Organizational Assessment and Planning. We conduct in-depth assessments of entire nursing departments and/or individual programs. We gather information from key stakeholders within the organization and employ a SWOT analysis to evaluate both departmental and leadership strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. We work closely with our clients throughout the process to test our findings and our recommendations with the goal of achieving sustainable outcomes that meet the client’s needs.

Nursing Financial Best Practices. One of our most frequently requested services is the evaluation of nursing productivity and the development of programs and systems to help maximize the return on the nursing investment. Nursing salary costs typically represent the single largest component of a hospital budget. When those costs are out of control, the impact on a hospital’s bottom line can be significant. Many hospitals have difficulty controlling nursing salary costs because so many variables are involved, including changes in length of stay and patient acuity, variability in patient volume, staff competency and skill mix, salary rates, staff turnover, overtime, and technology, to name a few. Minor changes in any of these variables can have a major impact on the nursing budget simply due to its size.

Step One - Evaluate: The first step is to determine the extent to which multiple variables are negatively impacting nursing costs. The problem cannot be solved until it is clearly understood. National benchmarks are used to help quantify the problems and the opportunities.

Step Two – Educate: The second step is to educate those managers closest to the delivery of patient care. They need to know how to develop, implement, and monitor a budget that is consistent with national standards and responsive to changes in both patient acuity and patient volume. It is critical for front-line nursing managers to understand and be involved in the nursing budget process because they know best what patients need and what nurses do. They also have the most control over day-to-day staffing decisions and spending.

Step Three – Provide Tools: For front line nursing managers to be successful they need simple to use tools for generating budgets, developing evidence based staffing guidelines and schedules, and maintaining position control. They also need simple, timely, and meaningful tools for on-going budget monitoring. KBA provides these tools, along with other strategies to address workload variability and maintain the quality of patient care. The result is an optimized return on the nursing investment.

Perioperative Services Operational Improvement. We work with organizations to improve the productivity and performance of operating rooms, perioperative services, and surgery centers. We address both the clinical and financial needs of these critical service areas. We are vendor and GPO neutral, and our recommendations are strictly based on what is best for patients, clinicians, and the organization. Our approach leverages opportunities typically missed by other consulting groups. We dig deeper into existing information and take the time necessary to understand current practice.

Our perioperative services engagements typically include one or more of the following:

• Reducing operating costs without compromising clinical outcomes
• Evidence and productivity based staffing strategies
• Effective mentoring programs for new or experienced surgery managers
• Effective scheduling of procedures, including proven block scheduling strategies
• Maximizing room start and turnover times
• Appropriate use of care extenders
• Clinician driven product standardization and utilization
• Initiation of "charge by exception" strategies
• Managing relationships between surgeons, employees, and other departments
  
  

Emergency Services Operational Improvement. We work with organizations to improve the productivity and performance of their Emergency Services. Our approach is much like that used in improving the operation of perioperative services. We address both the clinical and financial needs of this key service area with recommendations that are based on what is best for patients, clinicians, and the organization. Our approach leverages opportunities typically missed by other consulting groups. We dig deeper into existing information and take the time necessary to understand current practice.