Date of Award

8-1-2013

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Department

Business Administration

First Advisor

Davood Golmohammadi

Second Advisor

Penx Xu

Third Advisor

Ehsan Elahi

Abstract

Emergency Department (ED) boarding - the inability to transfer emergency patients to inpatient beds- is a key factor contributing to ED overcrowding. This paper presents a novel approach to improving hospital operational efficiency and, therefore, to decreasing ED boarding. Using the historic data of 15,000 patients, admission results and patient information are correlated in order to identify important admission predictor factors. For example, the type of radiology exams prescribed by the ED physician is identified as among the most important predictors of admission. Based on these factors, a real-time prediction model is developed which is able to correctly predict the admission result of four out of every five ED patients. The proposed admission model can be used by inpatient units to estimate the likelihood of ED patients' admission, and consequently, the number of incoming patients from ED in the near future. Using similar prediction models, hospitals can evaluate their short-time needs for inpatient care more accurately.

Comments

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