On May 16, at the Medical Staff Organization’s quarterly meeting, Chief Medical Officer Anthony Whittemore, MD, presented the MSO’s 2001 Annual Report “The BWH Staff—Where Do We Stand?”>

Whittemore touched upon the physicians’ performance as it affected hospital capacity, increase in discharges, occupancy rates, and financial bottom line, among other hospital performance indicators. He commended the many new initiatives that have made a difference to patient care, researchers success in attaining another year of record NIH funding and the continued high quality in BWH’s graduate medical education programs. Identifying length of stay as a common challenge affecting each of the indicators, Whittemore concentrated on ways to improve length of stay in general terms and measures in specific areas of the hospital.

Whittemore also addressed the challenges that lie ahead for the hospital from a physician’s perspective. Such challenges include increasing capacity, increasing the operating margin to 3.5 percent, increasing clinical revenue (through internal billing efforts and external lobbying efforts for reimbursement), minimizing operating expenses (key lies in lowering length of stay), maintaining BWH’s high level of quality care, improving patient safety and enhancing the quality of worklife among staff.

Whittemore explained that there is a need and opportunities exist to reduce length of stay. The Length of Stay Task Force has been at the helm of tackling LOS reduction by completing a thorough monthly analysis and communicating and educating chairs and chiefs in the areas and specialties where opportunities for improvement exist.

Whittemore took some time to summarize what BWH physicians can do to better drive down the average length of stay. Consistent communication of discharge plans to patients and the entire patient care team and aiming to discharge before 10 a.m. has the potential to increase bed availability by 10 to 15 percent. Also, developing preferred relationships with alternate care providers and home health agencies will solidify the continuum of care for our patients while improving the discharge process. In addition, physicians will soon benefit from a web-based inventory of alternate care bed availability, thanks to strides made by Care Coordination, whose members will be working even more closely with physicians to improve the discharge process. Medication delivery to the floors by 8 a.m. and prioritizing PT evaluations needed for alternate care discharges will only better the patient flow and free up bed availability sooner.

At the conclusion of his report, Whittemore discussed the obstacles in recruitment that BWH faces, most of which are related to BWH’s geographic area and costs of living. Whittemore also described a recognized need to advance women to an increased number of leadership roles throughout the hospital.