Aligning capacity and demand: Almost 70% of leaders polled at the Vancouver Leaders’ Forum say they want to strike a balance between optimizing our capacity and mitigating demand for services.
What do the Incredible Hulk, running and a revolution have in common? Ask some of our leaders and that’s what they say comes to mind when they hear the term “breakthrough strategy”. (View the video: “What is a breakthrough strategy?”)
On September 19, more than 100 Vancouver Acute and Community leaders attended the Vancouver Leaders’ Forum (VLF) and the topic of the day was — you got it — breakthrough strategies.
Actually, not just any breakthrough strategy, but our strategy to align capacity and demand.
As Mary Ackenhusen, Vancouver’s chief operating officer, explains in her video, our health care system is facing an aging “tsunami of demographics.” Demand for health care is escalating, threatening access to care and services, which is why we’ve made it a priority to continue increasing our capacity and, where appropriate, mitigate demand.
Can we do both?
We already are, say Dr. Dean Chittock, Dr. Rolando Barrios and Joanne Bezzubetz who led the forum’s panel discussion. Dean pointed to the fact that we’ve increased critical care admissions from 955 to more than 1,300 on the same bed base through sedation and weaning protocols leading to increased efficiency of care. Rolando says we’re confident our urban primary care clinics have the capacity for more patients — in fact, we’re better prepared than the average GP office to deal with complex patients. And, Joanne explained that through our “Home is Best” efforts we’re helping people remain safely in the comfort of their own home. As a result, residential care registrations are down 18% from two years ago.
Over the fall, solutions to increase our capacity and mitigate demand will take shape as we determine how best to build on our achievements to date.
Stay tuned for more and, in the meantime, why not take a break from the routine and watch our leaders’ “Outtakes” video. You’ll be glad you did.
Videos: