• Robotic Cardiac Surgery
• Robotic Liver Transplant
• Fractional Flow Reserve
• Cyberknife Radio Surgery for cancer treatment
• Conscious Cardiac Bypass Surgery etc.

• It helps hospitals to reach a worldwide audience through digital marketing
• It enables hospitals to highlight their medical services and facilities on their website effectively
• It enriches the social media presence of hospitals to gain attention from medical tourists.
• It helps medical tourists contact the right hospitals for the right treatment
• Travel and accommodation arrangements too are made by some healthcare consulting firms to help medical tourists
• A competent healthcare consulting firm arranges for the hospitalization, treatment and  surgery and even post-operative care for the tourist completely
• The role of a healthcare consulting firm is to liaise between hospital and medical tourists and ensure that their needs are met both ways.

• It has unlocked the doors of Indian hospital to a world-wide audience
• Indian hospital will now hone their clinical skills to match world standards
• The facilities at Indian hospitals will be upgraded to cater to the need of international tourists
• Profitability will increase for Indian hospitals due to medical tourism in India

• Unsuitable documentation - Every project plan must be documented clearly and exhaustively. This must be done after having detailed discussions with the concerned stakeholders on the expectations with respect to cost, time and healthcare quality. All milestones must be properly tracked to have a clear-cut understanding of where the project is heading in reality in comparison to the stated goals. It is also very important that a strong business case is established in line with initiatives and expectations. Often, lack of proper or relevant documentation and proper business case hinders the scope, priorities and successful execution of the project. 
• Poor scheduling - Apart from allocating the resources, it is vital that the healthcare project is well scheduled to handle the competing priorities. All goals and milestones must be clearly defined and deadlines must be planned realistically. Scheduling must consider all resources including infrastructure, funding and staff and handle risks proactively. Poor scheduling due to wrong time estimation results in a lot of confusion and hampers the progress of the project.
• Multitasking overload – Due to severe pressure for meeting the costs and timelines, most healthcare project managers assign multiple roles and tasks to the team members without sufficient introspection. It is crucial that the task load is planned and shared based on the qualification, experience and capabilities of the healthcare staff. Often, inexperienced people are given multiple roles and responsibilities which they cannot handle leading to failure.
• Management stress - Healthcare management faces stress in various aspects including handling the project finances, human resources, technology, culture and communication. There must transparency and proper communication between all levels of management including the upper, middle and lower levels to avoid misunderstandings and delays. All project members must be allowed to express their concerns, give their opinions and suggestions and make complaints if necessary. Following medical ethics and handling compliance issues is crucial for the management because healthcare business runs on patient satisfaction and delight. The management must also clearly articulate the short-term and long-term goals, vision and mission of the healthcare organization to avoid ambiguity and stress. Having able leaders is also the key factor that contributes to the project’s success because he or she ensures that the entire team strives towards the accomplishment of the target.
• Poor assumptions and change management - Many healthcare projects are baselined with wrong assumptions. This could be due to poor planning and forecasting. The project must be executed with the goal of delivering the right output and information within the specified timelines and not exceed the planned budgets. All constraints must be taken into account cautiously without making unrealistic assumptions so that the correct adjustments may be made in the workflow to ensure correct scoping, budgeting and scheduling of the project. Similarly, in an attempt to fulfill the technical details or meet deadlines, most projects ignore the aspect of change management which is essential for successful completion. The staff must undergo training and communication programs to face any unforeseen challenges and changes. Having proper portfolio management goes a long way in evaluating and prioritizing the project processes to ensure a seamless implementation.

