Implementing Force Multipliers to Reduce Hospital Costs
Force multiplication, in military usage, refers to a combination of attributes or advantages which make a given force more effective than another force of comparable size. A force multiplier refers to a factor that dramatically increases (hence “multiplies”) the effectiveness of a group. For example, a small group of well-equipped, well-trained soldiers with the sun at their backs may be more capable of defending a fortified mountainous position against a larger group of poorly equipped, poorly-trained soldiers with the sun in their faces.
A hospital team can use this concept by combining labor cost management with case management. The two together become highly strategic multipliers. One plus one equals 3 or maybe even 10. The combination enables your team to lead transformational change faster.
Improving patient throughput with effective and aligned case management maximizes the use of hospital assets – time, space, capacity, equipment, and human assets. Maximizing those assets leads to significant productivity gains. When patient flow is increased, unnecessary work can be eliminated and existing staff can process added patient volume more effectively.
Flow improvement is especially effective for hospitals experiencing or anticipating substantial growth or for hospitals approaching the limits of their capacity.
Adding labor resource technology can also further multiply results, but only if social change is part of the technology implementation. The frequent lack of success experienced by management in using these systems usually results from the inability to generate “buy-in” as well as build the management and organizational capability to change culture and processes.
Without the required social change, technology alone is a force detractor. It takes your eye off the real problems while searching for magic bullets. Systems don’t produce results . . . people who know how and why to use systems produce results.
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