The FINANCIAL — Accenture is helping Camden Clark Medical Center (CCMC) generate millions of dollars in savings through identifying and implementing changes to reduce readmission rates, shorten patients’ average length of stay and standardize business and care management practices.
Accenture has helped Camden Clark Medical Center identify and deploy system-wide strategies for process-improvement efforts across six areas of operations: revenue cycle; supply chain; clinical processes, such as care management and patient flow; human resources; facilities; and employed-physician practices. When fully implemented, the initiative is expected to help the medical center sustain performance improvements that will decrease operating costs by $22 million annually, according to Accenture.
“The work completed (on this New Horizons initiative) has been instrumental in moving the hospital from a loss of over $12 million per year to a break even position in 2015,” said David McClure, chief executive officer at Camden Clark Medical Center. “This process improvement structure will enable our leadership to sustain future improvements while continuing to advance the core mission of our health system.”
In addition, Camden Clark Medical Center is achieving significant financial and operating improvements, including an increase of $1,500 per case in monthly net patient revenues. Through physician productivity and revenue cycle performance, the initiative has moved the financial position of employed-physician practices from a significant monthly loss to an appropriate level of financial investment.
The initiative also addressed care management functions and processes. Working closely with the medical center, Accenture evaluated care processes, patient data and staff productivity to create a roadmap for streamlining care delivery and eliminating bottlenecks and delays These efforts resulted in a 14 percent decrease in patients’ average length of stay, from 4.7 days to 4.1 days per discharge.
In addition to these improvements, the team created a formal follow-up process for patients post-discharge, ensuring they have the support they need to continue care at home. The initial results have generated nearly 900 incremental visits to the CCMC Physician Network, supporting safe care transitions and patient satisfaction.
Within their employed physician group, CCMC implemented a centralized scheduling department, which will improve how patients schedule appointments in the physician offices and will ensure a more consistent experience for patients across their network of locations.
“These improvements have strengthened Camden Clark Medical Center’s ability to deliver consistently effective care while reducing operational costs,” said Doug Pedersen, managing director of healthcare providers, Accenture Strategy. “This initiative will position our client for future success with a model that will sustain improvements and adapt to the changes of healthcare reform.”
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