• High preference and purchasing power of customers towards organic and herbal products.
• Natural approach that focuses on the disease cause and internal cure.
• Growing public awareness about the conventional methods of treatments and interventions.
• Holistic approach that  treats a variety of clinical problems including physical, mental and genetic issues.
• Greater penetration of innovative Ayurvedic products, high-quality packaging and  proactive strategic marketing plans thanks to the professional expertise of  healthcare consulting firms.
• Emergence of India as a preferred destination of medical tourism with state-of-art infrastructure and healthcare industry-friendly initiatives.
• Expanding portfolio of Ayurvedic items in the personal care and food product segment.
• Endorsement from high-profile celebrities and spiritual leaders on the promising results of Ayurveda.
• Federal support and regulatory compliance towards traditional forms of medicine from the Indian government.

• Offers permanent cure by treating the root cause of the ailments, eliminating all the bacteria from the body and encouraging a healthy lifestyle that improves the mind, body and soul.
• Produces nil side effects as most Ayurvedic medicines are prepared from natural extracts of fruits, vegetables and spices which are non-toxic, chemical-free and safe for the body.
• Promises more effective healthcare outcomes in curing chronic ailments that affect the liver, heart, kidneys and stomach.
• Rejuvenates the damaged cells and offers a long-term solution rather than just temporary relief from pain and other symptoms.
• Is pocket-friendly to the masses as Ayurvedic medicines are cheaper making healthcare accessible and affordable to many.
• Adopts an integrated and balanced approach to disease treatment and prevention.
• Protects and safeguards the environment from the ill-effects of pollution as it uses ingredients from nature and not artificial or synthesized constituents. 
• Has busted the age-old myth that it can cure only health issues related to abdomen, sexuality and skin.

• Patanjali
• Dabur
• Himalaya
• Vicco Labs
• Baidyanath Group

• In recent times, an increasing number of Allopathic medical practitioners are recognizing the holistic healing benefits of Ayurveda and recommending its’ usage to patients for curing several ailments. Research also reveals that both forms of medication (Allopathic and Ayurvedic) can work together safely to improve the patient’s condition faster without detrimental effects.
• On the education front, a remarkable number of students are opting for Ayurveda. This field has replaced dentistry as the preferred choice for medical education.
• A good number of practices in Ayurveda (like Shirodhara) are now automated under the guidance of healthcare operations management to deliver a better quality of treatment and improvised services.
• Thanks to technological innovations in the healthcare field, some specific and rewarding approaches in Ayurveda like Swaras Chikitsa (remedies from fresh herbal juice extracts) are gaining momentum.
• Telemedicine has penetrated the Ayurvedic sector making it possible for patients to take treatment remotely without the necessity of the doctor’s physical presence. This system is also helping the patients to monitor and track their diet, medication schedule, vital body statistics and diagnostic results thereby expanding the global reach of Ayurveda.

1. Institute standard hygiene precautions at the hospital.
2. Outline additional infection control precautions to be implemented immediately.
3. Educate and train the hospital staff on hospital infection prevention and control.
4. Provide hospital staff with disposable gloves and masks and with sterilized surgical clothing and equipment.
5. Vaccinate the hospital staff in advance if necessary to prevent incumbent infections.
6. Protect the hospital environ from infections by implementing aseptic techniques for hospital hygiene.
7. Insist on using single-use clinical supplies like syringes, gloves, gowns, bandages, etc.,
8. Install an incinerator to dispose of the toxic medical waste that could cause hospital infection.
9. Insist on complete sterilization of patient beds, hospital wards, surgical instruments and equipment after each use.
10. Set clear standards for proper usage of antibiotics and precautions for exposure to body fluids.
11. Train hospital staff on the proper handling of body fluids and hospital waste to avoid contamination and hospital infection.
12. Monitor the hygiene routine continuously and set trigger alarms for non-compliance.
13. Have a backup plan ready to counter any hospital infection that might arie in spite of all these precautions.

• Equipment that uses hazardous chemical compounds such as mercury.
• Increased energy consumption due to the equipment that needs to work constantly.
• Excessive natural resources use such as water.
• Usage of different chemicals and pesticides that impact environment.

• Eco-friendly Waste Disposal Protocols – Medical wastage needs to be disinfected before heading to the landfill. Most of the hospitals across the globe follow the incineration methods that not only require excessive energy but also known for releasing noxious fumes which are not good for the atmosphere. Instead, following autoclaving or microwave treatment are not only energy efficient but also environmental friendly. Consult your nearest healthcare consultant to know more about environmental-friendly wastage treatment of your hospital.
• Safe Treatment of Chemical Wastage – Usage of an array of chemicals an integral part of hospital operations. Using all these chemicals under the supervision of an authorized personality and ensuring the wastage is placed in the right bins is extremely important. Neutralizing the hazardous chemical compounds by safe treatment methods is highly recommended.
• Find Ways to Save Resource Usage – The necessity of water, light and air could not be emphasized, not only in the hospital environment but in human life itself. The amount of resources you could save by simply changing the basic equipment will surely surprise you. Basic equipment such as changing the faucets, showers, lights to LEDs and using boilers instead of heaters can help the management not only in going green but also a big buck in hospital maintenance.
• Going Local for Supplies – The regular supplies such as food materials and for basic equipment supplies, it is recommended for hospitals to go local. Get in touch with the local daily suppliers for food supplies and for the medical equipment can cut down on the long supply chain process. Another important initiative hospitals can take is helping formers by supplying them with food wastage which may help them in composting for a sustainable forming method.

Measures to be taken for increased energy efficiency –

• Conducting regular inspections on energy equipment.
• Keeping a track of each equipment’s energy reading and checking it against the next reading.
• Upgradation of equipment with emerging new technologies such as Central Automated Management Systems.
• Implementation of monitoring mechanism that provides detailed reports on energy consumption and the condition of the equipment.
• Conducting training sessions for the staff on the efficient usage of the equipment.

• Air Conditioning – The necessity of providing comfortable room temperatures for the patients as well as to the equipment make hospitals the most energy consuming facilities. Installing the advanced air conditioning systems such as thermal insulation improvement and maintaining them adequately can help in reducing power consumption.
• Lighting – As an institute that needs to be functioned around the clock, lighting is one of the most important factors and also the factor that consumes more energy. Use only the high performance lighting system for reduced energy consumption. Using local capacitors for correction of the power factors can also reduce power consumption to a whopping 50%.
• Heating – Heating requires at various levels in a typical hospital day to day operations. Most of the hospitals are still using gas for their heating requirements. Replacing gas heating with thermal insulation can reduce the costs significantly. More importantly, hospitals can conserve more energy if they replace oil usage with natural gas.
• High energy consuming medical equipment – Medical equipment contribute to high energy consumption. However, same equipment by different manufacturers project different energy consumption numbers. Compare all the equipment from different manufacturers and purchase the ones that consume less energy and comes with durability.

• Level 1 – Do not require replacement of equipment or reconstruction. Regular maintaining activities and monitoring is sufficient to ensure better energy conservation.
• Level 2 – Required reconstruction of equipment. Actions involve replacement of the parts in the equipment and general maintenance that is more than just Level 1 care.
• Level 3 – Requires replacement of the equipment. Involves capital investment and demands a proper techno-economic survey to save more on the new purchase.

General Energy Conservation Methods You Could Employ –

• Reduce the usage of doors between 2 different room temperatures.
• Check the windows and doors at regular intervals for any cracks or damages.
• Taking measures that increase thermal insulation for the openings can help in reducing energy consumption at a great deal.
• Internal shading in the areas that are exposed to direct sunlight is advisable.
• Periodic maintenance of boilers, heaters and other boiling equipment save that extra power needed for boiling purposes.
• Installation of hearth blades, exhaust gas turbines, diaphragms in the chimneys and permanent measurement systems can be the major solutions for your energy conservation measures.

Growth analysis of healthcare market is getting more complex by the day due to increasing numbers of the aging population, the prevalence of chronic ailments and exponential growth of digital technologies. These factors are creating more complex demands by the patients and caretakers and also increasing healthcare expenditures. As hospitals are major contributors to clinical revenues, analysis of hospital facility growth forms a vital constituent for analyzing and measuring the growth of the healthcare sector.

