Quantify Efficiency of Professionals in Hospital Setups Accordingly

Much emphasis is given to the Patient-Centric approach in order to resolve multifaceted problems faced by healthcare today. But the pertinent question is whether this approach is the only way to solve the existing healthcare problems? Patient-Centric systems such as EHRs (Electronic Health Records), EMRs (Electronic Medical Records), and Hospital Management Systems are extremely beneficial for the customer (i.e. patient) and may be for the administration, but do they make a healthcare facility more efficient and productive? The care is delivered by the healthcare professionals such as nurses, specialists, residents. What systems are available to gauge their professional competencies and performances? Surprisingly, not much headway has been made in this vital segment of the health care system.

Dr-SIR is a knowledge-based, hospital efficiency measurement software system, which generates powerful reports and analysis for healthcare administrators and stakeholders in the following areas:
• Accurate efficiency measurement
• Cost reduction
• Resource planning
• Performance evaluations

In Dr-SIR, we define efficiency as an attribute of performance that is measured by examining the relationship between a specific product of the healthcare system (also called an output) and the resources used to create that product (also called inputs). Under our definition, a provider in the health care system (e.g., hospital, physician) would be efficient if it was able to maximize output for a given set of inputs or to minimize inputs used to produce a given output.

Efficiency = Actual Work Generated
Work Generation Capacity

Efficiency Measurement (EM) is able to undertake a full scope "capability due diligence" of healthcare institutions using international quality and performance benchmarks.

EM provides the means to take any activity or participant within a framework and translate its functions onto a leveled platform to enable measurement of the adequacy of output in terms of efficiency and capacity. Therefore, for every activity that is passed through this system, there would be an ideal output and actual output both stated in the common denominated units of measurement. It is this basic concept which forms the cornerstone of this system.

The most effective way to measure the efficiency of any service is by establishing a basis by which different services can be quantified into a common, or unified measurable unit of output. This baseline becomes a benchmark of efficiency to be achieved by medical professionals, departments or entire hospitals.




Dr-SIR's efficiency measures count the amounts of different inputs used to produce an output (patient treatment) and help to answer questions about whether the output could be produced faster, with fewer people, less time from medical professionals, or fewer supplies.

In economic terms, the focus is on whether the output is produced with the minimum resources and cost.

Dr-SIR will help to achieve work flow standardization as all treatments, operatives and diagnostic activities in a hospital setup have been standardized and quantified on a unified scale in terms of time frame, acceptable rate of complications or misdiagnosis, etc.

The DR-SIR efficiency measurement system helps to increase work output and decrease cost per unit. The system identifies the deficiencies and reasons for the positive or negative variances for decision makers. Accordingly, administrators will be able to forecast and take preventive measures to better manage the healthcare system. Thus a complete Decision Support System is available to healthcare decision-makers that allows for the quantification of professional efforts and thus ensures the accountability and efficiency standards which are so instrumental to ensure healthcare quality in patient treatment.

About Author:
Mr. Ahsan Ahmad took on the mantle of leadership of Dr-SIR in the year 2000. He began his stint in Dr-SIR with a simple Vision - "to ensure excellence and competitiveness to clients in the changing horizons of health industry by providing them the best solutions and services emerging in the field of health care and IT from time to time". Ahsan Ahmad is the Chief Executive Officer of Dr-SIR (LLC) and plays a key role in defining company's strategy and using technology and innovation to continually expand the company's growth and product line. You can directly contact him at ahsan@drsir.com or visit www.drsir.com.