Why Use Data Analytics?

Data is one of the most crucial components used in the decision-making process. However, raw data consisting of scattered facts and figures from numerous and varied sources must be systematically converted into a meaningful format using analytics. This task is accomplished through an automated process utilizing specialized software that uses complex algorithms and formulas to process and sort the data. The resulting output converts into a readable display for online dashboards that include graphs, tables, and printable reports that clinicians and hospital leadership can readily interpret.

Hospitals are also continually under scrutiny by state and federal agencies and are required to report patient care and financial data to ensure cooperation with established guidelines. As a result, the urgency to report accurate data in a timely manner has never been greater. Data analytics assist hospital administrators with this responsibility in addition to providing a clear-cut view of revenue impacts.

Without data analytics, it is impossible to fully understand how a complex organization like a hospital is doing or how to manage spend while improving the quality of care. Data analytics allows an organization to uncover areas of waste and make more informed decisions regarding how to use hospital resources. It provides an accurate view of what is actually happening and can support decisions that will ultimately lead to cost savings. Consulting with an advisor or developing an internal team to manage data analytics remains a worthwhile investment into the future success of any healthcare organization.

Hospital Data Sources And Applications

Health care data originate from many sources, including electronic health records (EHRs), medical imaging, payor records, pharmaceuticals, wearables, and medical devices. [1] This data dramatically differs from that of other industries in that it streams in higher volumes and velocities. Thanks to technological advances in analytics, hospitals can store and analyze this data using software tools to make smarter and cost-effective decisions.
The analyzed data is used in several applications, resulting in increased cost savings: [2]

• Operational efficiency

Data collected from admissions and discharges is used to analyze staff efficiency and productivity during varying patient volumes. This analysis can lead to more efficient use of personnel resources while improving patient care.

• Proactive medical care

Big data garnered from electronic health records (EHRs) such as clinical data, conditions, and diagnoses are used to study more effective treatments for patients. Being proactive with inpatient treatment lowers the duration of hospital stays, decreasing costs for both the health care facility and the patient.

• Medical equipment maintenance

Critical medical equipment, such as MRI scanners requires preventative maintenance to ensure proper operation 24/7. Data from sensors in the machines can predict when it’s time to replace critical components and prevent sudden, costly breakdowns.

• Physical infrastructure maintenance

As is the case in other structures, a hospital building uses sensors to monitor such resources as energy consumption, heating and air conditioning systems, as well as fire and security systems. Monitoring and analyzing this data facilitates uninterrupted operation of these systems, preventing costly repair or replacement.

Data Analytics Enhance Patient Safety, Save Costs

Adverse outcomes such as hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) and medical errors present a substantial financial threat to hospitals. Not only do they require additional expensive treatment, but they can also lead to costly penalties in the form of disciplinary action and lawsuits.

EHR and bedside computer data contain valuable data on encounters, lab results, medications, vital signs, notes, and diagnoses. Applying predictive analytics and machine learning to this data can be used to prevent medically adverse events and forecast longer stays, inpatient mortality, and unexpected readmissions.

Hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) and hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are reportable conditions that are considered preventable. Since they originate in the facility, Medicare will not reimburse the hospital for these conditions, resulting in higher patient care costs. Hospitals also lose valuable points on their safety indicators that result in reimbursement reductions. However, by implementing various analytical tools, potential adverse events are identified, and proactive measures are taken to avoid their occurrence.

An example of using analytics in patient care is demonstrated at Augusta Health in Virginia. [3] Combining EHR data with geocoded hospital floor plans, a visual map was created of how multi-drug resistant organisms spread. The resulting information provided a better understanding of how C.diff and MRSA infections spread to help avoid future HAIs from occurring.

Algorithms using historical and real-time data are making meaningful predictions for effective clinical decision-making. A recent survey from the Society of Actuaries demonstrated that 60 percent of healthcare executives had adopted predictive analysis and 39% of those who responded have saved costs. [4]

Other potential applications for predictive analytics in hospitals are for more efficient patient scheduling, early treatment of sepsis, prevention of falls and monitoring patient flows to optimize both staff and equipment resources.

Applying Data Analytics To Decrease Claim Denials

Denied insurance claims represent a significant revenue obstacle to many hospitals. Tracing the reason for the denial often involves a complex series of steps, making the process a difficult undertaking. Data analytics can be used to circumvent this process through the use of the following tools. [5]

• Dashboards

An analytical dashboard is an easy-to-read display used to provide insights into the data for decision-making purposes. In this case, a general claims management dashboard with denial rates and other related information is presented in a clear, concise format using graphs, tables, and other formats.

