System Wide Patient Flow

This module allows the user to develop effective strategies for: (1) identifying obstacles to smooth patient flow (2) best matching operational capacity (beds) with current and anticipated patient needs (3) improving the patient experience by reducing delays, and (4) estimating staffing requirements to support the predicted patient census.

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The following is just a small sample of the questions that can be explored:

• What would be the impact if we alter the number of patients following a particular path?
• What if we introduce an entirely new path?
• Would it improve overall system performance metrics if we add beds to any unit?
• What if we shift capacity from one area to another?
• Would we see an improvement if we vary the number of beds available in a unit by time of day or day of week?
• Are we using the most effective patient movement rules (i.e. prioritization schemes)?
• What would happen if we create blended-purpose units (such as combined medical/surgical units)?
• If the composition of our patient population changes over time would our current policies be sufficient to manage the flow?
• What if our patient arrival volumes increase or decrease substantially?