Medical Staff

Q&A: What are the goals of an observation unit?

Hospitalist Leadership Connection, April 28, 2010

A: As healthcare costs continue to rise in the U.S., hospitals, other healthcare facilities, physicians, and nonphysician providers are being pressured to lower healthcare costs. On the inpatient side, observation units have emerged as a cost-effective tool.

Successful observation units have well-delineated goals and objectives of which the key stakeholders (hospital administration, clinicians, the hospital staff, etc.) are aware and supportive. The observation unit’s goals may include:

  • Improving clinical outcomes
  • Improving appropriate access to and utilization of acute care inpatient beds (e.g., to relieve capacity constraints)
  • Improving flow and throughput in the ED
  • Reducing liability of missed diagnoses (e.g., myocardial infarction)
  • Improving patient satisfaction (e.g., possibly avoiding hospital admission and its associated costs)
  • Improving the hospital’s cost-effectiveness, efficiencies, and profitability
  • Decreasing ED diversionary hours
  • Decreasing admission denials by payers (e.g., avoiding unnecessary admissions)
     

You can read more on observation units on www.MedicalStaffLeader.com.

The above excerpt is adapted from The Hospitalist Program Management Guide, 2nd edition, published by HCPro, Inc.

 

 


 

Most Popular

Related Articles