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Amongst the various Indian industries, healthcare happens to be one of the largest and significantly growing sectors both in the context of revenue and employment. One of the major reasons that has accelerated this magnificent growth is the broadened coverage, exhaustive spectrum of services, increased societal awareness and rising expenditure by both private and public stakeholders.

Apart from the current COVID-19 crisis that has created a huge turmoil in Indian healthcare and world alike, some of the factors which are driving the healthcare market in India are:

Alarming rise of lifestyle diseases like diabetes and obesity.
Challenging demands for robust clinical systems to combat rising healthcare costs.
Innovative technological advancements.
Rapid penetration of the health insurance players.
Remarkable support by the Indian government with initiatives like e-health, tax exemptions, concessions and incentives for the people.

Healthcare Market Trends

With rising demand, Indian healthcare market is forecasted to reach USD 372 billion in the next two years.
The hospital industry is having a growth rate of 16-17 percent and is estimated to be nearly USD 133 billion by 2022.
Indian medical tourism is growing at a remarkable rate of 18%.
Health insurance and mergers and acquisitions in the hospital are gaining momentum. Nearly 20% of Indians are covered by insurance currently.
The healthcare information technology market is expected to grow 1.5 times the current value.
The investment in medical infrastructure is likely to cross USD 200 billion by the year 2024.
Most of the Indian hospitals have adopted telemedicine services making healthcare accessible to many. This market is growing at a rate of 20% and is expected to reach USD 32 million this year.
India is emerging as a leading manufacturer of wearables and is likely to sell almost 129 million of these healthcare devices by 2030.
There is widespread adoption of Artificial Intelligence(AI) for maintaining healthcare records efficiently and providing the best possible healthcare outcomes to patients at the right times.
The usage of robotic surgeries is gaining momentum and this market is forecasted to reach a potential of USD 350 million by the year 2025.
The Indian government intends to raise public health funding to 2.5 percent of the GDP by the year 2025.
The demand for healthcare services is going to increase as life expectancy beyond 70 years is likely to rise after 2022.

Gap in India Healthcare
Despite the various endeavours by the Indian government including national healthcare policies and programmes, it is ironic that the accessibility of healthcare to the economically backward citizens remains challenging. The bulk of the rural population in India cannot get care services due to the vast geographical spread and unaffordable treatment costs. Some of the other gaps in the current healthcare systems here are:

High dependency on tertiary care providers to deliver even the basic services and facilities.
Lack of a comprehensive healthcare technology solution that will promote the accessibility and reliability of primary care.
Very poor doctor to patient ratio along with an acute shortage of doctors, hospital beds, nurses and other healthcare staff.
Lengthy waiting times in hospitals and care facilities leading to poor patient experiences and increase of comorbidities.
Poor capacity to provide preventive care especially for Non-Communicable Diseases(NCD) like diabetes.
Dearth of amenities and infrastructure in rural areas leading to poor retention of doctors, nursing staff and paramedics.
Severe inadequacy of healthcare workers particularly in the rural and remote areas.
Failure to build trust in patients during online digital consultations using telemedicine technologies.
Inability of the semi-urban and rural areas to fully capitalize on the potential of digital healthcare.
due to lack of infrastructure and funds.
High out-of-pocket healthcare expenses (nearly 65%) pushing millions of Indians to the poverty every year.

Indian Healthcare Consultants, along with the government support and healthcare initiatives, can build a major role in bridging these gaps by supporting the recruitment of skilled medical professionals, implementing the innovative healthcare technologies and enabling better hospital management and administration.

In life, the only thing constant in life is change and this is especially true of healthcare. quality healthcare management can be achieved only if the hospital operations management adapts to the changes in the environment and industry. It is not a mere case of "change or be left out" but a more life-changing scenario where a small change can save or harm a patient's' life. To do this effectively, hospitals need the expert guidance of an experienced healthcare consulting firm. Let us take a look at some of the ways in which hospitals can adapt to change as advised by an expert healthcare consulting firm.

