PRODUCTIVITY METRICS
HealthcareProductivity Metrics
Enhanced productivity is one of the cornerstones of healthcare reformin the US and all over the world. It aims at improving the qualityof care and customer experience as well as keeping costs low. Severalmetrics can be considered in assessing organizational productivity inthe current case of PCS.
Discussion
One major approach in assessing healthcare productivity measures theinputs and the outputs. In the input method, all resources requiredin delivering services are considered. The output approach considersthe outcome of health care services such as the result of treatmentand patient satisfaction (Hottum et al., 2015). For-profit makingfirms, the cost of the input compared to the output is critical butnot so important for the non-profit entities. Conventionally, healthcare productivity is measured independently at three levels unit,organizational and system (Kämäräinen et al., 2016). Takingmeasurements at the three levels provide a detailed and generalizedview of the organization.
PCS is keen on lowering inputs and maximizing output. Recommendedproductivity metrics include: costs of staff per case, case volume,infection rates, the cost of supplies per case, on-time completion ofmedical records, complicated cases/referrals, and patientsatisfaction. Thus, the various metrics can be applied at the threelevels.
Cost of staff percase
The institution should assess the cost of human resources utilized inhandling individual cases. This should be calculated on average, andtarget levels should be maintained and compared to industrystandards. To maintain the desired level of the costs of staffhandling per case, the skill levels for the individual physiciansshould be high, and the organization should invest more in skilldevelopment.
Case volume
This metric assesses the number of cases handled by the differentcenters and even individual physicians. The number of cases handledshould regularly be reviewed to understand the trends and assignrequired resources accordingly. The unique attributes of the casessuch as private or occupational visits should be used to informorganizational decisions in enhancing productivity further.
Infection rates
The prevalence of certain conditions should be noted. This will allowthe firm to invest more in resources required to handle some of themost prevalent cases. The metric will also enable physicians topredict cases and even in making diagnoses. This parameter isapplicable at all levels.
Cost of suppliesper case
As part of the input, the resources used by a physician should berecorded. It is best captured by recording the actual resources usedby medics as opposed to just the treatment procedures. Inventorymanagement software come in handy in capturing such data. Ideally,system-wide and industry-wide benchmarks can be used to offerguidance.
On-timecompletion of medical records
This is a mandatory legal requirement that calls for the timelyupdate of patients’ health care records under Medicare usuallywithin 24 hours or longer depending on the treatment. How much timeit takes to update such records is an important indicator of theefficiency and productivity of the institution at all levels.
Complicatedcases/referrals
The facility should track the number of cases referred outside forspecialized treatment. This should also include the number ofemergencies forwarded to other facilities given that PCS does nothandle such. Such data might inform future decisions about emergencyservices. The metric is applicable in all the three levels.
Patientsatisfaction
Feedback from clients measures this metric. Regular surveys that areeasy and convenient for customers to fill out should be used. Again,the firm should record and track the time taken in handling customercomplaints and the outcomes. Patient satisfaction assessment shouldbe applied at the unit and organization level. Healthy inter-unitcompetition on satisfaction levels can also be used to increaseproductivity and motivate employees.
References
Hottum, P., Schaff,M., Muller-Gorchs, M. & Howahl, F. (2015). Capturing andmeasuring
quality and productivity in healthcare service systems.Retrieved from,http://www.reser.net/materiali/priloge/slo/hottum_et_al.pdf
Kämäräinen VJ1,Peltokorpi A2, Torkki P1, Tallbacka K(2016). Measuring healthcare
productivity- from unit to system level. Int J Health Care QualAssur 29(3):288-99. doi: 10.1108/IJHCQA-04-2015-0050.
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