Improving patient flow and bed management at MidCentral District Health Board

Since introducing Alcidion’s Miya Precision platform, the staff at New Zealand’s MidCentral District Health Board (MDHB) have seen a noticeable improvement to bed allocation, smoother patient flow and a more efficient allocation of hospital resources. By integrating nine different clinical information systems, clinical staff can now see detailed patient information in real-time, enabling them to make the right care decisions quicker, improving patient outcomes.

9
clinical information systems
integrated
19
wards
using Miya Precision
66%
of staff
engaged with the solution

Our client

MidCentral District Health Board (MDHB) is located in the southern region of New Zealand’s North Island. With a population around 180,000, the region is distinguished by the Tararua and Ruahine ranges that traverse the centre of the district.

The MDHB covers five districts in the Manawatū region of New Zealand:

Horowhenua district
Manawatu district
Palmerston North city
Tararua district
The Otaki ward of the Kapiti coast district

As per the MDHB 2018/19 Annual Report, the implementation of the Miya Precision platform is a major step made towards enhancing patient flow:

“Bed management and patient flow is much more efficient following the implementation of the new digital Miya Precision platform.

It gives real-time updates, showing a patient’s progress from the time they arrive to the time they’re discharged, as well as an overview of hospital occupancy.

Staff are able to securely view a current patient’s history, including admissions, demographics and results, and quickly view immediate bed availability in suitable wards, minimising waiting times and making a patient’s journey through the hospital as smooth as possible.

Decisions about patient care can be actioned immediately with the most up-to-date information available, meaning their care is better managed by reducing clinical risks, reducing wait times and keeping patients better informed about their progress and care.”

The challenge

MDHB wanted to improve both patient safety and the clinician experience.

To achieve this, Alcidion worked with MDHB to identify the need to bring together the data it had housed in many separate, disparate information systems. In doing this, the data would be more useful and actionable for its staff, making it simple and fast for them to make the right care decisions based on real-time information.

The solution

MDHB was the first healthcare organisation in the world to roll-out the next-generation Miya Precision platform, a ground-breaking technology to meet the needs of healthcare interoperability requirements through the integration of data from any source.

The software has successfully integrated with nine clinical information systems at MDHB, including WebPas, CareStream Radiology, Clinical Portal and Pathology. It delivers real-time patient flow information and bed management updates to MDHB staff and can be accessed by clinicians using an iPad at the bedside, workstation, and patient journey boards installed in each ward.

Miya Precision allows clinicians to view a patient’s admission history, demographics and test results at the bedside, in real-time. It also allows MDHB to add patient safety algorithms and apply artificial intelligence to improve patient outcomes.

Finally, Miya Precision’s Command module gives MDHB’s Managing Nurses a high-level overview of hospital bed occupancy in real-time, with the ability to drill down into individual departments and wards for more detailed insight.

“The information is displayed in an easy-to-read way and the system provides both charge nurses and nurse managers with the ability to see real-time updates on patient flow, which improves planning and ultimately ensures every patient is provided with the best care possible.”

– Celina Eves, Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery, MidCentral District Health Board

The result

Miya Precision is being used across all wards and the Emergency Department at Palmerston North Hospital, in addition to two wards at Horowhenua Health Centre.

Since the implementation of Miya Precision, MDHB staff have seen a noticeable improvement in bed allocation, smoother patient flow, and a more efficient allocation of hospital resources.

“The mobile technology is a godsend on ward rounds and has helped improved patient flow in and out of the ward, making discharges more evident and timely. I love it and wouldn’t be without it now.”

– Sarah Donnelly, Charge Nurse, MidCentral District Health Board

With Miya Access and Miya Command, staff can quickly allocate the best beds for each individual patient, minimising wait times and keeping the patient journey as smooth as possible.

Now that clinicians can view a patient’s information at the bedside, in real-time, they are better equipped to make the right care decisions, quickly, to improve patient outcomes.