Hospital bed utilization: an implemented simulation approach to adjusting and maintaining appropriate levels

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Operations Research
• Hospital Management Systems
• Simulation Modeling

Background:

• Hospitals face challenges in maintaining appropriate bed utilization levels.
• Effective bed allocation and usage rules are crucial for efficient patient flow.
• Existing methods for assessing bed usage may lack detail and reliability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct and apply a simulation model for detailed assessment of hospital bed allocation and usage rules.
• To identify optimal bed reallocation strategies and evaluate the impact of restricting off-service patient placements.
• To improve the process of maintaining appropriate hospital bed utilization.

Main Methods:

• Development of a patient-centric simulation model using Simscript II.5.
• Tracking patient processing from preadmission to discharge, including unique identification of patients and beds.
• Application of the model at The Mount Sinai Hospital for performance evaluation and experimentation.

Main Results:

• Several bed allocation plans were developed, with one adopted as the best-case reallocation.
• The impact of restricting off-service patient placements was analyzed.
• A new service was established, elective admissions reservations were realigned, and an additional performance measure was incorporated.

Conclusions:

• The simulation model provides a reliable method for evaluating bed usage performance.
• The model facilitated the development of improved bed allocation strategies.
• The study demonstrated the benefits of simulation modeling for enhancing hospital operational efficiency and resource management.