Bryan Daylor

By Bryan Daylor, Vice President of Ancillary and Support Services at Eden Medical Center

Technology is critical to convenience & efficiency…

As I mentioned in my previous post, our collaborative team has been very focused on how we would use technology, innovation and design to improve work flow and increase efficiency. You may also want to read the previous post by Andrew Flanigan, Senior Planner/Designer with Devenney Group, the architecture firm for Sutter Medical Center Castro Valley.

For example, in our clinical lab today, we have clinical space that is not fully utilized. The lab was originally designed when equipment was much larger and therefore required more space. The current lab was designed as a “decentralized” service, meaning that different sections of the lab, i.e., blood bank, hematology, chemistry, microbiology, pathology were divided into separate areas. We have learned over the years that this concept is outdated, as well as inefficient to operate and impractical to rebuild.

The new “best practice” is to create a centralized service where the work flow is organized and instruments are closely aligned. In this type of design the work flow is much more efficient, and staff has fewer steps between tasks and can be much more expedient in processing specimens. Ultimately this increases turnaround times of critical test results for physicians and patients, and results in a better work environment for the staff. With the advances in technology, one person can do multiple tasks in one area using state-of-the-art instrumentation.

Another mechanism to provide efficiency and convenience for the patient is the new Control Center, located on the first floor close to high activity areas. The Control Center functions similar to an “air traffic control” room. It is staffed with a variety of people representing key functions within the hospital. The area is designed for maximum communication and collaboration among the teams.

There will be multiple computer screens that will provide large visual displays of the various activities and flow of resources—patients, staff and key equipment. Bottlenecks in processing and movement of patients through the care continuum will be readily apparent and the Control Center staff will be able to quickly resolve issues. This will allow us to be much more efficient as we’ll see problems before they occur. The computer monitors will show us bed status: full, vacant, ready for cleaning; patients scheduled and waiting for discharge; expected completion times for surgical procedures; ER patient flow status, etc.

What does this mean for patients? It means less waiting time, more convenience and more time for personal care. For example, the Control Center can monitor patient wait status to ensure no one waits too long for testing. The necessary alerts will be displayed to the staff so they can provide efficient service. If surgical cases are running late, staff will be able to more effectively plan so resources of the OR and other support areas will be efficiently utilized, including communication to other affected physicians, patients and families. We’ll know on a real-time basis if we’re not performing at optimum levels and what the barriers might be. This knowledge will allow us to take the necessary action—e.g., deploy additional resources such as staff or equipment, and return the hospital to optimum performance levels.

Patient-focused clinical flow…

We also looked at clinical flow, from the patient’s perspective. One of our major goals from the beginning has been patient-focused care, creating convenience and comfort for our patients. We have effectively eliminated unnecessary trips within the new hospital for both patients and staff, starting with pre-op registration and diagnostic testing before surgery.

In the new hospital once the patient is registered and accompanied to their suite, clinical staff will come to the room for laboratory and other portable diagnostic testing. The goal is to minimize the amount of travel and disruption for the patient. We are also putting more services at the bedside. Due to the new hospital design of all private inpatient rooms, which are larger than our current rooms, we will be able to deliver more therapies at the bedside. This is an improvement for both patients and staff.

Please email me if you have any questions about the internal layout of the new medical center, or feel free to leave a comment here. We welcome your input!