On April 28, multidisciplinary experts from Maryland hospitals and the Maryland Hospital Association (MHA) began meeting weekly with facilitation from Amy Boutwell, M.D. to examine potential solutions to hospital throughput. After meeting 10 times over three months, hospital senior quality leads, ED clinical operations directors and vice presidents agree there are opportunities for improvement in ED and hospital throughput. To make a meaningful impact, hospitals must address interventions upstream and downstream. 

After the initial collaborative commenced, on June 30 the Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC) initiated the public reporting of three measures evaluating throughput as part of the Emergency Department Dramatic Improvement Effort (EDDIE). The first month of reporting was June 2023, and HSCRC received data from almost all Maryland hospitals. Although the data is not adequate to compare hospitals to each other, individual hospital best practices could be identified.

In August of 2023, a new MHA Hospital Solutions Collaborative began. Facilitated by MHA and Rhonda Wyskiel, a performance improvement expert with Hord Coplan Match, the initiative focuses on process improvement strategies. It also provides hospitals and health systems the opportunity to share its learnings. Member organizations are divided into cohorts and will identify an area of opportunity in hospital throughput to target and measure. This initiative will commence in July 2024.

For questions, contact mha@mhaonline.org.