Welcome to June 2025. We are just over halfway through the year (can you believe it?!) This is a great opportunity to pause and breathe; to look at where we have been and to celebrate our wins while also understanding what we know (and don’t yet know) about what lies ahead for the rest of the year.
Budget and Spending
Healthcare continues to face challenges including rising costs, labor shortages and decreased reimbursement rates. While we have continued to meet our budget in 2025 as a service area (South Puget Sound), we will need to significantly underspend our budget to offset any anticipated (i.e. federal budget changes including Medicaid and others) as well as potential unanticipated losses for the rest of the year. We (as an organization) have cut back in catering, travel, corporate purchase card spending, office supplies, gifts and other areas but other adjustments may be necessary for the rest of the year.
How can you help? Awareness of the situation is a great start! In addition, paying attention to supplies and resourcing. Cancelling catering where it's not needed. Your efforts to reduce length of stay and improve efficient flow through our hospitals help ensure high-quality, patient-centered, safe, efficient care for all our patients at the right time and in the right setting!
Length of Stay
Congratulations for another great month in our length of stay work! For April and May 2025 at St. Peter we hit record low ALOS Acute values at 5.60 days and 5.54 days respectively, meaning that while April was a record low month, you went on to beat that record in May (tentatively). That resulted in higher acute admissions – meaning more patients were able to get the care they needed at the right time and in the right place. Our efficiency for patients going home was the best it’s been in years, at an O:E to home of 1.01 (tentatively) for May at St. Peter!
Similarly, at Providence Centralia, we hit 4.36 days and 4.10 days for April and May. The efficiency for Providence Centralia has consistently exceeded goal so far this year, where they are exceeding their targeted outstanding goal for the year.
How can you help? Ensuring MRD (Medical Readiness for Discharge) dates are entered in the right place in the medical record within 36 hours of admission, ensuring patients are aware of their discharge date and planning for discharge starting at admission (i.e. talk up the discharge date, write it on the white board in the patient room as a visible target, have patients plan to get picked up as early as possible, engage with Case Management to assist with discharge planning, complete medication reconciliation, AVS and write orders early).
