Management Services

We offer management services in the following areas.

A.     Program Development / Validation / Start-Up

B.     Operations Management Services

 

 

A.     Program Development, Validation, Start-Up

To support the development and opening of new facilities, we provide hospital and outpatient center business development, validation, and start-up services.  These services support effective design, programming, and operations of new facilities. 

o   Business Development and Operations

§  University Healthcare Solutions offers full service business development and operations for world-class hospitals, medical centers, outpatient diagnostic and treatment centers, clinics and other facilities. 

§  We can facilitate the complete lay-out, development, design, implementation, and operations of healthcare organizations.
 

o   Program Design and Review

§  Program and Design review involves examination of the proposed building design, the types of services offered, the location of services within the building, service features offered, and workflow and movement assessments.

§  Through this review, significant insights and improvements with regards to organizational workflow, safety, quality, and efficiency can be achieved.  Example reviews include assessments of staff workflows and movement patterns, patient flows throughout the building, equipment usage patterns, supply storage and distribution approaches, and information communication strategies.

§  Additionally, given that medical design and construction entails such unique considerations as radiation shielding for imaging, management of biohazardous waste, and infection control techniques, a review of such areas is also conducted.

o   Diagnostic Services Review

§  The Diagnostic Services Review involves an assessment of the various clinical laboratory and imaging services planned for anew facility.  During this effort we review specified equipment, and staff qualifications. 

§  Such a review is particularly important given that diagnostic services include some of the most advanced technologies and offerings a hospital can provide.  Effective use of these technologies can allow a facility to distinguish itself nationally and internationally.  Inappropriate equipment specification, poor operational practices, or deficiencies in staff competencies can result in underperforming services and clinical deficiencies.

§  Also note that depending on selected imaging equipment, the building will require different levels of radiation shielding, and floor reinforcement for heavy equipment.   We will accordingly share insights given such equipment decisions.

o   VIP Services Review

§  Given the unique demands of high-end / luxury clientele, a review of VIP services can be conducted.  Building upon our experience in offering services to high net-worth individuals, celebrities and international patients, we review inpatient and outpatient VIP offerings.

§  An array of services can be examined including design and layout of inpatient suites, outpatient clinic approaches, food service offerings, and an array of concierge services.

o   Tele-medicine Services

§  Telemedicine consultative services from leading international healthcare organization prove highly attractive to high-end clientele segments.  We can facilitate development of such telemedicine relationships, including outpatient consultations, remote ICU intensivist coverage, specialty inpatient consultations, tele-radiology reviews, tele-pathology reviews, and other services.  We can help design a telemedicine strategy, assessing these and other telemedicine approaches.  

o   Equipment Procurement Services

§  We can support the selection and procurement for high-end clinical laboratory, imaging, tele-medicine, and other high-end interventional equipment.  Given that there are many international hospitals that have purchased incomplete or unnecessary diagnostic and interventional systems, we believe we can help minimize such situations given our cutting edge relationships with major vendors, and our detailed experience in procuring such equipment. 

o   Organizational Staffing, Training, and Recruitment Plan Review

§  To successfully operate a hospital, University Healthcare Solutions can review organizational staffing plans, training programs, and recruitment plans.  Staffing needs will be assessed given demand projections and the services offered. 

§  Staffing levels need to be identified for such personnel as physicians, nurses, laboratory technologists, radiology technologists, pharmacists, support staff, management and other personnel. 

§  In addition to specification of the types and quantities of personnel, training plans will be reviewed. 

§  For each area, a different recruitment strategy may be needed.  For example, some physicians and personnel may be recruited from within the country, whereas for other areas, personnel may be sought abroad.  Such recruitment strategies can be reviewed as well.

o   Recruitment and Orientation Training

§  In addition to assessing recruitment and training programs, University Healthcare Solutions can help conduct staff recruitment and training for a new facility.

§  Staff recruitment could potentially involve national and international efforts to recruit for staff based on competencies and talent profiles.  As part of this process, an assessment of competencies or skills would need to be conducted, utilizing competency assessment tools.  Additionally, an assessment for candidate service-orientation would be conducted, leveraging behavioral interviewing and assessment approaches.

§  Furthermore, we can help organize and oversee the curriculum development for new facility orientation training programs. 

o   CICARE Customer Service

§  University Healthcare Solutions has developed the CICARE Active Management Operating System software to facilitate the roll out of the CICARE customer service program.  The CICARE software is web-based tool containing the following components.

·        CICARE training templates and videos highlighting best practice performance approaches.  Completion of the video training module is done on-line and employee completion is automatically tracked.

·        On-line CICARE audit tools to assess staff performance against best practice standards.  Web-based tools allows for on-line tracking of performance by employee and by department.

·        CICARE employee rewards and recognitions tool-kit for systematically giving positive feedback to excellent staff performance.  On-line tool allows for individual tracking of performance.

