Improving Perioperative Data Integrity and Quality via Electronic Medical Record Reconciliation

This case study investigates data integrity and quality within the perioperative process via embedded quality control check (QCC) rules, used within a business process management framework to support patient care documentation, performance reporting, patient billing, data analysis, and regulatory agency audits. The study identifies specific perioperative nursing care documentation as electronic medical records and demonstrates how QCC rules, an embedded QCC process, and QCC rule violation reconciliation is applicable to ensuring data integrity and quality within integrated hospital information systems. Based on a 166-month longitudinal study of a large 1,157 registered-bed academic medical center, this study provides a priori business process management examples of data integrity and quality within the perioperative process. Recognizing existing limitations, potential capabilities, and the subsequent contextual understanding are contributing factors that yield measured improvement. Theoretical and practical implications and/or limitations of this study’s results are also discussed

A Case Study Perspective to the Digital Transformation of a Hospital’s Perioperative Process

Based on a 177-month longitudinal study of a large 1,157 registered-bed academic medical center, this research examines the observed effects associated with the digital transformation of a United States hospital’s perioperative process. The observed effects are viewed through a lens of information technology (IT) impact on core capabilities and core strategy to yield a digital transformation framework that supports patient-centric improvement across the perioperative sub-processes of pre-admissions, pre-operative, intra-operative, post-operative, and central sterile supply. This case study identifies existing perioperative sub-process limitations, potential capabilities, and subsequent sub-process contextual understanding to minimize perioperative process complexity. Specific perioperative nursing documentation as electronic medical records demonstrate the utility and value of patient-centric perioperative data collected within integrated hospital information systems as an organizational resource for process management and control. The case results are discussed, including theoretical and practical implications as well as study limitations

Perioperative Patient Transparency and Accountability via Integrated Hospital Information Systems

The push for value-driven healthcare has resulted in numerous calls for increased transparency and accountability across thehealthcare industry. This paper provides an a priori perspective to perioperative process transparency and accountabilitywithin a hospital environment by describing, examining, and discussing case-study research across a hospital’s perioperativeand auxiliary services. Based on a 66-month longitudinal study of a large 909 registered-bed teaching hospital, this paperinvestigates how the complexity of technological change dynamics, integrated information systems, and a patient-centricperspective contribute toward opportunities for patient transparency and accountability within a hospital’s perioperativeprocesses. This paper also provides theoretical and practical implications, as well as study limitations

Optimizing Operating Room Throughput

Practice Problem: Throughput is an instrumental aspect for hospitals to maximize patient capacity; therefore, methods to improve patient flow should be consistently implemented. Surgical areas are a major contributor to inpatient admissions and the subsequent revenue; however, without the appropriate oversight, patient throughput can be negatively impacted. PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was: In operating room patients who require inpatient admission (P), how does the implementation of a standardized bed flow process (I), compared to the current methods for care transitions (C), reduce perioperative delays and improve hospital financial metrics (O), over a three-month period (T)? Evidence: A review of the evidence revealed that streamlining operating room throughput was essential to the quality of clinical care and patient safety as well as to improve efficiencies associated with patient volumes, lengths of stay and hospital census. Intervention: A dedicated bed flow manager was implemented in the project setting with the overall goal to enhance throughput measures within the operating room. Outcome: While the intervention did not achieve statistical significance as determined by the data analysis, the results did demonstrate clinical significance as the organization was able to maximize capacity and throughput during the Covid-19 pandemic. Conclusion: The addition of a dedicated surgical bed flow manager was beneficial to the optimization, standardization and systemization of the perioperative throughput process