Nursing Operations Review Case Study
Stuttgart Regional Medical Center, Stuttgart, AR
The Challenges
High staffing costs and high-intensity workload were not Stuttgart’s only problems:bad debt was climbing,along with the number of uninsured in the agricultural community.How could the hospital offer a more attractive workplace for nurses … and at the same time control costs? QHR’s nurse expert began by finding opportunities:
- Nursing leadership was perceived as unavailable;staff nurses felt they had no voice
- Turnover was high … and it cost $40,000 to replace a nurse
- Units exceeded their budgets
- Nursing care was task-oriented;patients didn’t know their nurse
- At times,patients were sent to competitors due to throughput problems
Q Solutions
QHR’s Patient Services consultant quickly saw a way to achieve multiple goals:by restructuring nursing to remove a management layer and bring leadership closer to staff,the hospital could cultivate communication and trim costs.
New CNO Dr.Cindy Crum agreed.“They had to see me roll up my sleeves.And eliminating unit coordinator positions gave nurse managers more authority.”
To support managers in their new roles of budget and productivity control,Dr.Crum provided staffing models from QHR and training from the hospital’s CFO.
The Outcome
- Nursing is staffed at 100%:satisfaction is up; overtime and turnover are down;savings approach the QHR-identified goal of $479,000
- Using every bed,the hospital has avoided ER diversions
- Safety and quality are enhanced by technology and teamwork
- Nurse managers are accountable,and meeting their budgets
Change is a scary word for a small hospital. But QHR's nursing assessment helped us get a foothold in the future. Our CNO put the plan into action and brought people together... now a new culture is spreading throughout the hospital.
