Improvement of business processes in healthcare institutions

Without a doubt, healthcare institutions are one of the most complex organizations in existence and managing them can be an extremely demanding task. Furthermore, growing demands from owners, patients, employees, suppliers, and other stakeholders increase the pressure on those institutions' management to constantly reevaluate and try to improve different business processes within their organizations, in an effort to raise the quality of their results.

Therefore, we can offer you our expert Analysis and recommendations for optimization of (all/any) business processes in healthcare institution, which can significantly increase your institution's ability to raise the quality of services provided, while achieving financial sustainability. We are particularly experienced in improving certain specific key business areas, which your healthcare institution might need to develop. In that sense, we can also offer you more specific services of preparation / implementation / (re)organization / improvement of:

Controlling in healthcare institutions

One additional business function that is of special importance for healthcare institutions, and the one in which we particularly excel is controlling.

Controlling, both as a scientific discipline and as an organizational function, has, already for decades, been established as an indispensable aid to the management of any organization, to help to accurately and timely detect possible problems, and then to help find the best possible solutions to them. In short - as a navigator. Healthcare institutions are one of the most complex business systems that exist and managing them requires a very high level of knowledge, experience, and competencies. Therefore, it is particularly useful to introduce controlling in healthcare institutions, since its main purpose is to give management a most accurate overall picture, especially of such complex systems, and thus help with making decisions easier and achieving goals faster.

In principle, it is best to introduce the controlling function through a separate (preferably core) organizational unit, but it is also possible by "only" designing, organizing, and implementing it as new business processes within the existing organizational structure (which can also be used as a first step towards the later "complete" implementation of controlling as a separate organizational unit). So, with the appropriate level of knowledge, experience and effort, the introduction of controlling does not require large financial resources or lengthy legal procedures. The most important thing is to (first) set the main goals for the introduction of controlling, and to define the main business areas through which controlling could be most effectively implemented, to be able to bring the fastest results for the healthcare institution's management.

In general, primary goals for introducing controlling in a healthcare institution should be:

• Financial sustainability;
• More efficient organization of work and better management of human resources;
• Improving the quality of health services provided;
• More efficient business risk management;
• Improving the internal reporting system.

A well-established and organized controlling function in a healthcare institution can have positive effects very quickly, primarily on:

• Increasing operating income;
• Reduction of operating expenses;
• Determining the actual costs of health services provided, in order to monitor their efficiency and cost-effectiveness;
• More efficient management of current assets (primarily inventories and receivables);
• More efficient management of fixed assets (primarily buildings and equipment);
• Monitoring the effectiveness of work at different organizational levels (departments; employees);
• Introduction of a system of evaluation and rewarding of employees (based on the regularly monitored indicators);
• Increasing patients' "turnover" (increasing capacity utilization).

Preparation for implementation or upgrade of IT solutions in healthcare institutions

Managing any organization is practically unimaginable without quality, well-adapted and flexible IT solutions, especially in complex ones with huge amount of data, such as health institutions. Of course, it would also help it to be as cheap as possible, right? Well, maybe... The thing is, when it comes to such important investments as IT solutions, regardless of their initial cost, the most expensive ones are those that turn out to be poorly adapted to the actual needs of the organization, since that can have an enormous negative impact on everyday work. The most common cause of this is not having the preparation for the implementation of new software done properly, ultimately causing the dissatisfaction of its actual everyday users. How can that happen? Either by not knowing and/or explaining your actual needs, or by having the IT solution provider not understanding them and/or by implementing the software based on the incorrect presumptions.

So, if you need to replace, update, or implement a completely new IT solution to your institution, are you prepared for it? Do you know the actual needs of your organization and are you prepared to explain them clearly and confidently? Are you sure there are no gaps that could prove very costly later?

If you want any IT experts to fully understand your institution's real needs, so that they can implement your new IT solution smoothly and efficiently, we can help you with our service of Preparation for implementation or upgrade of IT solutions in healthcare institutions. Depending on your actual situation and needs, it usually consists of (some or all of) these segments:

1. Assessment of the current IT solutions
2. Overview of the organizational structure and business processes (that will be directly involved/affected with the IT solution)
3. Assessment of the actual needs and capabilities
4. Cost-benefit analysis
5. Description of the (involved/affected) business processes, as background for the software development
6. Assessment of the impact on other business processes (especially management and reporting) and necessary adjustments
7. Proposal of a general layout for the new/upgraded IT solution
8. Preparation of the basis for procurement of IT solution

To make sure you will have the best possible IT solution, fully adapted to your organization's real needs, feel free to contact us and find out more about how we can help you to assure exactly that!