AHA Solutions, a subsidiary of the American Hospital Association, has launched the 2010 version of its Patient Flow Challenges Assessment, a survey for hospitals that offers insights into patient throughput and capacity management issues.
The survey measures a range of issues across eight stages of the patient flow process: pre-admission, admission, diagnostics, procedures, treatment, recovery, discharge, post-discharge and home.
Hospitals participating in the survey share obstacles they face in the development and implementation of patient flow processes while learning about the experiences of hospital peers. AHA Solutions then develops educational programs for healthcare leaders based on the results of the survey.
“We have a unique vantage point in healthcare,” said Anthony Burke, CEO of AHA Solutions. “Facilitating communication and sharing of experiences among healthcare leaders helps improve the delivery of patient care.”
Mary Longe, director of patient flow at AHA Solutions, said healthcare reform demands immediate improvements in operational efficiency.
"The PFCA survey helps identify the challenges hospitals are facing so we can provide the appropriate resources to address them,” she said. “We encourage the chief nursing executive or the chair of the patient flow committee in every hospital to make sure that their voice is counted.”
The assessment is open until Friday, June 4, on the AHA Solutions Web site. The assessment and results will be available to staff at participating hospitals.