Inpatient rehabilitation continues to play a critical role in patient recovery, making it vital for programs to withstand the influx of patient care needed to address the growing medically complex population. A unit should have qualified leadership while maintaining optimal patient volume for overall program operations and access. However, many programs today do not reach their full potential because operational expertise and resources are difficult to develop and maintain.
Discover two key areas hospital leaders are focusing on to further enhance their program’s operations and patient access for a more optimized inpatient rehabilitation unit.
- Ensure appropriate leadership expertise.
Rehabilitation program leaders must have expertise to optimize the overall performance of a rehabilitation unit. Program leaders need to be skilled in appropriate patient access, medical staff management, staff recruitment and leadership, and regulatory compliance, as well as operational and financial management.
The long-term impact of hiring a qualified rehabilitation unit leader can generate superior results in care quality and management efficiency. A qualified program director can then hire skilled and experienced clinicians who are well equipped to make the critical front line decisions needed on a day-to-day basis. This enables the program director to focus on initiatives such as internal staffing decisions, inpatient program processes and plans that will positively impact the way a unit operates.1 Having a solid leadership foundation brings every necessary component together to form a successful program. - Promote your rehabilitation program internally and externally.
Maintaining optimal patient volume and case mix requires an integrated and disciplined focus. Integration of various innovative technology solutions can help an inpatient rehabilitation unit by: - Streamlining the patient pre-admission process,
- Keeping patients engaged throughout their recovery journey with the help of robotic and mobile app engagement technology, and
- Utilizing electronic medical records (EMRs) to efficiently and effectively keep track of patient data as they transition through different levels of care.
Through these tools, a hospital can optimize its service offerings and promote these additional values to referral sources.
References:
- Daly, J., Jackson, D., Mannix, J., Davidson, P., & Hutchinson, M. (2014, November). The importance of clinical leadership in the hospital setting [PDF]. Journal of Healthcare Leadership
