A 400-bed South Florida facility faced volume challenges during the winter high season, which made existing rounding processes untenable. In response, the inpatient team implemented a geographic rounding protocol to improve performance, quality and satisfaction.
Geographic Rounding Protocols
Florida healthcare’s annual winter high season brings an aging census with heightened acuity and comorbidities. One South Florida facility’s peak saw a 210-patient-per-day volume during the winter months – more than double the usual volume. For the inpatient team, it became increasingly difficult for physicians to effectively round on patients across several floors. The surges also challenged compliance with existing multidisciplinary rounding protocols and negatively affected clinician satisfaction. While Press-Ganey scores remained consistent, patient satisfaction protocol compliance also became difficult to ensure.
Hospitalist leadership engaged in a geographic rounding protocol as a viable solution to the census challenges. The inpatient department covers eight floors of the facility. To consolidate efforts, the team assigned physicians one or two floors, not to exceed 25 patients across the floor(s). The change meant each floor had a dedicated physician, which alleviated confusion. Nursing, case management, social work and the patients’ families knew the sole physician assigned to their geographic location.
The Conclusions
The collaborative effort across departments improved patient flow and satisfaction for patients and clinicians. Geographic rounding proved an innovative and tailored solution to the facility’s unique challenges. TeamHealth’s depth of experience and expertise in hospital-based services allows leaders and teams to bring customizable performance improvement strategies to any facility. Connect with our team to learn more about building a partnership with us. Download the full study below to learn more.