• Interactive reports

Interactive reports contain clickable options enabling viewers to select and filter a variety of criteria as needed. For example, a user can filter out a specific payer to only view their claim denials. This information can also be filtered down to a specific CPT code.

• Actionable claims data

The claims office benefits from viewing errors compared to reported data. Having this data on hand speeds up the correction and submission process.
The use of data analytics in claims processing has positive impacts on hospital revenue. Unfortunately, 55% of facilities reported that they do not yet have a system in place. However, 45% of this group stated they are planning to implement one.

How Data Analytics Benefit Patient Financials

Claims denials and the patient’s inability to pay their share have the most significant negative impact on hospital revenue. In 2017, health care systems and hospitals wrote off 90% more in uncollectible claim denials than six years previously. [6] The time consumed and costs generated in appeals are particularly taxing to hospital revenue. However, by applying data analytics to the process from the beginning, claims denials are significantly reduced as discussed below. [7]

The technology behind the verification of patient deductibles and co-insurance costs utilizes data analytics that precisely analyzes eligibility information and procedure pricing. This can result in a more accurate estimation of the patient’s financial responsibility, avoiding any surprise expenses that the patient is unable to meet.

• Confirming eligibility for the government and third-party insurance payers is more efficient with the use of data analytical tools. These tools can identify coverage for each patient with greater accuracy and safeguard against errors in identification.
• Presumptive analytics can assess if a patient qualifies for charitable assistance with their share of medical expenses. This process is especially useful for identifying self-pay and uninsured patients who need this type of financial aid.
• Analytics assist personnel in reducing the number of patient accounts that go to collections. Only those accounts without coverage that are flagged by analytics need follow up.
• The mapping of claims adjustment reason codes (CARCs) into analytic data systems helps capture, report, and share the information to build processes and reduce future denials.

Data Analytics and the Supply Chain

Supply chain spend is rapidly overtaking labor costs in hospitals. Approximately 30 percent ($25.4 billion) of all hospital spending in the US goes to supply chain overspend. [8] This is due, in large part, to supply chain data that is often siloed and inaccurate. Changes in reimbursement along with other external forces, including the COVID-19 pandemic, have made supply chain management increasingly more complex, but no less crucial to the successful operation of any hospital.

Benchmarking is critical to identifying opportunities for cost savings and data analytics makes it possible to find where a hospital is overspending in the supply chain. Data analytics also enables an organization to provide accurate price transparency, which is essential for delivering care according to current value-based payment models. A full understanding of costs can be obtained through the collection and analysis of real-time data, paving the way for supply chain optimization that will result in cost savings and better spend management. When it comes to the hospital supply chain, there are clear financial advantages to clean, comprehensive data.

Other Ways Hospitals Use Analytics To Save Costs

By using predictive analytics, hospitals are not only improving the patient care experience but optimizing resources. Here are other areas hospitals are applying analytics to help cut costs.

• Using predictive analysis, hospitals identify which patients are prone to poor outcomes and are likely to be readmitted. Since CMS and other payers may impose readmission penalties, this measure can result in substantial cost savings.
• Patients who fail to arrive on time for scheduled procedures lead to revenue loss. By using predictive analytics with patients’ EHRs, hospitals can identify those that have an increased chance of missing their scheduled procedure. The hospital then double-books the same slot with a patient who is more likely to show up. This method increases productivity and avoids revenue losses.
• Delays in attending to patients in emergency rooms and critical care centers result in higher mortality rates, increased lengths of stay, and medical errors, which result in financial losses. Using predictive analysis, hospital administrators can pinpoint the inflow of patients at specific time intervals for staff optimization.
• As mentioned previously, the hospital supply chain benefits from using data analytics when determining what materials are needed on hand at any given time. Hospitals can proactively manage device inventory and supplies more efficiently.

The Current State of Data Analytics in Healthcare

The benefits of data analytics in the healthcare industry are undeniable. Unfortunately, hospitals today are faced with the common hurdle of inefficiency. According to Dr. Alan Weiss, Founder and CEO of Summit Consulting Group, healthcare organizations must be well-managed and efficient in order to be effective. Hospitals often work with a sense of urgency because they deal with matters of life and death. This means they may “ignore things that don’t immediately pertain to health and safety.” This may be unintentional or it may be out of necessity. The need for an experienced consultant becomes clear for hospitals that have not developed a strong data analytics process.

