7 Tips To Run Your Healthcare Facility Efficiently

With rising costs, changing regulations, staff shortages, and increasing patient demands, healthcare facility managers need to find ways to improve efficiency and operations. 

Adopting a systematic approach and utilizing best practices can help healthcare organizations optimize productivity, reduce expenses, and enhance patient care. 

To help healthcare facility managers succeed in today’s complex landscape, here are 7 tips for running an efficient healthcare operation. Use the tips outlined here to optimize productivity at your healthcare facility and manage costs—two essential ingredients for running a world-class healthcare facility.

1) Develop a Strategic Plan:

Having a clear strategic plan is essential for determining your healthcare facility’s direction and priorities. An effective strategic plan has several key components, which we’ve outlined below. 

• First, it should outline specific, measurable goals that align with the facility’s mission and vision. These quantifiable goals create accountability. 
• Second, a strategic plan should include a SWOT analysis—examining internal strengths and weaknesses as well as external opportunities and threats. This environmental scan informs strategic priorities. 
• Third, the plan provides an implementation framework, connecting goals to concrete actions, resources, and timelines. 
• Finally, facility leaders must regularly review the plan and adjust components as conditions and priorities evolve over time.

However, developing a robust strategic plan requires healthcare leaders to have specialized skills and knowledge. Earning an online MBA in healthcare can provide facility managers with the skills needed to develop and implement effective strategic plans. The online flexibility of an MBA program allows working healthcare professionals to earn an advanced degree without necessarily disrupting their careers. 

With this specialized education, healthcare facility managers can gain the strategic perspective and business acumen needed to create and execute plans that improve operations and position their organizations for success. Most importantly, an MBA equips healthcare facility managers to view challenges and opportunities from a big-picture perspective. So they can continually refine strategic plans to position their organization for long-term success as healthcare evolves.

2) Leverage Health Information Technology:   

Advances in healthcare IT can dramatically improve efficiency by automating administrative tasks and streamlining clinical workflows. Invest in technology solutions that will:

• Optimize patient scheduling with e-scheduling tools and automated reminders
• Facilitate documentation and charting with electronic health records (EHRs)
• Enhance communication between staff with messaging apps
• Allow patients to complete forms and access records online through patient portals
• Assist with billing, coding, and revenue cycle management
• Provide telehealth options for virtual visits

Investing in modern health IT and data analytics helps healthcare facilities enhance clinical care, administrative processes, and financial performance.

3) Standardise Processes and Protocols:  

Establishing standardized processes promotes consistency and reduces errors. Documenting treatment protocols, ordering procedures, HR policies, and administrative workflows eliminates ambiguity. It provides staff with defined guidelines to manage clinical situations, execute tasks, and address issues. 

Standardisation also facilitates data collection for measuring performance and outcomes. Of course, protocols must allow for some professional judgment and modification based on a patient’s unique needs. But having standardized best practices optimizes efficiency, work quality, regulatory compliance, and the patient experience. It also makes training new employees easier when clear protocols are in place.

4) Promote Communication and Collaboration:    

Effective coordination between the various departments in a healthcare facility is critical for providing high-quality patient care. When different teams work closely together and communicate openly, care can be streamlined and optimized critically for providing high-quality patient care. Here are some strategies managers can implement to promote interdepartmental collaboration:

• Hold regular staff meetings for different departments to exchange information and updates. This helps keep everyone informed and breaks down silos.
• Encourage questions and open discussion of concerns early on before they become problems. Make sure employees know who to reach out to in other departments. 
• Use interdisciplinary committees to review processes and address issues that cut across department boundaries. This facilitates joint ownership.
• Share performance data and progress updates across all departments. Transparency helps motivate and engage staff.
• Leverage technology like instant messaging and care coordination software to smooth communication between departments. This streamlines workflows.
• Promote a culture of collaboration. When developing solutions that span domains, ensure input from all involved departments. 

With open channels of communication and a spirit of teamwork, healthcare facilities can improve care coordination, enhance patient outcomes, and boost workplace morale.

5) Prioritise Patient-Centred Processes:

Adopting a patient-centered approach improves quality, satisfaction, and financial performance. Analyze all processes from the patient’s perspective—how can the facility deliver care more seamlessly? 

Identify pain points for patients, like long waiting times or repetition of registration information. Support patient self-service through online scheduling and bill pay options. Survey patients and address their biggest complaints. Standardize patient education methods to promote treatment adherence. Make discharge and referral processes more seamless. 

With pressures to control costs, managers cannot lose sight of how administrative burdens affect patients. A smooth and satisfying experience makes patients more engaged partners in care.

6) Implement Lean Principles:

The lean methodology, adapted from manufacturing, can boost healthcare productivity. Lean focuses on maximizing value while minimizing waste.

Key techniques include process mapping to identify bottlenecks, 5S for organization, visual controls for clarity, and standard work for consistency. Define metrics to track efficiency and waste, such as wait times, defects, and inventory costs. Promote small incremental changes versus major disruptive overhauls. Use plan-do-check-adjust (PDCA) cycles for ongoing refinement. 

Applying Lean principles helps facilities streamline operations, enhance quality and safety, reduce expenses, and improve the work environment.

7) Cultivate a Culture of Continuous Improvement:

To sustain exceptional performance, healthcare facilities need a culture of continuous improvement. 

Seek regular input from staff and patients on issues. Empower employees to speak up with ideas to improve processes. Provide training and mentorship to nurture professional growth. Conduct audits and reviews to ensure protocols are followed. Celebrate wins but also acknowledge where the organization fell short. 

Continual learning and refinement are imperative, given the evolving healthcare landscape. An engaged culture focused on improvement drives higher patient satisfaction, better health outcomes, and organizational resilience.

Conclusion: 

Running an efficient healthcare facility is complex but vital for organizational success. Adopting these best practices—like establishing a strategic plan, optimizing staffing, standardizing processes, investing in health IT, fostering communication, and nurturing a culture of improvement—allows managers to improve productivity, reduce costs, and deliver exceptional patient care. With sound leadership and an empowered workforce focused on continuous improvement, healthcare organizations can fulfill their mission even in the face of rising complexity and pressure.