Unlocking Scarce Capacity and Delivering Strong ROI at the Sixth Transform Hospital Operations Summit

Whenever I call an Uber or Lyft, a car usually shows up in 5-10 minutes despite having no idea that I was going to order the car the second before I did. Whenever I walk into a UPS or FedEx store, they are able to accept my packages and guarantee on-time delivery, also without any inkling that I was going to walk into the store that moment. But when I try to schedule a doctor’s appointment? On average across the country, it will be 24 days before I can be seen even by a primary care doctor, forget a specialist. And when the day finally arrives for my appointment, too often I spend more time in the waiting room than with my doctor.  

Why does this happen in healthcare, when the nature of the demand-supply matching problems that these other industries experience is very similar? It’s because there is very little math involved in the way we match unpredictable demand with supply. Package delivery and ride-sharing companies analyze historical data and use predictive analytics to forecast demand, zip code by zip code, and in small discrete time intervals so they can match demand and supply (trucks, drivers, aircraft, pickup points) effectively. In healthcare, we often book patient appointments without any real predictions of demand, an understanding of the volatility in the length of an appointment, and often based on a “first come, first served” methodology that works well for conference rooms but not for unpredictable length appointments. We assign nurses and other staff with “abacus level math”,  based on metrics like “average expected case volume” or “average chair turns”, without taking into account the inherent need to predict demand and match supply more precisely hour-by-hour, shift-by-shift. 

To cater to the ever increasing demand for healthcare services, we must do better. We can fix the broken math of capacity management with AI and machine learning to match supply with demand and improve patient access. This shift is also critical to help our workforce know what’s coming and offset severe shortages and burnout. 

This week, join an incredible roster of health system leaders who are leading the way with AI-powered hospital operations at our sixth Transform Hospital Operations Summit. Our focus is on unlocking scarce capacity, delivering strong ROI, and showing case studies of AI/ML-based models that are increasing access to care for patients all across the country. 185 health systems and over 1,000 hospitals and centers are already on this journey. Over 5,000 virtual participants will join Transform to hear their stories, which include performing 30-50 more cases per OR per year, reducing wait times by 30% and nurse overtime by 50%, and adding 6+ new patients per bed per year.

I’m honored to open up day one of Transform with a keynote presentation on how to increase ROI through AI by deploying the “Magic Equation” of AI technology, automation and data hygiene, and change management. In the second session of the day, I’m thrilled to be speaking with @Aaron Miri, MBA, FCHIME, FHIMSS, CHCIO, Senior Vice President, Chief Digital and Information Officer, Baptist Health Jacksonville, to share how his organization is using AI to transform OR performance, including increasing prime time utilization, case volume, and case minutes. Additional sessions will feature top hospitals and health systems, including Bon Secours Mercy Health , Lee Health , Memorial Hermann Health System , Sarasota Memorial Health Care System , Trinity Health New York, and UCHealth .

It’s not too late to register and join us in transforming hospital operations. I look forward to seeing you there!