Palmetto Health Richland hospital plans to implement recommendations developed recently by a team of Moore School MBA students, and ER patients are the ultimate beneficiaries.
According to an article in the January 10 issue of The State newspaper, the team’s recommendations include the use of checklists such as airline pilots use, and hiring staff to be patient flow coordinators (PFCs).
Hospital officials expect the measures will save the hospital money, ensure patients receive appropriate treatment, and cut down on wait times by as much as two hours, according to the article.
The students were from an operations and supply chain management class taught by Dr. Sanjay Ahire. Students have traditionally worked on projects for manufacturing firms, such as Sonoco Products, a global packaging company based in Hartsville, S.C. Why not apply best practices to a hospital setting, thought Dr. Ellis Knight, a physician and vice president for medical affairs at Palmetto Health. Knight also holds an MBA in addition to his medical degree.
Ahire said sometimes it takes “fresh eyes” to “discover the obvious… The lack of medical background was a blessing to us,” Ahire said in the article. “We could ask what might sound to a doctor like a stupid question.”
And, patients may be relieved to know, the students found most problems were not related to nurse or doctor incompetence, but were largely due to “administrative bottlenecks.”
Gail Crouch
January 2008