The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed hospitals to their limits. Here are five strategies to build capacity and resilience in the case of surges, the Harvard Business Review reported Oct. 4.
The pandemic overwhelmed hospitals across the country, pushing capacity to the brink. On top of the recent COVID-19 surges, staffing shortages have also caused chaos, forcing some health systems to close beds. To build flex capacity and ensure hospitals can weather similar surge challenges in the future, here are five ways health systems can improve their flexibility and resilience:
1. Home-based care
Given that elderly patients with chronic health conditions account for a disproportionate amount of healthcare spending, home-based primary care is one method to help alleviate hospitalizations from that demographic. Studies have shown that home-based care can keep patients healthy while reducing hospital admissions.
2. Walk-in care
During times of high demand, walk-in clinics can be used to reduce pressure on the emergency department. Through expanding hours of these centers, allowing for same-day scheduling and pop-up sites, these clinics can act as a temporary valve to the emergency room for nearly a quarter of patients.
3. Telemedicine
For low-acuity patients, virtual appointments can be made. This can help patients get seen faster and also reduce the strain on emergency departments.
4. "Hospital-at-home" care
To preserve bed capacity for the sickest patients, a hospital-at-home model can be used for relatively predictable low-acuity cases. In an Atrium Health program, 1,477 patients received hospital-at-home virtual observation, with only 3 percent of this group needing inpatient hospitalization.
5. Value-based payment reform
This model incentivizes health systems to respond more sensitively to patient needs as opposed to keeping beds filled. This means that there is less impetus to bump patients up to care they don't necessarily require clinically.