title: A Successful Model for a Comprehensive Patient Flow Management Center at an Academic Health System.
abstract: This article reports on an innovative approach to managing patient flow at a multicampus academic health system, integrating multiple services into a single, centralized Patient Flow Management Center that manages supply and demand for inpatient services across the system. Control of bed management was centralized across 3 campuses and key services were integrated, including bed management, case management, environmental services, patient transport, ambulance and helicopter dispatch, and transfer center. A single technology platform was introduced, as was providing round-the-clock patient placement by critical care nurses, and adding medical directors. Daily bed meetings with nurse managers and charge nurses drive action plans. This article reports immediate improvements in the first year of operations in emergency department walkouts, emergency department boarding, ambulance diversion, growth in transfer volume, reduction in lost transfers, reduction in time to bed assignment, and bed turnover time. The authors believe theirs is the first institution to integrate services and centralize bed management so comprehensively.
authors.affiliation: Thomas Jefferson University and Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Philadelphia, PA paris.lovett@jefferson.edu.
authors.forename: Paris B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Lovett
authors.affiliation: Thomas Jefferson University and Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Philadelphia, PA.
authors.forename: Megan L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Illg
authors.affiliation: Thomas Jefferson University and Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Philadelphia, PA.
authors.forename: Brian E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Sweeney
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D064422:Ambulance Diversion / Q000458:organization & administration; D019090:Case Management / Q000458:organization & administration; D019091:Critical Pathways / Q000458:organization & administration; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D017146:Models, Organizational; D058996:Quality Improvement / Q000458:organization & administration; D012984:Software; D014187:Transportation of Patients / Q000458:organization & administration
keywords: academic medical centers; hospital bed capacity; length of stay; patient flow; quality improvement