Unpacking the Acute Care Crisis: Exploring the Shortage of Hospital Beds and the Factors Fueling It in the U.S.

A recent article in Becker’s Hospital Review https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-management-administration/the-next-health-system-c-suite-obsession.html indicates that solving capacity issues and becoming more efficient with patient throughput is a top priority in 2025 for many healthcare executives.? The article further sites a recent survey from Vizient that shows 52.8% of hospital and health system leaders see patient access, throughput, and capacity as top focus areas for 2025.

This is Part-1 of a three-part series on this subject. Part-1 will dive into the causal factors for the shortage. This is a complex issue within a complex, adaptive, system and understanding the cause is critical in formulating a sustainable solution.

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These factors, combined, create a complex environment where the demand for acute-care beds often exceeds supply, particularly during periods of crisis or seasonal surges in illnesses. Many organizations have attempted to address this challenge through continuous improvement efforts or by attempting to “Length-of-Stay reduce” their way into improved capacity. However, this is an extraordinarily complex issue within a complex, adaptive, system.? This has two particularly important ramifications for organizations attempting to solve the shortage: 1.) The root-causes outlined in this document must be met head-on, each prioritized based on impact to the organization, and 2.) Recognition of the fact that acute care is complex and adaptive, meaning it is exceedingly difficult to piece-meal, continuous improvement efforts into a viable and sustainable solution-set.? A system-design approach is more appropriate with many of the changes larger in scale and transformational in nature. Part-2 of this series will probe deeper into the consequences of these ramifications and their impact on solution design. Part-3 of this series will propose a process for creating a successful solution set. Geth the complete article here https://www.bradley-schultz.com/at-the-forefront and stay tuned!