The Right Healthcare in the Right Place
The pandemic gave a boost to “The Right Healthcare in the Right Place”—now is the time to press on during the scaling-up phase
JZOJP, the Right Healthcare in the Right Place. Preventing, relocating, and replacing healthcare is the key to providing better healthcare at a lower cost. How much more appealing could it be? The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that aspects such as supply chain management, (regional) coordination, and collaboration are inherent to the healthcare sector. Let’s use this momentum to really push forward with JZOJP, argues healthcare expert Peter de Bruin.
COVID-19’s Impact on Right Healthcare in the Right Place
The coronavirus has accelerated the development of JZOJP in a number of ways. On the downside: while more expensive healthcare has been temporarily averted, a massive backlog of unmet healthcare needs is now emerging. More importantly, many people will experience the negative effects of delayed diagnosis and treatment. But there have also been unintended positive effects. The shift toward “localized care where possible, centralized care where necessary” was evident. Significant progress has been made in the area of national and regional coordination and collaboration, including outside the ROAZ and LCPS frameworks and between secondary and primary healthcare. And the provision of substitute healthcare got underway faster than ever before. Digital channels were utilized more effectively, both for communication (e.g., video calls instead of in-person clinic visits) and for medical content (e.g., triage apps). And then there are other positive side effects, such as improvements in decision-making. Less bureaucracy and a greater focus driven by urgency have accelerated the decision-making process. Evaluations are still in full swing, but the quality of that decision-making does not appear to have deteriorated significantly. And it is almost inconceivable that there has ever been a period with more attention paid to the effects of lifestyle than during this one.
“We don’t want to romanticize the crisis”
Once (the first wave of) the coronavirus is behind us, we must be willing to continue the harvest. It has been proven that it’s possible. The benefits often outweigh the drawbacks, which isn’t to say that we should idealize the crisis or simply accept it as the norm. But as we learn the initial lessons and put them into practice, we see that JZOJP is truly within reach—especially during this scaling-up phase.
Pressing Issues
The controlled scaling up of routine healthcare is a major challenge for every healthcare institution. There are longer waiting lists for routine healthcare due to postponed examinations, treatments, and surgeries. Many people are uncertain about whether and when their healthcare process will begin or continue. Healthcare institutions must constantly strike a balance between (acute, elective, and chronic care needs) on the one hand and the available capacity of healthcare professionals and resources (operating rooms, ICU beds, hospital beds, diagnostic facilities, consultation rooms, etc.) on the other. This is already a complex matter under normal circumstances. Now, a number of pressing issues have been added to the mix:
- Which patients—current patients, those on the waiting list, and new referrals—are the most urgent? How do we identify them in a timely, accurate, and careful manner?
- What capacity can we provide ourselves, and what can—or should—be provided by partners? And how can this be achieved within the new logistical reality? After all, COVID-19 measures are expected to alter the flow of patients into, through, and out of the hospital for the foreseeable future. This has an impact on tactical and operational planning and scheduling.
- How can I ensure the optimal use of scarce resources and healthcare professionals? What opportunities and limitations exist under the COVID-19 funding programs (agreements regarding reimbursement for additional costs, reduced output, shifts in workload, etc.)?
“Finding the right balance is complex enough under normal circumstances”
Comprehensive Capacity Management
It has never been more important to gain control over production, costs, and revenue. Integrated capacity management has never been more urgent. Yet we can only make truly significant progress by adopting an operational, tactical, and strategic approach to capacity management. That starts with gaining insights. Insights into trends in care demand, supply, available capacity, production standards, budgetary frameworks, and staffing levels. Only when that picture is complete will you have the information you need to manage successfully. And then you can move on to the next step: analyzing process bottlenecks. Think of reducing access, wait, and turnaround times in care pathways. Conduct an analysis for each process. Where do these bottlenecks come from? What are the underlying causes? This will help you get to the root of the problem. You can then begin to formulate sustainable solutions and capitalize on opportunities for innovation within the process.
Taking big steps—we know it’s possible in Healthcare. Now is the time to move forward with the Right Care in the Right Place.
“Taking big steps—we know it’s possible in Healthcare.”
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