Service Lines at an Urban Community Hospital

The pre-eminent treatment facility in one of New York’s boroughs, this client has a mixed medical staff model, with both full time faculty and a large private practice complement.

The Challenge:

Beginning in 2004, this hospital invited the Bard Group to help it develop two service lines in support of its market and quality improvement goals. The service line strategy is intended to better integrate physicians across disciplines with hospital operations, nursing, and the hospital’s quality professionals.  

The Solution:

After conducting assessments of the center’s existing capabilities, resources, and internal processes, we explored a range of models for organizing and sharing leadership in both service line areas. We then facilitated a process through which the clinical chiefs agreed on approaches to collaboration between clinical disciplines and communication with hospital leadership.  

The Impact:

One service line has been successfully implemented, and we also helped design a rapid-response program to rescue patients in crisis and avert avoidable ICU admissions.

The second service line is in process.

As a result of this work, the hospital has improved stabilization, management, and transfer of critically-ill patients entering the hospital through the Emergency Department.