·        CICARE service recovery approaches to address customer service problems, also tracked in the software tool.

·        Additional components are also included.

§  We facilitate the roll out the CICARE program through leadership training and a subscription to the CICARE web-based software.

o   Accreditation Assessment (Joint Commission International)

§  We also conduct assessments of current readiness for Joint Commission International hospital accreditation.  As part of this assessment we analyze areas of strength and areas for improvement.  Moreover, we lay out a work-plan for next steps.  The assessment is conducted in a number of areas, including:  the environment of care, infection control, clinical care processes, medication management, medical staff services, leadership, and other arenas.

o   Policy and Procedure Assessment

§  Central to high performance is a set of organizational policies and procedures which document operational practices.  Moreover, when moving into new facilities, new policies and procedures are necessary to help guide organizational members.  An initial assessment of policies and procedures, and identification of important new policies and procedures can accordingly be conducted.  Best practices are leveraged in this process.

o   Performance Improvement Projects for Existing and New Facilities

§  We can conduct performance improvement initiatives in an array of departments, where key performance measures are defined and operations are redesigned.  Such efforts can improved performance in existing facilities, and help prepare for best practices in newly developed facilities.

§  Key potential areas for performance improvement projects include some of the following.

·        Emergency Department / Casualty Care Department—improving wait times and delays.

·        Laboratory—improving test turnaround times and accuracy levels.

·        Operating Room—improving on-time starts, room turnover, and supply management.

·        Radiology—improving test turnaround times and quality levels.

·        Pharmacy—improving turnaround times and reducing medication errors.

·        Infection Management—reviewing organizational infection management standards and approaches, and improving quality levels.

·        Support services—improving turnaround times and quality levels in such areas as Housekeeping, Patient Escort, Dietary.

·        Supply Chain—improving the availability of the right supplies, in the right place, at the right time.

B.     Operations Management Services
To support excellence in operations, University Healthcare Solutions offers an array of ongoing operations management services.

 

o   Operations Management Support

§  Operations Management Support involves guidance in areas such as: determination of administrative oversight, delineation of annual performance objectives, specification of department goals, installation of a set of dashboard metrics and systems, development of annual operating budgets and plans, and active daily management approaches to oversee day to day operations.  University Healthcare Solutions can provide this support through on-site management staff that will assist and complement local management staff, through subject-matter experts who will periodically come on site to facilitate improvements in particular areas, and through remote assistance.

§  In this effort, University Healthcare Solutions utilizes The Hospital Operating System and the CICARE Customer Service Program to deliver operations and service excellence. 

§  Key operations management activities for which guidance can be provided include the following.

·        Strategic planning process and cycle

·        Performance Goals setting

·        Annual Management Objectives by department with targets and incentive system

·        Dashboard Metrics by area

·        Performance Plans—Annual Operations Plans, Budget Process—Operating, Capital

·        Customer Service Program, leveraging UCLA's renowned CICARE satisfaction program

·        Human Resources talent development approach

·        Performance Improvement approach

o   The University Healthcare Solutions Lean approach to performance improvement will be utilized.  This approach focuses on continuous improvement in processes.

·        Quality and safety management processes

o   A UCLA style performance improvement and patient safety initiative and set of committees will be launched.  Key efforts with regards to evidence based best practices and guidelines will be pursued.

·        Performance Management approach—Active Daily Management

o   Active Daily Management is a unique approach utilized to sustain high levels of performance by defining metrics, training staff, conducting observations rounds, and visual displays of metrics.

·        Capital Management

o   Capital management includes the continuous management of existing technology, as well as the selection of new technology.

o   Active Management Operating System^TM Software

§  To manage to world-class standards and sustain top level performance, University Health Solutions utilizes the Active Management Operating System^TM software.  This software system consists of two sets of modules: the CICARE Customer Service Module, and the Operations and Planning Dashboard module.

§  The CICARE module supports delivery of best-in-class customer service. 

§  The Operations and Planning Dashboard module consists of a suite of tools for performance goal setting, dashboard metrics, operations planning, and performance improvement.

 

o   Leadership Training for CICARE Customer Service

§  We offer the Leadership for CICARE seminar and consulting services to advance implementation of CICARE approaches and software.

§  The Leadership for CICARE seminar contains the approaches used at UCLA Hospital System to achieve industry-leading patient satisfaction performance, and covers the following aspects.

·        Presents the case for customer service.

·        Shares “secrets” to service leadership, including insights from behavioral science.

·        Presents and discusses CICARE best practices.

·        Describes the CICARE Assessment (CAT) Rounds approach to observations and feedback.

·        Shares insights on approaches to recruiting staff for service.

·        Discusses the key steps to successfully on-boarding new staff to the organization.

·        Lays out a “reward and recognition” approach to support CICARE.

·        Shares the “service recovery” approach to addressing deficiencies.

