Beth Burmahl

Operational Excellence, Quality & Patient Safety

Designing for disaster

The largest medical complex in the world, home to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, was decimated by the storm that dumped more than 3 feet of rain, flooding buildings throughout the complex. While MD Anderson itself was minimally affected primarily due to its location, Allison caused millions of dollars in damage to the medical center overall. 

Operational Excellence, Strategic Planning

Building efforts focus on efficiency

From bottlenecks in emergency departments to communication breakdowns between departments to lengthy walks down corridors, hospitals face daily inefficiencies that can affect patient care, staff performance and their own bottom line.

Operational Excellence, Quality & Patient Safety

An Ounce of Prevention Hospitals Look to Prevention for Better Security

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Story by Beth Burmahl with data by Jamie Morgan and Suzanna Hoppszallern

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Amid increasing security risks and growing pressure from regulatory agencies — including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration — a vast majority of hospitals have adopted training programs on managing aggressive behavior in order to de-escalate security situations before they erupt.

Health Information Technology (HIT), Operational Excellence, Leveraging Technology

Cybersecurity Remains Top Problem Cybersecurity remains ongoing problem for hospitals

Hospitals continue to funnel significant resources into securing the electronic health record information that is increasingly the target of cyberattacks. But staying one step ahead of increasingly sophisticated hackers continues to be an ongoing challenge.

Operational Excellence, Quality & Patient Safety

Hospitals look to prevention for better security

Amid increasing security risks and growing pressure from regulatory agencies — including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration — a vast majority of hospitals have adopted training programs on managing aggressive behavior in order to de-escalate security situations before they eru

Governance Effectiveness, Operational Excellence, Care Delivery, Quality & Patient Safety, Strategic Planning, Leveraging Technology, Issues & Trends

Building hospitals to improve patient safety

Delivery System Transformation, Financial Oversight, Governance Effectiveness, Operational Excellence, Strategic Planning, Issues & Trends

Hospitals take individual paths toward sustainability and green processes

U.S. hospitals are embracing tried-and-true sustainability methods and launching new initiatives tailored to their individual budgets and staffing needs. Here’s a sample of initiatives underway, from the Health Facilities Management/American Society for Healthcare Engineering/Association for the Healthcare Environment 2015 Sustainable Operations Survey.