Collaborative forum tracks and analyzes key hospital data to increase efficiencies and improve patient care

Each week, key members of Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital leadership team meet for an Active Asset Management meeting. The collaborative forum is designed to provide a rolling review of recent history to help track trends and identify areas for improvement. The model has proved so successful, it is expanding across the Mass General Brigham system.

The idea for a weekly Active Asset Management meeting was first explored at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. In February of 2019, Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital followed suit and established its own Active Asset Management meeting. Under the direction of Susan Dempsey, Vice President of Clinical Services, and Jerry Hadley, Vice President of Finance, Analysis and Planning, with support from Anthony Arno, Senior Analyst with the Analytics, Planning, Strategy, and Improvement team, members of the leadership team meet every Thursday morning.

“Each week, I walk the group through a series of dashboards. We typically begin with COVID-19 data and hand hygiene compliance and move on to surgical volume, inpatient and ambulatory operations and Emergency Department activity. We also look at trends related to transfers to and from BWH among other topics,” says Arno. “The goal is to provide the group a full picture of what’s going on in the hospital all in one setting.”

From the data presented, Dempsey, Hadley and the other participants look for trends. “The idea is to use what’s happening currently in each service area to predict future outcomes and talk about barriers to success,” says Dempsey. “By tracking the same data points week over week, we can also think about ways to avoid issues that have come up in the past.”

Hadley says the main goal is to better utilize the assets we have and address barriers to success in a constructive manner. “Everyone works really well together,” he explains. “No one is afraid to express their opinions, but it’s all done in a positive way. Everyone wants to help improve care for our patients and keep our organization financially healthy.”

Recently, the group has adopted a new format that’s allowing for a more detailed picture of operations to emerge. Each week, on a rotating basis, one service area’s dashboard is saved for the end of the meeting. The leader from that area then gives a deep dive into what’s happening in their department. “I can only tell you so much,” says Arno. “I can tell you what the numbers are, but not why they are what they are. That’s where these deep dives really can be helpful. The leaders in those areas can explain what is going on that’s driving the numbers to be what they are. They provide in-depth knowledge that I just don’t have.”

Dempsey and Hadley agree that the new process is valuable. “This is a forum where we have all the right people in the room to have these conversations,” says Dempsey.

Across the Brigham family, Active Asset Management has made an impact. In recent months, Mass General Brigham has taken notice and is now charging each of its local entities with establishing their own Active Asset Management team and is even looking toward establishing Active Asset Management at the system level.