Improving Patient Flow Is Essential for Increasing Revenue

Dr. Richard Wacksman has been involved in both health care administration and patient care during his more than 25 years in the medical field. As a health care executive, Dr. Richard Wacksman notably increased hospital revenue by improving patient throughput in surgical and emergency care settings.

One of the main issues that health care administrators need to address is ED (emergency department) crowding. Having a packed waiting room often compromises the quality of care, as well as the level of patient trust. However, the problem can be mitigated by improving patient throughput in the clinical network.

Health care administrators can lessen crowding and wait time by involving ED members in the throughput process, as well as by measuring patient flow to address any variances.

Because patient flow is vital to patient satisfaction and profitability, the utilization of bed space must be assessed, as well as patient transport. For example, bed-tracking software may be used to identify inefficiencies in addition to transporting technologies. Both of the IT solutions enable administrators to identify disruptions that can impair the throughput process.

Hospital administrators also need to consider the incidence of infection in evaluating incongruities. Doing so is important in lessening the number of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), all which can lead to costly complications in a heath care setting. When patient transportation, bed space, and HAI monitoring are synchronized, patient flow and satisfaction, along with incoming revenues, increase overall.                            

The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine

Dr. Richard Wacksman belongs to the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM), the premier professional organization for those operating in the field of palliative medicine and hospice care in the United States.

Hospice and palliative medicine both concern the care of seriously ill patients. Most often, patients requiring palliative or hospice care suffer from conditions such as Alzheimer’s, cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, heart disease, kidney failure, or severe respiratory diseases. Palliative medicine attempts to reduce or alleviate symptoms associated with traumatic and life-threatening diseases, while hospice care serves patients whose condition has not responded to curative treatments. For hospice patients, physicians and other caretakers concentrate on supporting the patient and relieving his or her pain and discomfort during the final stages of life. Hospice and palliative care often are provided by an interdisciplinary team of professionals, including physicians and nurses as well as social workers, nutritionists, counselors, chaplains, and massage therapists. Over 3,500 hospice care organizations presently serve seriously or terminally ill patients throughout the United States. 

Founded in 1988, the AAHPM consists of over 4,100 physicians, nurses, other health care workers, residents, and students. With the goal of improving care for patients suffering with life-threatening or terminal conditions, the AAHPM supports the field’s health care practitioners, advocates and lobbies for both patients and physicians, and offers ongoing educational programs.

This September 8-10, 2011, the AAHPM will be hosting its newly redesigned and enhanced Hospice Medical Director Course. Held only minutes from the Dallas Forth Worth International Airport at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas, the AAHPM’s popular Hospice Medical Director Course functions as a highly intensive workshop for both those interested in becoming hospice medical directors as well as those who have served in the role for years. Designed to help professionals effectively manage the many challenges across the changing hospice industry, this exhaustive course will cover the relationship between hospice medical directors and hospice administrators and explore strategies toward achieving success within an interdisciplinary team. Above all, the course assists participants in acquiring the tools and resources necessary to face the regulatory, clinical, leadership, and managerial struggles of a daily hospice practice.

The AAHPM’s September 2011 Hospice Medical Director Course boasts an array of distinguished faculty members, including Bruce Chamberlain, MD, FAAHPM, FACP; Jennifer Reidy, MD; Daniel Maison, MD, FAAHPM; John Manfredonia, DO, FACOFP, FAAHPM; and Jay Vanston, MD, FAAHPM. The course is accredited through the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, and CME credit for the course will be filed with both the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Medical Directors Association. A remarkable value, the fee for the AAHPM’s 2011 Hospice Medical Director Course includes access to interactive discussion sessions, a comprehensive syllabus, session handouts, and a daily continental breakfast. Learn more at www.aahpm.org.

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