How to adapt to change in hospital operations management?

1. Plan the change
Change is often resisted in most organizations as it is seen as a loss. When even small changes like shifting the parking in a hospital are met with reticence by the staff, adapting to new clinical procedures or routines is even more difficult. These changes cannot be executed intently but planned in a phased-out manner with the help of the healthcare consulting firm.

2. Communicate the need for the change
A major factor that decides the success or failure of hospital operations management is communication. The reason why most people resist change is due to ignorance. Communicate the need for change in the hospital among the staff. Hold an interactive session with the hospital staff seeking their opinions on the pros and cons of implementing the change.

3. Educate, enlighten, involve
The best way to execute a change in the hospital environment is by first educating the staff on the need for change. enlightening them on the reasons for the change and involving them in the process of change.
The right way to perform the above 3 steps would be to organize a presentation on the change process and present it to the team. The healthcare consulting firm can help you to organize and implement this effectively.

4. Invite participation
In a hospital environment, the process of change has to be executed smoothly and seamlessly. To ensure that no hiccups occur in the changing process, the whole process of change has to be implemented in a streamlined and focussed manner. This can be done by inviting participation from the hospital team, encouraging their involvement and then outlining their responsibilities and goals.

5. Give time
To succeed, every process must be time-bound. But you cannot afford to hasten the process of change, especially in a hospital.

Advocate that the change is with benefits
What concerns most hospital staff is "how the change will affect me?". There is a deep-rooted fear that the change may call for overburdening of tasks, change in hierarchy, loss of authority, and even loss of the job itself. It is the prime responsibility of the hospital operations management to reassure the staff and advocate that the "change is with benefits". The hospital operations management must highlight the benefits of change to seek support for the cause. The takeaways of change for the hospital and for the individuals must be clearly outlined in order to bring a positive approach among the staff towards the change.

6. Monitor the change
It is not enough for the hospital to just kick start the change process. It is more imperative that the change is monitored to see that the goals for which the change was intended are met. This monitoring can be done effectively only by a healthcare consulting firm.

7. Seek feedback
With the help of the healthcare consulting firm, the hospital operations management can compile a feedback form and enlist the feedback from the staff on the process of change.

Adapting to change is the need of the hour for every hospital. Only a competent healthcare consulting firm can steer the hospital business planning through the waters of change and chart its course to the destination of success.

Patients head to a hospital seeking relief from their ailments but unfortunately for some, their hospital experience turns out to be traumatic. Patients come back whining and complaining about their hospital woes and dread going to the same hospital again.
Professional Hospitals must lend a patient ear to these grievances and issues raised by patients. They should incorporate a patient feedback mechanism in their hospital management to learn these complaints. If these issues are ignored, the very reputation of the hospital will be at stake and so will its profitability.
This is why it is best for hospitals to engage the hospital management services of a professional and experienced healthcare consulting firm. This will definitely improve the patient experience and resolve all the patient's grievances against the hospital.

Common issues faced by a patient at a hospital

1. Lack of sensitivity to patient's needs

This is the most gigantic problem that looms at every hospital. Patients feel that the hospital's care providers namely the physicians, nurses and attendants, are not sensitive to the patient's needs.
When this complaint is voiced, the patient refers to the

Sleep deprivation he/she faces due to

- Doctors or nurses disturbing them at night to do tests or draw blood samples. This clearly shows a lack of concern for the patient's health and sleep requirement.
- Noisy nurse stations where there is a huge din disturbing their sleep.

Delay in attending to the patient when

- The person presses the buzzer for nurses.
- The patient is taken from his bed for a scan and kept waiting.

Disrespect meted out to them by the nurses barging in unannounced without knocking.

2. Lack of clear communication from hospital staff

Patients face this problem acutely at hospitals when

There is a changeover from one physician to another causing conflict of opinions or diagnosis.
The patient's condition is not communicated to their family when it changes.
The patient is not informed or reassured of his condition when a test or scan is taken.

