title: Observation unit economics.
abstract: With an aging population, the United States health care delivery system is struggling to handle an onslaught of chronic disease burden. The current process of regulatory oversight and pay-for-performance reimbursement is a reality in today's health care delivery system. To maintain profitability, facilities must be willing to implement new strategies that marry operational redesign, quality care, and cost-effective treatment. As payers increasingly favor outpatient strategies for patient management, inpatient facilities must develop effective strategies to shift inpatient care into ambulatory settings. This article presents a model, based on acute heart failure, that offers a solution that is fixed on process improvement techniques that levy positive economic impact.
authors.affiliation: Sieck HealthCare Consulting, Mobile, AL 36695, USA. ssieck@sieckhealthcare.com
authors.forename: Sandra G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Sieck
authors.forename: Mark G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Moseley
mesh_terms: D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000191:economics; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000191:economics* / Q000458:organization & administration; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006278:Medicare / Q000191:economics; D017146:Models, Organizational; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology