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Bed Assignment and Bed Management

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Handbook of Healthcare System Scheduling

Part of the book series: International Series in Operations Research & Management Science ((ISOR,volume 168))

Abstract

Beds are a critical resource for serving patients in hospitals, but also provide a place where patients queue for needed care. Bed requirements result from medical needs along with the hospital’s effectiveness at reducing average length of stay and hospitalization rates. Hospitals can reduce the need for beds by reducing the unproductive portion of the patient’s stay (e.g., waiting for a test) and by reducing the portion of time when beds are unoccupied. Hospitals must also synchronize discharges with admissions to minimize time of day and day of week variations in bed occupancy levels. Finally, beds must be managed as part of the overall hospital system so that shortages do not cause delays or cancellations in the emergency department or surgery.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Chapter IV: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services, Subchapter g: standards and certification. 42 CFR 482.23(b).

  2. 2.

    A departure can also occur due to the death of a patient.

  3. 3.

    Little’s formula is accurate when bed-to-bed transport times are excluded from the LOS calculation.

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Acknowledgment

My appreciation goes to David Belson for his contributions to understanding of bed management based on his extensive experience working with California hospitals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089-0193, USA

    Randolph Hall

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  1. Randolph Hall
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Correspondence to Randolph Hall .

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  1. Viterbi School of Engineering, Dept. Industrial & Systems Engineering, University of Southern California, McClintock Ave. 3715, Los Angeles, 90089-0193, California, USA

    Randolph Hall

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Hall, R. (2012). Bed Assignment and Bed Management. In: Hall, R. (eds) Handbook of Healthcare System Scheduling. International Series in Operations Research & Management Science, vol 168. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1734-7_8

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