3. Lack of professionalism on the part of the hospital staff

Patients feel disheartened and irritated by the lack of professionalism from hospital staff which is exhibited as

Rude or brusque behaviour by nurses expressed as stern talk, not answering etc.
Nurses on break not responding to queries
Nurses from other departments not willing to help
Nurses not listening to what the patient is saying
Nurses not executing their roles efficiently.

4. Lack of hygiene in hospitals

A hospital should relieve illness not bring it in. But patients feel they would become sicker at hospitals when

The rooms are messy
The bathrooms stink
The bed-covers are not changed daily
The rooms are not cleaned every day
The patient robes are smelly
The dustbins are not emptied

5. Lack of orientation at hospitals

Every hospital has many floors and levels. The patients have to move here and there from one level to the next to meet the doctors, take tests or scans, etc. Often, patients feel disoriented at hospitals because

There are no signboards or directional arrows pointing the way.
The persons at the reception desk are not forthcoming.
There is no one to guide the patient around the hospital.
The consultation rooms are frequently changed.
The whiteboards at the hospital are not updated.

6. Lack of professional efficiency due to a shortage of good doctors and nurses

Sometimes hospitals face a shortage of trained physicians and nurses and make do with those "under training". Patients find it demoralizing when they are not attended by expert physicians or experienced doctors.
Patient satisfaction should be the prime motto of any hospital. Assess this using a patient satisfaction survey and use the services of a professional health consulting firm for grievance redressal.

The human mind has a unique nature that we remember the very first and last minutes of an experience, better than all of the action in between. This is the reason why every advertisement or marketing promotion starts with the brand name and ends with it.

Hospital brand building is no different in this aspect. The patient or the visitor’s first interaction with the hospital starts at the parking lot and ends right there. It is imperative for the healthcare management to focus and ensure to make the best first impression that is again repeated as last best impression through a hassle-free parking experience.

In fact, the patient or the visitor deserves an easy and speedy parking as medical urgency is an obvious ‘situation’ at healthcare facilities. Here are few tips that may help you in managing the parking facilities at your hospital that in turn flourish in better brand reputation.

Beds Size –

In general every hospital allocates sufficient room for parking which is in proportion to the bed size and the usual traffic of the hospital.
However, consider the futuristic goals of the hospital and decide the parking area allocation based on the future bed size.
In addition, considering the traffic that takes place during the most active hours of the hospitals.
Not just the space allocation but the effective parking management should also be in advance in order to cope with the futuristic parking needs of the hospital.

Number of Specialties –

The overall traffic in a hospital is purely driven by the number of specialties that it has.
Ensure your parking facility and its management system is capable enough to handle the traffic that may occur as a result of increased number of specialties in future.
If the hospital is unable to meet the parking requirements, consider a better mechanism for traffic management which is empowered by smart parking technology.

Special Mention to Emergency Parking –

As a hospital administration that puts its patient first, the least thing you would want is a vehicle that is blocking the emergency ambulance.
Give special attention to the emergency medical transportation management within the hospital premises.
If space permits, allocate a separate entrance and way that are dedicated to the emergency transportation.

Plan It Futuristic –

Parking Facility Management in Hospitals should be given a wider scope in the hospital planning right from the blueprints stage.
According to a reliable study, many of the brownfield projects, these days, facing parking issues and losing the hospital reputation at a sound level.
Make use of every square-foot of the location and use the advanced parking facility options that are enabled by the technology.
Making use of technology for resolving the parking challenges should particularly help the brownfield hospitals.

Location and the Increasing Population –

Ensure the parking management mechanism in your hospital is in line with the increased population.
Another factor to be considered here is the urbanization rate of the locality where the hospital is situated.

Parking Facility for Staff –

A dedicated parking space for the staff always helps your hospital function in a smooth way.
Segregation of the dedicated parking space is important and it avoid the confusion and unnecessary delay in parking for the doctors and paramedics who attend emergency cases.