Analysis of hospital efficiency growth has also assumed significance as hospitals have been on continuous pressure to improve performance by controlling costs without compromising on the quality and access to the care services they render. It is well-known that hospital efficiency is a complicated and multifaceted parameter as it involves both clinical and managerial aspects. The efficiency of hospitals can be analyzed by the benchmarking process. Here benchmarking implies deployment of tools based on active and voluntary collaboration between various healthcare partners to create a spirit of competition and evolve best practices.

By benchmarking, hospitals are able to understand their competitive strengths and identify the functional areas for improvement by developing strategies for

• Sustaining growth
• Positioning their offerings
• Expanding the care services portfolio
• Formulating and estimating their marketing budgets for branding and making further expansions

Metrics for Analyzing Hospital Productivity

• Length of Stay - This metric measures the duration between the patient’s admission to and discharge from the hospital. This information is critical as it helps to analyze care efficiency. Patients requiring a longer length of stay impact the hospital’s finances as more treatment expenses are involved.
• Readmission Rates - This metric is used for tracking the percentage of patients who are admitted back to the same or different hospital to address the same (existing) health condition or complications arising from it within a month of discharge. Lower readmission rates depict better quality of dispensed care.
• Patient Satisfaction - Several parameters ranging from care quality to cleanliness and hygiene standards of care facilities are assessed to measure patient satisfaction. This metric provides actionable data for hospitals to improve patient experiences.
• Mortality Rates - Patient mortality rates measure the number of deaths that occur during hospitalization. This metric is a strong indicator that portrays ways to stabilize patients after surgeries or other clinical procedures to avoid casualties.
• Bed Utilization Rate - Also termed as bed occupancy rate, this metric is used to measure the total number of hospital beds that are being used at any given point of time. Low occupancies indicate poor efficiency and productivity as hospitals are spending unnecessary money on maintenance of staff, facilities and infrastructure.
• Incidents - Hospital incidents refer to unforeseen situations and conditions including cases of sepsis, post-respiratory failures, sudden hemorrhages and fatal infections. Tracking hospital incidents quantifies the ability of hospital staff to deliver comprehensive and standardized care services to patients without triggering adverse reactions.
• Average Cost per Discharge - By tracking the average care costs incurred by every discharged patient, hospitals can analyze what departments or services are making more profits and which other therapy areas are overspending. That helps in adjusting care provisions accordingly so that hospital performance is not negatively impacted by high care costs and low margins.
• Operating Margin - The difference between the hospital revenue and its operating expenses including staff salaries, cost of supplies, medical equipment and their maintenance and rent indicates the operating margin. It is crucial that the hospital is able to incur these expenses without making debts.
• Growth patterns in Outpatient Hospital Services - Technological advancements like minimally invasive surgical procedures are tilting the equilibrium in favour of outpatient services that enable patients to return home sooner. Such growth patterns increase productivity and revenues by helping hospitals render services in lower-cost care settings with enhanced facilities.

• With healthcare digital consumerism, patients are exposed to a wider range of healthcare and hospital options via the internet, social media and mobile apps. They are also aware of the pros and con of each treatment procedure and are even well-informed about the operating procedure to the last detail. Patients hence have the liberty of "checking out" or "shopping around" for hospital or healing options to get the best treatment deals.
• Secondly, patients have more exposure and access to medical insurance, health plans and retirement benefits. This offers them more purchasing power to select or shape healthcare services as per their budget and need.
• Although healthcare consumerism statistics reveal that only 15% of the Indian population has health insurance, the recent health plan offered by the Indian government like Modicare or PMJAY-the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana aims at bringing at least half-a-billion people under insurance cover.
• Consumerism in healthcare thus promises affordable and easily accessible healthcare options for the patients in India with the hope of a healthier tomorrow.