Even hospitals that have established the use of data analytics face the challenge of using their data to make real-time adjustments that lead to better cost savings. As a consultant, VIE Healthcare Consulting understands the importance of collecting, processing, and analyzing large amounts of data in a timely manner. This led to the development of Invoice ROITM, our automated and patented technology that reconciles thousands of line-item details instantly, eliminating manual processes so healthcare workers can focus on delivering quality care. Invoice ROITM gives hospitals the ability to reduce waste and manage spend more efficiently without reducing the quality of care. In fact, the revenue growth that is realized from real-time data analytics allows hospitals to spend more money, energy, and time on patient care and other initiatives that can drastically improve the patient outcomes.

Conclusion

Today’s hospitals face many challenges as they juggle operational efficiency with the delivery of quality health care. The application of data analytics across several areas in the hospital helps administrators make key decisions that result in increased revenue and decreased costs. Patients also benefit from data analytics as their care is better managed, and staffing and supply resources optimized.

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Challenges facing hospital leadership

Hospital leadership faces multiple factors as they try to balance shifting dynamics within today’s evolving environment. Financial sustainability for every hospital incorporates a variety of trends, requirements, and challenges.

These include:

• Quality, including patient safety, hospital acquired conditions and medication errors.
• Regulatory and compliance requirements.
• Reimbursement, new payment models and readmission penalties.
• Mergers, acquisitions, market competition (including other hospitals and health systems, and entities such as Amazon, Apple, retail based companies such as CVS, and urgent care centers).
• Capital improvements, innovation and new lines of business.
• External partnerships and population health initiatives using Social Determinants of Health to identify, prevent and control chronic conditions.
• Patient empowerment: This includes patient satisfaction, the consumerism, price transparency and patient access.
• Revenue cycle improvements, such as coding, billing, and patient communication.
• Supply chain transformation includes purchased services cost containment, prescription drug costs and shortages,and cost saving strategies for high cost medical devices and implants (PPIs).
• Labor shortages and costs.
• Physician and clinical staff productivity, including burnout.

IT challenges and future trends.

• New ONC strategy to reduce IT challenges for patients and providers. The goal is to reduce reporting burdens, strengthen interoperability and enhance the patient experience. [1]
• Cybersecurity, physical security and disaster preparedness.
• New technologies and care delivery models include telehealth, wearable technology, home-based medicine, and a trend towards outpatient surgeries.
• EHR upgrades, evidence based clinical decision support systems.

Looking at these factors, the task can appear overwhelming, and it often is.
There are multiple stakeholders, both internal and external. Coupled with the complexity of government oversight, accrediting bodies, private payers and the move toward consumerism, every hospital must plan, strategize and continually monitor budgets, costs, and revenue streams.

Creating a “patient centered vision”

This changing healthcare landscape requires a dedication to a “patient centered vision” by your hospital.
Historically, a healthy system is broadly divided into clinical and financial divisions. That model has evolved with the shift to value based reimbursement. Leaders from these respective functions are beginning to collaborate as they strive to provide high quality patient care.
Both understand that interdepartmental communication and transparency are crucial to success.
The insight of CFOs is essential in the development of strategic plans. As they take the lead in creating budgets, they simultaneously share the hospital’s vision and ensure that budgets are developed based on that organizational plan.
Current trends in budget preparation include a focus on operational performance with positive operating margins and a return on investment.
In this scenario:

• Each department’s budget becomes a cog in the wheel and is crucial to the success of the entire healthcare entity.
• The organization needs to create and share data-driven enterprise reports. This step enables departmental leaders to review the budget or change direction monthly.
• An annual review of results is no longer a viable option.

The need for leadership in healthcare

Healthcare thought leaders of 2022 must be forward-thinking, strategic, data-driven, patient-centered, adaptable, future-focused, open to change, flexible, an active listeners, team leaders, teacher and coaches.

“As the healthcare industry acclimates to disruption, major health systems are turning to their CFOs for crucial guidance.” [2]

“The modern CFO is a cross-functional leader involved with everything from strategy to customer acquisition.” [3]

Where do you begin to address the many challenges within the organization and each department and ensure financial stability? You start with great leadership.

As the health system leadership creates the strategic plan, hospital CFOs lead the way for department heads to become partners down the road to change.
Department leaders must exhibit leadership qualities and embrace their role in the patient-centered vision.

