REDONDO BEACH, CA – May 12, 2016 – Idaho’s Kootenai Health has collaborated with leading IT infrastructure consulting firm T2 Tech Group to deploy a bed-management system that optimizes patient flow, resulting in improvements in efficiency, and quality of care.
Working hand-in-hand with Kootenai, T2 Tech managed the implementation of Central Logic’s Core software, which provides a comprehensive approach to bed management across hospital inpatient units. Using Core, Kootenai can systematically track the flow of patients through each stage of the hospital stay, from admission, to transport, to discharge, to room turnover.
By gathering comprehensive data on each of these steps, Kootenai is improving the visibility of patient flow. This allows the hospital to generate various metrics that help identify and eliminate roadblocks in the system.
“With the high cost of patient stays and the complexity of managing treatment, it’s critical to maximize patient throughput, not only to improve hospital efficiency, but to provide the best possible care,” said Ken Mills, director of patient flow and clinical operations at Kootenai. “Central Logic’s Core software allowed us to replace the patchwork manual system we employed in the past with a systemized approach to bed management. Our partnership with T2 Tech was essential in getting the Core system up and running ahead of schedule.”
Like many hospitals, Kootenai previously used a combination of tracking and communication methods for bed management, including spreadsheets, email and phone calls. With Core, Kootenai departments from nursing, to patient transport, to environmental services/housekeeping, to other ancillary services now use a single system to enter and access data.
Nurses now employ large electronic monitors, similar to flat screen televisions, mounted on hospital walls, as well as a desktop application, to monitor room occupancy and status. Environmental services/housekeeping and transport personnel can log room and patient transport status on mobile devices. Bed managers have access to real-time data into all aspects of patient flow, including resources, facilities and staff.
With definitive information on the movement of patients through the system, hospital administrators can pull various metrics to produce custom reports. For example, administrators can determine the time it takes for rooms to be turned around and become available. This gives them visibility into the overall process, providing comprehensive data that can be used for metrics and reporting.
Along with the efficiency gains, the system allows Kootenai to admit new patients more quickly, leading to improved outcomes.
The system was implemented in conjunction with the opening of a new hospital wing in March 2016. To meet Kootenai’s timeline, T2 Tech managed to finish the project six weeks ahead of the standard implementation schedule.
The implementation of the bed-management system is part of a larger collaboration between Kootenai and T2 Tech to upgrade the hospital’s IT infrastructure.