January 25, 2018 by CallisonRTKL

How Data Analysis and Simulation Modeling Are Improving Emergency Departments

CRTKL’s Jared Lange discusses the OPEX team’s visit to Taikang Xianlin Drum Tower Hospital

With recent policy changes, China has experienced a healthcare boom and is growing at a rapid pace. The total number of hospitals has significantly increased over the last decade from approximately 18,700 in 2005 to about 27,600 in 2015.[1] That being said, Taikang Insurance Group, based in Beijing, China, has a new strategy to provide healthcare, life insurance and elderly care. It is the ninth largest life insurer in China, and in 2015, Taikang acquired 80 percent stake in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Group for 5 Billion Yuan, which was a vital move to continue growing. With expectations to invest another 10 Billion Yuan (approximately $1.5 billion) in healthcare facilities, more acquisitions may be on the horizon.

In the recently acquired Drum Tower Hospital in Nanjink, China, Taikang recognized the need for process improvement and design changes within the facility. In order to improve operational efficiency and to eliminate waste, I went with my team, CallisonRTKL’s Operational Excellence (OpEX) Group, to the site. Over the course of the week, we observed document patient volume, arrival patterns and build relationships with onsite workers.

To gain the trust and insight of the hospital’s administration, we held a kick-off strategy meeting. Once back in Dallas, we began to perform data analysis and simulation modeling for multiple processes and facility scenarios. Simulation modeling helps provide fact-based quantitative evidence and provides significant advantages over real life experimentation regarding cost, time and repeatability. After the simulation model was complete, preliminary results, based upon future process and facility suggestions, show a 40 percent reduction in the average wait time to see a physician, from 50 to 30 minutes; a 60 percent increase in treatment room utilization for two re-designated rooms from 10 to 70 percent; and a 55-yard reduction of walking distance for every patient with a cumulative savings of approximately six miles per day.

This spring, we will travel back to China to revisit the hospital and deliver the final results and recommendations and negotiate upcoming projects with the Taikang Group.

Pictured (L to R):

Jun Jia, Jared Lange, and Rudy Santacroce from CallisonRTKL; Tian Guang from Taikang Group

[1] https://www.statista.com/statistics/279322/number-of-hospitals-in-china/

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CallisonRTKL

For more than five decades, Callison and RTKL have created some of the world’s most memorable and successful environments for developers, retailers, investors, institutions and public entities. In 2015, our two practices came together under the Arcadis umbrella, expanding our sphere of influence and the depth and breadth of our resources. Our team is comprised of nearly 2,000 creative, innovative professionals throughout the world who are committed to advancing our client’s businesses and enhancing quality of life.