In This Issue: Newsletter Home I Tips and Techniques I Maintenance Release I Innovate News I Featured Story I Solutions Conference Featured Story-  Intermountain Health Care Application Summary Intro Intermountain Health Care (IHC) is a charitable, community-owned, nonprofit health care organization based in Salt Lake City that serves the health needs of Utah and Idaho residents. The IHC system includes health insurance plans, 22 hospitals, clinics, and affiliated physicians. A central part of IHC's mission is to provide quality medical care to persons with a medical need, regardless of ability to pay. One hospital in the IHC system is a 400-bed facility called Utah Valley Regional Medical Center. Understanding and analyzing the patient activity at a 400-bed hospital can be very complex requiring sophisticated tools. At IHC, we developed a simulation model to analyze inpatient activity and system performance of the hospital to improve quality of care and reduce expenses. The project using Medmodel from ProModel was divided into two phases. The first phase involved developing a simulation model to determine the need for an overflow med/surg unit. There was some discussion among administrators as to how to use some available space in a hospital. One option was to use the area for an overflow med/surg unit. Other options included using the space for a wound clinic, IV therapy, or a computer training room. The results of the first phase indicated there was not sufficient patient volume to mandate the need for a med/surg overflow unit. The results of the first phase also showed that several nursing units were not being used to full capacity, causing inefficiencies in staffing and bed utilization. As a result of these findings and realizing the potential for further investigation, we took the project a step further. The second phase involved building upon the simulation model built in MedModel to determine the most efficient way to aggregate patients based on diagnosis to provide quality care at the lowest appropriate cost by optimizing medical outcomes, enhancing customer satisfaction, and using resources efficiently. At the time, several nursing units at the hospital had an average daily census about two thirds of the capacity on that particular unit. Combining two units would result in a unit that runs over capacity, utilizing overflow units too frequently. By analyzing our method for assigning patients to particular units based on diagnosis, we are able to identify ways to aggregate patients to achieve optimal economies of scale. We are currently in the process of working with nurse managers, care managers, administrators, and physicians to decide on the best clinical practice for patients. Throughout this process we are discovering that patients with the same diagnosis are going to different units. Current practice patterns are being challenged as we discover new ways to provide quality care for the patients. We are testing these new practices in MedModel to determine the impact this will have on nursing unit capacities and staffing models. As we find viable solutions that make sense from a patient care viewpoint, as well as a financial perspective, we will begin implementing these new policies.