensable tool for healthcare delivery, capable of optimising resource allocation, enhancing patient outcomes, and driving operational efficiencies. By analysing extensive datasets, healthcare institutions can identify patterns, forecast trends, and make data -driven decisions that benefit both patients and staff. Healthcare organisations can better manage resources, diminish unnecessary workloads, and bolster overall efficiency with the appropriate tools and insights.
Creating a Unified Approach to Data Sharing
Interoperability and data sharing are crucial for successfully implementing modern patient flow systems. However, challenges such as disparate systems and inconsistent data standards can hinder this process. Electronic discharge summaries must be seamlessly shared across various platforms to ensure continuity of care. Standardising data -sharing practices and adopting frameworks such as FHIR can facilitate smoother integration and communication between systems, ultimately benefiting patient care.
Towards a Future of Improved Healthcare with Technology
Modern patient flow systems, such as Alcidion's Miya Precision, illustrate how real-time data access, workflow uniformity, and advanced analytics can revolutionise care delivery. By embracing these innovations, healthcare organisations can optimise resources, enhance patient outcomes, and support a more flexible and efficient workforce.
Related Companies
With smart technology, Alcidion is delivering on their mission to improve patient outcomes by enabling healthcare organisations to harness the power of their data.
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Growth Marketing | Health Analytics and AI | Entrepreneurial Mindset | Patient Care Solutions | Patient Flow
4 个月Great catching up with you Pete. This work recognises the impact that digital patient flow and clinical decision support can have for our care workers and in improving patient care (#MiyaPrecision). It also highlights the role of the #DigitalHealthCRC and academic bodies such as #MonashUniversity who led this study and provided an independent viewpoint. Thanks to the team at #AlfredHealth for making this possible, it is a great series of findings that will help many organisations putting together business cases for digitising clinical workflow.