§  We also provide an array of consulting services, including our Leadership Planning for CICARE program, which helps organization define key roles, forums, and meeting approaches to support successful implementations.

o   Leadership Training for the Hospital Operating System for performance excellence

§  We offer the Hospital Operating System Leadership Program seminar and consulting services to advance implementation of leading performance improvement and management approaches.

§  The Hospital Operating System Leadership Program contains approaches used at UCLA Hospital System to achieve industry leading operations performance, and covers the following aspects.

·        Overview of Lean Performance Improvement and Management approaches.

·        Problem Solving Approaches (PDCA, A3 Reports).

·        Problem Definition/A3 Workshop.

·        Active Daily Management Overview.

·        Rounding for Active Daily Management.

·        Standard Work Development and Workshop.

·        Visual Displays—Performance Board Workshop.

·        Team Meetings and Huddles.

·        Employee Involvement.

§  We also provide an array of consulting services, including our Hospital Operating System implementation and advisory services.

o   Management Training and Education

§  We offer various management training and educational services through on-site educational workshops, remote training, and exchanges.

§  On site training

·        Training programs for managers and clinical leaders including CICARE Customer Service, Hospital Operations System for performance excellence, Quality & Safety, Human Resource management, Financial management, Supply management, and other areas.

• Remote training
  • We can also offer remote teleconference/video conference training sessions, as well as video taped educational materials.
• Exchanges
  • Key department managers can be sent to our partners to learn from peer departments.  Through such approaches, these managers can directly observe how policies, procedures, and practices are implemented in peer departments.
    
    
• Executive Education
  • In addition to targeted management training programs, we also offer broader executive education training. 
  • Such training includes coursework reviewed in healthcare administration and business administration programs. 
  • Such programs can utilize multiple teaching modalities, including on-site training, internet based education, tele-conferencing, and periodic exchange visits with our partners.
    
    
• Clinical Staff Training
  • Hospitals require a wide array of specialized clinical staff to effectively deliver care.  Key areas of importance include Nursing, Laboratory, Radiology/Nuclear Medicine, Support Services and other departments.  We can support such clinical staff training through development of on-site training expertise, and through exchanges of staff with our partners.
  • On site training
    • A set of clinical competencies will be defined for key disciplines (e.g. nursing).  An approach for reviewing staff competencies will then be developed.  Development of these approaches will be accomplished both through classroom training and on-the-job training.  University Healthcare Solutions will utilize its team to initially help develop these approaches, and will develop local educational leadership to directly conduct such training.
  • Exchanges
    • To help develop on-site training leaders, key staff (e.g. clinical nurse specialists / educators) will come to our partners to learn and observe approaches.  Key areas for exchanges might include Nursing, Laboratory, Radiology/Nuclear Medicine, Support Services, and other departments.
      
      
• Professional Development for Clinical Consultants
  To help advance the skills of local physicians an array of educational approaches are proposed.
  • Tele-conferences / Grand rounds
    • We can make available select grand rounds from our partners (e.g. key educational lectures).  These can be forwarded on a video basis or can be viewed real time (for those keeping late hours).
    • We can also video key procedures (e.g. cardiac ablation) and provide remote tele-educational sessions.
  • Conferences
    • We can arrange to have specialty conferences and guest lectures on site and at our partner organizations. 
    • For conferences/lectures held on site, we could feature an expert from our partner organizations.  In addition to lecturing, this expert could spend a few days in direct patient care instruction and provision of care as well.  Through such hands-on approaches, local physicians can receive additional proctoring and training.  Moreover, such visiting physicians could potentially provide direct patient care services to patients in the “luxury” target segment.
  • Exchanges
    • We also can host a select number of local physicians to spend some time at our partner organizations, observing clinical specialty practices.  Such exchanges offer a direct opportunity to learn from leading experts.

o   Medical Direction Support

§  We also offer medical directorship guidance to help guide medical staff and quality improvements.  Such efforts can include support and involvement with medical staff committees and quality improvement initiatives.

§  Additionally, such efforts can involve implementation of best clinical practices and guidelines. 

§  Moreover, such experts can participate in medical program and advisory committees.

o   Medical Consultative Services

§  University Healthcare Solutions, with its partners, can offer an array of medical consultative services.

·        Medical opinion services

o   We can arrange for consultative services to both physicians and patients.  These can include second opinion reviews, as well as email and telephone consultative approaches.

·        Medical opinion tele-medicine services

o   We can arrange for telemedicine consultative services.  Services can include outpatient consultations, remote ICU coverage, inpatient specialty consults, tele-radiology reviews, tele-pathology reviews, and other services.  These services can be provided through real time video conferencing approaches, robotic telemedicine consultations; and also through store-and-forward approaches. 

o   Additionally, we can help set up and operate tele-medicine operations.

·        Patient transfers

o   We can help arrange for transfer for cases to leading edge international medical centers.