Apart from that, employing the typical and visible parking signs allover the parking lot is the best practice and helps you in streamlining the whole parking mechanism of your hospital.

The increasing population and their health demands are one of the few major reasons for the vigorous healthcare growth in India. And, make sure your hospital is prepared to meet the demands in every aspect of patient care.

With the ever increasing competition in healthcare sector today, hospitals face several challenges including the changing expectations of patients, rising costs, technology upgrades, economic recessions, upward surges in uninsured patient care and increasing demand for outpatient services. Healthcare Operations Management (HOM) essentially involves streamlining healthcare operations to improve patient experience. Hence, it is crucial that HOM aids hospitals to take essential steps to increase their profitability.

For gauging a hospital’s profitability, there are several factors considered in the hospital performance measures. One such crucial factor is Hospital Bed Occupancy (HBO) which shows the actual utilization of the hospital’s inpatient health facility within a given time frame. It is calculated by ratio of total number of beds actually occupied by in-patients against the total number of beds available in the hospitals rooms for a specified period. To increase the occupancy rate, Healthcare Consulting Services (HCS) can help hospitals by deploying relevant strategies thereby impacting its bottom-line directly.

Some vital points on HBO Rates

HBO varies by the time of the day due to

Routine Patient Discharges which typically happen at an assigned time-slot during the day.
Late Discharges which happen after physicians assure that patients get their due arrangements for post-discharge care or when some diagnostic results are anticipated before allowing the patients to leave.
Planned hospital admissions that arise mostly due to need for some diagnosis or surgery.
Unplanned admissions that occur because the patient’s health condition needs medical attention.

HBO also varies by day of the week – This is because typically elective surgeries happen on weekdays and therefore the number of in- patients who need post -surgery care may drop on weekends.
HBO also depends on the location of the hospital, its ICU capacity, emergency handling capabilities and it’s overall reputation in delivering patient centric care and satisfaction.
Ideal value of HBO is around 85%. This is so because if occupancy is low, medical staff is less engaged leading to low workforce utilization and decrease of hospital revenues. On the contrary, if HBO is 100%, staff-burnouts occur, patient admissions are refused which defeats the very purpose of providing healthcare services and also hampers the hospital’s reputation and new patient referrals in the long run.
Undue long time boarding of in-patients in Emergency Rooms (ER) has detrimental effects on HBO due to decreased comfort levels, long waiting times and delay in treating real ER patients.

5 ways to increase the bed occupancy rate of your hospital

HCS are professionals with expertise and experience in Hospital Management who can provide guidance for increasing HBO rates in the following ways -

Planning and Managing Patient Discharge Times appropriately so that duly discharged in-patients vacate the hospital in the earlier part of the day to reduce overlap times and pave way for faster accommodations in new patient admissions and other patients seeking discharge.

Adequate Staff Recruitment especially for housekeeping, maintenance, patient help-desks and environmental services. This ensures that patient peak loads are handled properly, more so on week days, hygiene standards are maintained and expedites hospital room cleaning times so that new patients are admitted quickly without hitches.

Appropriate Physician/Surgeon Scheduling to handle contingencies of high HBO rates by allocating them on different times/days depending on nature of specialized treatment / surgery required and number of post- operative/Out-Patient Department (OPD) consultations.

Analysing Patient’s Length of Hospital Stay based on required treatment like deploying multiple

Therapists to ensure that patients get required therapies in more frequent slots per day for faster recuperation.
Customer service managers for supporting faster home health care and nursing facilities.

Strategic Bed Occupancy Allotment which is to be made on the basis of current HBO and future forecasts with priority to patient related ailments. For example, low risk patients may be allocated general ward/rooms while high risk ones need bed occupancy in critical care units.

In summary, effective HBO can result in a win-win situation for attaining both effective patient outcomes and maximizing hospital revenues.

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6 Common Complaints from Patients About a Hospital