Collaborating with the CFO, finance and clinical departmental leaders can begin with the following steps:

Step 1 — Dedication to routine open communication: utilizing the “huddle concept” by meeting regularly to share successes and clarify issues through virtual or in-person meetings. In follow-up, department leaders can huddle with their team to continue the transparency focus throughout the organization.

Step 2 — Data driven: Is your data being effectively used? CFOs must strive to share monthly departmental data reports with their department leaders. Accurate, actionable data should include target volumes, costs, and current revenue (and highlight any reimbursement issues).

Step 3 — Ongoing reviews: Encourage department leaders to review the original plan, current data points and any variances on a monthly basis. Utilize new budgeting and forecasting concepts to adjust priorities based on results.

Step 4 — Develop standard budget processes: These should be created throughout the enterprise and provide continuing education for department leaders. The importance of understanding trends with department specialties must be emphasized. In order to remain current, participation must be encouraged.

Step 5 — Utilize evidence-based process improvement strategies: Engage clinical leaders to provide staff training.

Step 6 — Celebrate successes: Share insights and educate throughout the year.

Step 7 — Stay focused: Productivity requirements, multiple distractions, and increased responsibilities are always issues for leaders as they embark on change. Keep the goal at the forefront, ensure communication channels remain open, and continually regroup to review processes and find more efficient ways to stay on task with budget improvements.

Challenges in the healthcare arena, while they may evolve, will not disappear.
Teamwork, transparency, and a shared vision are the only strategies that will help your organization successfully provide exceptional care for your patients for the best value while maintaining the financial health of your organization.

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There are a few major reasons for this:

• Patients are bearing the responsibility of a larger portion of their healthcare bills.
• Patients can’t afford to pay large hospital bills, at least not all at once.
• Healthcare billing is often confusing.

Here are a few quotes from Becker Hospital Review’s whitepaper:

• “As more patients enroll in health plans with high out-of-pocket costs, provider organizations must shift their focus to ensure patients are at the center of their revenue cycle strategy. Hospitals and health systems that fail to make this transition may see their patient experience scores and finances suffer.”
• “Patients are now responsible for more than a quarter of healthcare revenue and are the fastest growing payer.”
• “An analysis of 400,000 claims by The Advisory Board confirmed that the greater a patient’s deductible, the less likely he or she is to pay the owed amount, irrespective of his or her income level.”
• “Healthcare payments are a uniquely complex multi-party ecosystem, and the numerous bills and benefits statements patients receive after hospital visits confuse them. Patients often choose not to pay the bills because they are unsure of the amount they owe, even after comparing invoices from providers and statements from insurers over an extended period of time.”

And, here are a few more important statistics that shed some light on healthcare billing and its relation to patient experience:

• “Research from the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions shows that hospitals with better patient experiences perform better financially and there is a positive correlation between patient experience and clinical quality measures.”
• Research from InstaMed reveals that 72% of consumers preferred electronic payment for their healthcare bills. Yet in 2015, 87% of consumers received paper medical bills from their providers.” (Trends in Healthcare Payments Sixth Annual Report: 2015)
• Patient satisfaction ratings can fall by an average of more than 30% after discharge because of the billing process, according to a 2015 survey by the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems

Healthcare billing can often create problems and this can have a negative impact on a patient’s overall experience.

Every hospital’s overall goal should be to make patient payment easier.
Here are some ideas to help facilitate this:

• Give patients multiple methods of payment (“71% of consumers saying that being offered multiple ways to pay increases their satisfaction” (Fiserv, “Eighth Annual Billing Household Survey, Fiserv Inc., 2016))
• Set up automatic payments and save credit card information for recurring bills.
• Consolidate multiple charges for the same visit into one bill.
• Use electronic/digital communication/billing whenever possible to speed up the process.
• Create online, user-friendly, customizable platforms to view and pay EOBs/bills.
• Offer multiple options to pay bills over extended periods of time.
• Offer discounts for paying early (even at time of service) or paying with cash.
• Educate staff on how to discuss payments with patients.
• Allow/offer the option of patients paying prior to service or while they are still on site.
• Know how much you are spending on debt collection and cut your losses when needed. Only $15.77 of every $100 is recovered once debt goes to collections. (https://nationallist.blog/2016/10/13/medical-debt-collection-difficulties/)

These solutions can help make bills less confusing, relieve patients’ financial burdens, and help hospitals reduce bad debt by seeing more bills paid and by seeing bills get paid sooner.

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Every step of the patient journey can have a profound impact on the way in which your patients experience their time in your care, from their check-in to the day of their discharge.

