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Hospitals Can Ease Surges by Rescheduling Admissions
18 Oct
Summary
- Hospitals can shift scheduled admissions to reduce weekday crowding.
- Elective admissions are concentrated early in the week, creating peaks.
- Even distribution of scheduled admissions can reduce patient harm.
Hospitals possess the ability to proactively prepare for operational changes by rescheduling non-emergency admissions. This strategic adjustment can help mitigate self-imposed peaks in demand.
An analysis of over 1.6 million hospital admissions in New York State revealed that emergency admissions remained relatively consistent throughout the week. Conversely, scheduled admissions were highly concentrated at the beginning of the week.
This uneven distribution creates inefficiencies, equivalent to a 500-bed hospital needing 103 extra beds on Mondays while having 160 fewer patients on Fridays. Hospitals can better manage resources by distributing elective admissions evenly across weekdays.
While smoothing scheduled admissions will not prevent patient coverage losses or eliminate all causes of emergency department crowding, it can help hospitals absorb increased pressure more effectively. This approach can reduce avoidable patient boarding, delays, and harm, prompting hospitals to assess their own scheduling practices for wasted capacity.
