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In This Issue:
Slight Decrease in Births Due to Various Dynamics For January through March, birth totals were slightly below budget, due in part to seasonal trends in births (BWH hosts more births in the summer months) and to the limited capacity in obstetrical practices. “BWH still holds strong as the region’s market leader in obstetrical care,” said Mairead Hickey, RN, vice president, Women’s and Specialty Services.
Efforts to Drive Down LOS ContinueThe actual Average Length of Stay (ALOS) is a fraction above budget for Q2, evidence that a number of initiatives to continue to drive down LOS are having a significant effect. ALOS is consistent with last year, despite an elevated case mix index. “Great strides have made a 5.45 LOS possible; however, we still need to focus on further reductions, as LOS affects quality, cost and utilization,” said Chief Medical Officer Andy Whittemore, MD, who explained that BWH’s new Care Coordination Model and strengthened relationships with rehabilitation and other transitional care facilities in the area are helpful to length of stay reduction efforts.
A Surge of Surgical Activity Surgeries in Q2 exceeded budget by 118 cases. Furthermore, 317 more surgical cases were performed compared to the previous quarter. The jump in numbers can be attributed to recent surgeon recruitment and the addition of OR capacity in December. In addition, the expansion and development of surgical programs continues at Faulkner Hospital. “A full team effort was pivotal to accommodate such a surgical load,” said John Fernandez, vice president, Surgical Services