LongWave Group™ is a self-assembled, multidisciplinary organization of industry leaders who have come together with the purpose of addressing the unsustainable model of healthcare by integrating advances in care concepts, built environments and technology.
Our Group is building on the work of Sutter Health's David Chambers who is a leader in implementing lean processes into healthcare.
Currently many institutions have both organizational and physical barriers to maximizing the utilization of productive capacity Figure 1 to the right illustrates a present-day clinical services flow diagram. It describes the patient flow when accessing a range of clinical services in a typical rural or suburban acute secondary care faculty. Random flow, extended cycles start and stop and multiple handoffs contribute to waste. Departmentalization segments workflow to the point where staff skill sets are under-utilized and patients are subjected to unnecessary and hazardous treatments.
In a complex system like this, predictability becomes difficult and quality is challenged because of the number of handoffs. In this model for pre-testing, a patient would register eight times and can access any one of the services in order. The result is stalled queues and uneven flow that also cause waste. There is little opportunity to share resources or staff across boundaries in a highly departmental structure.
We are developing a model based on a manufacturing concept called a cell, where all of the resources for the completion of a planned output are consolidated. Patients access only a few locations, with registration flowed by Universal Care (cell). One queue and one check-in are required and two steps instead of fourteen. Diagram 2 illustrates the modified flow. Locally configured teams producing clear and measurable outputs results in predictable flows and less patient movement. Staffing models we are developing predict a 40% reduction in FTEs and a 40% deduction in area required.
As buildings need to be more flexible to accommodate emerging technologies, the group believes that separating the technologies from fixed architectural elements will provide the needed flexibility while augmenting patient safety and enhancing operations and future flexibility.
The LSTAT bed is conceived as a self-contained unit that integrates complete ICU requirements such as medical gases (Oxygen, Vacuum, Air) power and data communications and medical informatics. Integreting these technologies at the patient safety during intra-hospital transport. since the technologies are localized, that is integrated at the point of care the complexity of the architecture is reduced by positively influencing the life cycle of the building. In addition, the smart care platform is ICU capable, bringing these critical care elements to the patient delivering value at point of care.
The prototype integrates known technologies, with ease of use as a key goal, portability, reliability and increased safety, data continuity and the flexibility to merge with future technologies. Economic benefits include reduced errors and therefore reduced liability, provision of more complete and accurate data, improved billings and patient satisfaction.
A prototype of this standardized universal “care Studio Project ™” will be on display at the Healthcare Facilities Symposium in September 2010. It will include a 30’ x 30’ bay with two Universal Care Unit (UCU) beds, one toilet and an education module. The education module will focus on applications for a wide range of care and the usability of the portable LSTAT module. Through this venue, we encourage further commentary, collaboration and development. www.hcarefacilities.com/carestudioproject.asp
