Product Review

By one estimate, the U.S. wastes $480 billion annually on healthcare expenditures that don’t improve care. Worse, because of faulty systems – not personnel – up to 98,000 people die every year due to preventable medical errors – and that doesn’t count non-terminal events such as hospital-acquired infections. In Hospital Operations, two leading operations management experts and four senior physicians demonstrate how to apply new OM advances to substantially improve any hospital’s operational, clinical, and financial performance. Replete with examples, this bookshows how to diagram hospital flows, trace interconnections, and optimize flows for better performance. Readers will find specific guidance on improving emergency departments, operating rooms, hospital floors, and diagnostic units; and successfully applying metrics. Coverage includes: reducing ER overcrowding and enhancing patient safety…improving OR scheduling, enhancing organizational learning, and responding to surgeons and other stakeholders… improving bed availability, optimizing nurse schedules, and creating more seamless patient handoffs… reducing lab turnaround time, improving imaging responsiveness, and decreasing lab errors…successfully applying the right metrics for every facet of hospital performance. The authors conclude by previewing the "Hospital of the Future," addressing issues ranging from prevention and self-care to the evolution of technology and evidence-based medicine.