Emergency departments are complex care delivery systems with many interdependent components such as medical and support staff, inpatient and ancillary services and the community they serve.
CEOs, CNOs, COOs and CFOs rely on ED leadership and management teams to ensure clinical operations are aligned with quality and patient safety initiatives, value-based reimbursements and patient experience demands. And even though your emergency department may have great managers and directors on staff, it may need to be energized with temporary assistance.
Working with an ED interim management consultant can help engage your current leadership team and bolster internal resources with additional experience and talent. ED interim management consultants are experienced emergency department leaders with deep clinical operational, financial and regulatory-accreditation experience. They support existing hospital management and leadership, providing clinical processes and tools to optimize what is working well. They also identify inefficiencies in the ED and then develop and implement practical, customized solutions to combat them.
Whether it’s for one week or three months, the benefits and practical knowledge these consultants bring to the emergency department are immense. Here are a few ways interim management consultants add value to a hospital and its emergency department.
Improved clinical operational performance and patient experience.
Interim management consultants establish a strong foundation within your ED to strengthen clinical operations for value-based reimbursement. By focusing on staffing and scheduling effectiveness, as well as patient flow, they can improve clinical operations and heighten patient experience. Interim management consultants will also develop and implement a comprehensive and sustainable improvement plan and build upon current strategies to craft long-term improvements.
Stability.
At times your hospital may have an ED management vacancy, which may result in unnecessary disruptions. By filling the vacancy with an interim management consultant, ED leaders can ensure continued progress on any initiatives and reduce the likelihood of any communication breakdowns. They can ensure that new, incoming managers are brought up to speed while providing stability to existing ED staff. They’ll also engage your team and openly communicate goals, actions, timelines and milestones.
Time.
It’s important to act fast when filling an open leadership position, but finding the right person takes time. Interim management consultants allow you to devote more time and energy to finding the perfect permanent replacement.
A fresh perspective.
Interim management consultants are often able to identify problems or issues that have previously gone undetected in an emergency department. The fresh pair of eyes interim management consultants lend to EDs can quickly spot inefficiencies in the patient flow process and any issues that could cause harm to patient safety initiatives. And, drawing from their vast experience in the field, they will be able to develop and implement innovative and creative solutions promptly.
Experience and solutions.
Even the highest-rated EDs have room for improvement, whether it’s a leaving without being seen rate that’s slightly above the national average or a bottleneck in the patient flow process that results in an unnecessary increase in lengths of stay. The best interim management consultants seek ways to strengthen these areas in the emergency department, maintaining high expectations when it comes to quality of care, patient satisfaction and patient safety – always ensuring that goals are aligned with their client’s business and patient care objectives. To do this, they draw from their wealth of experience to improve the quality of care EDs provide.
When your current staff and leadership need a boost, or you experience a vacancy in your leadership team, interim management consultants like myself can help sustain the infrastructure of your emergency department while continuing to improve the patient experience. Donovan and Partners always keeps patient quality and safety in mind when working with emergency departments no matter their needs and the amount of time we spend with them. That’s why we work hand in hand with existing leadership to make transitions seamless and ensure operations continue to run smoothly, even when leadership positions are in question.