Abstract
Hospital operating performance relies on the proper utilization of resources and procedures. Unfortunately, the waste of over processing through unnecessary healthcare can reduce patient flow and increase costs to patients and hospitals. This article examines two commonly used mechanisms for addressing over processing in healthcare: accountability (individual and cross-functional) through utilization reviews (critical evaluations of service decisions regarding the appropriate service at the right cost), and their interactions with healthcare information technology (HIT) infrastructure. Hierarchical regression analyses reveal insights into service flow (patient length of stay) and efficiency (operating cost per bed) using independent primary and secondary data from 250 U.S. hospitals. The analyses show contrasting results and tradeoffs. For utilization reviews, accountability focused on individuals is associated with lower cost per bed but longer length of stay, while results for cross-functional accountability are not significant. The interaction between individual accountability through utilization reviews and HIT infrastructure relates to incremental reductions in patient length of stay, suggesting a complementary relationship for managing hospital operating performance and over processing.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