• This kind of supreme patient engagement importance offered by consumerism in healthcare force the hospital operations management to spruce up and improve its efficiency and service. Hospitals are forced to cut down on their in-patient, bed, and treatment costs while offering the same sterling service to the patients.
• Consumerism in healthcare has made hospitals look for profitability not by merely charging patients but rather by cutting their overheads, inventory and wastage.
• In order to sustain in the market, hospitals must employ healthcare digital consumerism to attract patients online through digital and social media marketing by offering them quality treatment plans at competitive pricing. To accomplish this, hospitals must engage the services of a proficient healthcare consulting firm to promote themselves.

• Patients today feel more empowered as healthcare consumers. They have a multitude of choices when it comes to choosing the hospital or treatment method. According to Mckinsey, the number of patients who were willing to receive treatment at retail clinics rose from 9% in 2013 to 24% in 2017. This kind of stiff competition necessitates the need for astute healthcare digital consumerism and this can be offered only by an experienced and expert healthcare consulting firm.
• Clever strategizing, brand positioning and digital marketing are the tools employed by the healthcare consulting firm to promote the image of the hospital in the consumer's eyes.

• 64% of the hospital consider digital tools to be the top priority in promoting healthcare consumerism.
• Only 32% of the hospitals use customer segmentation while the rest still use traditional customer surveys.
• Only 15% of the hospital have research specialists on their team to study consumer behaviour.

Indian Healthcare Facts:

• The Indian healthcare industry is currently valued at $61billion or R. 4 trillion today.
• The hospital industry in India has a stupendous growth rate at a CAGR of 16-17% and the industry is expected to touch $133billion or Rs. 8 trillion by 2022.
• The Indian healthcare industry, in total, will touch $280 billion by 2020.
• This healthcare sector in India will generate 40 million jobs by 2030
• Medical tourism to India contributes $3billion currently and is expected to reach $9 billion by 2020.
• The number of qualified medical doctors in India was 8,41,104 in 2017.
• Private hospitals in India account for 74% of the hospital industry while government hospital form only  26%.
• The Government of India has increased its budget contribution to the Indian healthcare industry to $4 billion or R. 31crore under the National Health Mission in 2019-20.
• The Ayushman Bharat program is the largest Government-funded healthcare program with nearly 500 million beneficiaries throughout the country.
• In India, "state-of-the-art" cardiac surgery cot a mere $ 1,800 . This is just 2 % of the average cost of heart surgery in the U.S. which is $90,000!
• Indian cardiac surgeons perform nearly 35 heart surgeries a day, including a heart transplant. This amount to 900 operation a month.
• The number of operation carried by Indian heart specialists in a month (900) equal the number of operations performed by U cardiologists in a year!
• Indian hospitals use sophisticated and "state-of-the-art" medical equipment for imaging, diagnostics, and surgery.
• EHRs have been implemented in most Indian hospitals and integrated with a central system with option for accessibility by clinical physicians even through an iPad. This drastically reduces the diagnostic time for patients.
• Bedside monitoring systems are also installed at Indian hospitals to help measure the patient's vital parameters.
• In India, the time taken by a physician to intervene in an urgent medical problem at night was just 8 minutes while in the U.S., it took an hour or even a whole day over the weekend!
• The savings augured by foreign medical tourists by seeking treatment in India range from 65% to even 90%.
• Reputed Indian hospitals treat as many as 50,000 foreign patients a year with the tourists thronging the hospital from even the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia and Europe.
• On an average, at least 10% of the revenue of an Indian hospital comes from foreign patients.
• Cardiac surgery, Paediatric Cardiac surgery, Neurosurgery, Spine surgery, Bariatric surgery, Cancer and IVF treatment are the most popular streams of clinical therapysought-after by medical tourists from abroad.

Public Relation is an evolving concept that is gaining a lot of importance in the hospital setup today.
That is so because of its vital role in communicating within the various departments of the hospital and to the outside world. Specifically speaking, with an increased focus on value-based care, the hospital and patient relationship assume paramount significance here for achieving patient satisfaction and building long-term reliable healthcare engagements.

