Improving Hospital Efficiency Through Data-Driven Management: A Case Study of Health First, Florida

This article presents a case study of how one health system-Health First, in Brevard County, Florida-addressed resource challenges by using Lean thinking enabled by information technology. Examining Health First provides an opportunity to learn about how one hospital system addressed these challenges by making fundamental changes in their operations, in advance of the shift toward accountable care. Three years after Health First embarked on an effort to streamline patient flow and improve throughput, adult transfers within the system have increased by more than 300 percent and emergency department times between admission and inpatient bed occupancy decreased by 37 percent.