A 2016 report found that hospitals that provide a superior patient experience generate a 50% higher financial performance than average providers[1].

We see every day that higher patient experience ratings are consistently linked to higher hospital profitability. What’s more, your customers are more loyal and your hospital reputation is enhanced, with an increase in referrals.

The patient experience is often overlooked in healthcare.

We developed four holistic assessments which evaluate what is actually happening in your hospital in the following key areas. When looking at your hospital’s patient experience, you could conduct something very similar.

People: Beginning at 4 am until the end of the day, carry out a deep-dive assessment of your patients’ experiences and staff procedures.

Technology: Take a comprehensive review of the current state of technology at your hospital is undertaken. This includes telehealth and telemedicine which are becoming increasingly vital for patients in rural areas to enable them to access care.

Processes: Map out how you will evaluate individual staff roles, treatment procedures, and department practices

Data: Conduct an analysis of disparate, complex data that is carried out to identify the gaps in critical data collection and opportunities for improvement.

These assessments cover the OR, the ER, surgical services, supply chain management, and patient flow, involving your staff and patients at every stage to gain invaluable insight into your patients’ perspectives.

But the patient experience doesn’t end when they leave your hospital.

Continuum of Care Strategies for Hospital Operational Performance

With changes to regulations and reimbursement plans, quality patient care requires strong collaboration across all care settings. A key element of achieving a superior patient experience and improved profitability is an integrated continuum of care strategy.

HIMSS defines Continuum of Care as:
‘A concept involving a system that guides and tracks patients over time through a comprehensive array of health services spanning all levels and intensity of care.’

That can extend from birth to the end of life. HIMSS breaks the care continuum down into seven categories, including wellness, acute hospital care and ambulatory care. As the US population ages, continuum of care will become more critical to ensure no patients are overlooked.

This new reality is a challenge for healthcare organizations as what begins in your hospital no longer ends there. In many cases, pre-hospital care such as blood pressure management is also a critical part of the continuum.

As hospital margins are squeezed, the patient experience and continuum care will become critical strategies to improve your profitability.

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What patients know about saving money and improving care could provide your hospital with the answers it needs in relation to cost-cutting, improving operational efficiencies, and enhancing patient care. Accessing that information is achieved through the application of ethnography.

Ethnography is an innovative practice that studies the culture and habits of people in specific situations. In healthcare, it can be used to improve patient and family satisfaction and care coordination within a bundled payment model by gaining frontline insights from patients and their families.

Hospitals deliver enormous value to their communities with initiatives to promote health and well-being, prevent disease, and strengthen community partnerships. Building on these relationships with ethnographic techniques enhances that trust.

Your hospital will need a unique patient map and proven strategies to deliver robust and data-rich insights by:

• Targeting the true needs of your patients and their families.
• Revealing the frustrations for patients and families in their experience with your hospital.

These insights inform the implementation of an actionable roadmap with innovative ideas for improvement.

As CMS now reimburses hospitals based on the quality of their patient care, which incorporates the patient experience, I encourage all healthcare providers to carry out this process.

Here are three areas where patient insights can help to deliver cost-saving initiatives. These can be frequently overlooked in the pressured environment in which hospital leaders often find themselves.

The impact of silos in your hospital

The patient journey through your hospital is complex, often involving multiple departments. When teams work in silos, or communication breaks down, the patient experience suffers. Patients also express concern over this process.

The breaking down of silos improves patient flow through your hospital, especially in critical areas, such as the ER. This is a concern for physicians as well as patients, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians:[1]

• 60% said overcrowding forces the diversion of patients with urgent needs elsewhere.
• 28% stated this occurs more than 20 times every year.

Hospital-wide resources management can save your hospital money and improve care. Our comprehensive Patient Journey Mapping™ survey can help to reveal the vulnerable points in your hospital which are increasing costs and impacting patient care.

The patient discharge process

Clear communication at the time of patient discharge means that patients are less likely to be readmitted to your hospital. The average readmission cost per diagnosis back in 2016 was $14,400. Furthermore, it is estimated that one in six patients are now readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge.

Patients want to know what to expect when leaving the hospital after treatment or surgery. Research shows that when patients clearly understand guidance around their medications and care when arriving home, readmissions fall. Frontline insights from your patients will reinforce the need for hospital staff to ensure they fully comprehend all instructions and guidance relating to their discharge.

It should also be noted that we strongly recommend confirming the patient’s social circumstances prior to the time of discharge. Social determinants of health can often cause patients to return to the ER with the same symptoms that resulted in their initial admission.

