A Rapid-Cycle Change Project to Increase Admissions
WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE
GONE?
A Rapid-Cycle Change Project to Increase Admissions
Westbrook Health Services, Inc. is a comprehensive community behavioral health center serving individuals with mental health, substance abuse and
developmental disabilities in eight counties in West Virginia.
WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE
GONE?
A Rapid-Cycle Change Project to Increase Admissions
Empowering people to achieve their greatest potential, Westbrook Health Services, Inc. is the industry leader in providing comprehensive care to individuals with mental health, developmental,
substance abuse and addiction challenges.
Mission Statement
WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE
GONE?
A Rapid-Cycle Change Project to Increase Admissions
• serves an 8 county area with a total population
of 168,800
• 7,796 individuals served annually
WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE
GONE?
A Rapid-Cycle Change Project to Increase Admissions
Crisis Stabilization Unit
• serving individuals with mental health and substance abuse issues (detox)• 10 beds• voluntary admission • average length of stay is 7 days• annual budget of $810,000
WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE
GONE?
A Rapid-Cycle Change Project to Increase Admissions
What keeps the CEO awake at night?
answer: a low occupancy rate at the CSU
WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE
GONE?
A Rapid-Cycle Change Project to Increase Admissions
The aim of the change project was to
WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE
GONE?
A Rapid-Cycle Change Project to Increase Admissions
The Change Team
Suzanne EvansCSU Director and team leader
Tim BarnettAdult Mental Health Program Director and referral source
Heather Williams CSU Administrative Assistant and data queen
Abby PierceCrisis Coordination Case Manager and referral source
WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE
GONE?
A Rapid-Cycle Change Project to Increase Admissions
The Issue
For a 6 month period (2-1-09 through 7-31-09) prior to the initiation of the change project the CSU operated at
an average of 50% occupancy.
WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE
GONE?
A Rapid-Cycle Change Project to Increase Admissions
The Goal
Increase the occupancy rate of the CSU to 70%.
WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE
GONE?
A Rapid-Cycle Change Project to Increase Admissions
The Business Case
At 50% occupancy the revenue of the CSU was approximately $2,680 a day. Increasing the occupancy to
70% would increase the revenue to $3,752 a day, an increase of $1,072 a day.
Bottom line – a 20% increase in occupancy would result in a 40% increase in revenue.
WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE
GONE?
A Rapid-Cycle Change Project to Increase Admissions
The Walk-through
The walk-through revealed that the CSU staff members were taking too much time to respond to referrals for admission and admissions were being
lost to other agencies who responded more quickly.
WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE
GONE?
A Rapid-Cycle Change Project to Increase Admissions
Plan
Increase occupancy at the CSU by decreasing the wait time for a
response when a referral is made.
WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE
GONE?
A Rapid-Cycle Change Project to Increase Admissions
Do
The CSU staff will take no more than 15 minutes to respond to a referral
with a yes or no answer, accept or not accept.
WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE
GONE?
A Rapid-Cycle Change Project to Increase Admissions
Study
For the period that the change was implemented, the occupancy rate at the
CSU increased from 50% to 70%.
WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE
GONE?
A Rapid-Cycle Change Project to Increase Admissions
Act
Implement the change. The CSU staff will continue to respond to referrals for admission within 15 minutes or less.
WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE
GONE?
A Rapid-Cycle Change Project to Increase Admissions
What We Learned
Our referral sources reported to us that they were pleased with the shorter response time, even if the referral was not accepted for admission, and that
they would be more inclined to refer patients to the CSU in the future.
WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE
GONE?
A Rapid-Cycle Change Project to Increase Admissions
Sustainability Plan
The CSU staff are recording the time that a referral is received and the time that a response is given on each referral form. The CSU director is
reviewing the response time for each referral.
WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE
GONE?
A Rapid-Cycle Change Project to Increase Admissions
Sustainability Plan cont.
The occupancy rate of the CSU is continually monitored by the CSU administrative
assistant and reported to the change team and the CSU staff every 2 weeks.
WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE
GONE?
A Rapid-Cycle Change Project to Increase Admissions
Sustainability Plan cont.
The change team intervenes if the occupancy rate of the CSU falls below
60% for a 4 week period.
WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE
GONE?
A Rapid-Cycle Change Project to Increase Admissions
Contact Information
Suzanne L. Evans, M.A., LSWCrisis Stabilization Unit Program Director
2121 7th StreetParkersburg, WV 26101304-485-1721, ext. 159