CLIENT:
Inspira Health Network CASE STUDY
Vineland, NJ
Averages are not enough to answer complex questions that involve interacting variables. Traditionally, architects rely on average utilization benchmarks to determine appropriate department sizes when planning a new facility. While these averages might adequately predict space for the design of an office building or parking lot, they sometimes fall short of accurately determining the space needed for healthcare facilities.
CHALLENGE
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Growth in the emergency department
Inspira Health Network experienced significant emergency department (ED) holds
caused the hospital to use inpatient,
due to a lack of inpatient capacity. Analysis of patient arrival and unit assignment data
transitional care beds for observation
led the team to believe that treating observation patients in inpatient units is causing
patients, leading to a reduction in available
the capacity problem. A discrete event simulation (DES) model helped determine the
inpatient capacity and high utilization of
appropriate size of an observation unit needed to reduce ED holds and relieve current
other inpatient units.
inpatient pressures.
SOLUTION Throughput Analysis Array developed a simulation model to quantify the impact of making the transitional care beds available for inpatient use again and adding an observation unit. The model helped the staff see how adding different quantities of observation beds would alter the utilization of different bed types.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
24
Inpatient Beds Available
70%
Target Observation Utilization
30
Observation Beds Increase Capacity