The overlooked patient billing experience

As I highlighted above, CMS reimbursement is becoming increasingly dependent on patient satisfaction and that satisfaction includes the billing process.

Their experience with billing is often both the initial and final interaction your patients have with your organization. If they believe they are overcharged or their expectations are not met, patient satisfaction suffers.
The extent of the impact on your operating margins is revealed in a study published in October 2019 which found that US healthcare consumers will change their providers over a poor digital experience — which includes online bill payment and e-mailed billing processes[2].

• 41% of consumers would choose another healthcare provider over a poor digital experience.
• Furthermore, 60% of consumers find healthcare bills confusing, which often results in delayed payment and less money to invest in your hospital.
• In addition, that poor experience can lead to lower patient satisfaction scores and lower reimbursements.

Gaining invaluable patient insights into this often overlooked area can help to transform your overall patient experience and save your hospital money, particularly in administrative costs involved in billing.

[1]http://www.ihi.org/resources/Pages/ImprovementStories/BetterPatientFlowMeansBreakingDowntheSilos.aspx
[2] https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/study-finds-us-healthcare-consumers-will-switch-providers-over-poor-digital-experiences-300934851.html

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Healthcare ethnography can help your hospital to discover front-line insights to transform patient care and the patient experience and save money.

In some places, outdated industry standards have become ritualized. A proactive approach to innovation and improvement is not always possible for hospital staff immersed in their daily routines.

Ethnography offers your hospital a solution to achieve and maintain operational efficiency in what is often a disruptive healthcare environment.

What is Ethnography?

Ethnography studies the culture and habits of people in specific situations. In healthcare, it can be applied to:

• Explain discrepancies between what patients say and what they do.
• Identify needs that people can’t articulate explicitly.
• Describe both usage and meaning of healthcare services.
• Put a human face on market data through real-life stories.
• Evaluate current products or services or create brand new ones.
• Help collect and organize multiple viewpoints and represent patients in an unbiased manner.
• Directly provide patient models that can quickly generate many good ideas.

Gaining front line insights from the viewpoint of patients, their families, and carers is essential to improve the quality of patient care. Our ethnographers use this qualitative research methodology to understand how to improve individual departments within your hospital, leading to greater patient and family satisfaction. The care coordination within a bundled payment model is also enhanced.

Our holistic approach involves gathering subjective insights to accompany data analytics and equip your hospital with the tools it needs for continuous innovation and improvement.

Our Process

The first part of the process is to illustrate a Patient Journey Map™ to identify existing challenges within your hospital. Our experienced ethnographers then collaborate with your team to create sustainable solutions.

One pathway to this process (VIE Healthcare), is to adopt a holistic approach that engages employees, patients, and their families by examining and analyzing their behaviors, attitudes and emotions.

The result is the discovery of valuable front line insights to empower your organization with opportunities that innovate and improve products and services to meet those needs.

Our team of ethnographers can uncover and solve hidden, complex issues in the delivery of your care and operational performances across your hospital, which can result in millions of dollars in lost revenue.
Our process involves:

• Engagement with, and interviewing your employees, allowing them to contribute individual insights and ideas. This helps us to recommend improvements and enhance patient care.
• Shadowing surgical cases from the front line to observe the decision-making process and staff performance. This gives us the insight to identify inefficiencies or areas where shortcuts are made often due to a lack of effective training or awareness of regulations.

Benefits of Ethnography in Healthcare

In summary, ethnography offers numerous benefits in your hospital, including:

• Target the actual needs of patients and families, saving valuable time and resources.
• Identify process improvements that have a tangible effect on your staff’s daily activities.
• Improve staff satisfaction by allowing them to be heard and addressing their needs.
• Redesign care through a collaborative approach for patients, families and staff.
• Multi-disciplinary care coordination throughout the care continuum.
• Improve patient satisfaction scores that directly impact bundle payments and reimbursement.
• Transform the patient experience.
• Reduce your hospital purchased costs.

Ethnography for Exceptional Patient Care

The insights we discover during our analysis reveal the unspoken needs of your patients and families to transform the patient experience and deliver a smoother patient journey through your organizational boundaries.

Our insights reduce errors, duplications and delays often experienced during processes such as “hand-offs.”

The result is improved health outcomes and a more enriching experience for patients and their families, positioning your hospital as a thought leader in the healthcare sector. As value-based care comes to the forefront, it becomes an essential part of driving margin improvement for the survival of your hospital.

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