The various entities in the healthcare chain including the society, patients, employees, caretakers, visitors, media, suppliers and medical personnel give their opinion and feedback on the care services. This influences the brand, reputation and competitiveness of the hospital for continued business sustenance. Therefore, there is a need for good public relations through communication mechanisms for begetting appreciation and goodwill from these valuable stakeholders.

Yet, there are a number of challenges faced by Healthcare Operations Management which call for the need of developing better public relations in hospitals by seeking the professional expertise of Healthcare Consulting Firms. Some of them are -

• Contending with increased healthcare expenses and meeting the sophisticated demands of patients to avoid public criticism
• Overcoming several hurdles  for delivering quality care at affordable rates
• Efficiently handling the professional management of the hospital
• Monitoring and balancing the increased involvement of government agencies and consumer protection forums with respect to patient care and hospital internal management issues

• Assist the top management in clearly articulating the hospital’s policies, vision and mission to the outside world.
• Help the various departments within to showcase a consistent image of the hospital for good publicity.
• Suggest and improvise adoption of latest marketing techniques for maintaining the competitive edge.
• Formulating and guiding the hospital staff training and retention activities to ensure that they are kept abreast with the latest medical technologies and reduce turnover.
• Inculcate the correct communication mechanisms to the hospital management so as to reinstate the importance of courtesy, kindness, empathy and friendly approaches in patient care to provide a comfortable healing environment.
• Enable the hospitals to be proactive in epidemic management by clearly communicating preventive methods to the patients and their families, installing the necessary medical equipment for screening and taking precautions to effectively treat the affected patients without ignorance.
• Advise the hospitals to maintain and upgrade their infrastructure to be compatible with the latest industry standards.
• Recommend the new relevant healthcare technology updates and processes to the hospital so that the patients are benefitted with the best treatment approaches.
• Supervise the hospital in maintaining proper hygiene standards and waste disposal management so as to maintain a clean environment and prevent infections and diseases.
• Deploy the appropriate communication methods in all possible ways to aid the hospital in

• Conveying its message to the public
• Dealing  with the media
• Ensuring smooth intramural functioning and internal operations.

• Providing relevant information to patients, families and visitors for inquiries, registration, health status at discharge, follow-ups
• Facilitating an open house approach to address visitor queries without disturbing the routine care functions.
• Using easily comprehensive signage boards and floor plans at strategic points and providing information brochures and visitor guides for familiarizing the hospital environment.
• Improvising proper methods to record and track complaints, suggestions and compliments through emails, collection boxes and registers.
• Improving public interactions through health fairs, awareness programs, healthcare campaigns, voluntary services and donation camps.
• Advising the administrative staff on overcoming shortcomings in hospital functions.
• Advertising through social media, billboards, newsletters and articles for better branding.
• Conducting patient satisfaction surveys and general opinion polls to improve care quality.

Every prestigious hospital understands the importance of patient satisfaction and knows full well that this depends mainly on the nurse-patient interaction. This is why seasoned healthcare consulting firms are enlisted by hospitals to train their nursing staff on offering empathetic service to patients.

The role of empathy in the services offered by nurses and caregivers is critical for healthcare quality management and is highlighted below for better understanding.

Why is empathy an integral component of the role of nurses?

• Nurses are the caregivers who attend to the patient closely
• They should intuitively understand the patient's state of health, mind and of their needs.
• Nurses are often at the forefront and must bear the bad news about the patient's condition or even mounting hospital expenses.
• The main job of a nurse is to help the physician to heal the patient. To achieve this, nurses must first extend care and concern to the patient above everything else.
• Emotional support can help the patient faster than medicines and this should be realized by nurses.
• Above all, nurses must understand the importance of patient satisfaction and empathy is vital in providing this.

Empathy in the importance of patient satisfaction

Why do nurses need training to offer empathy to patients?

What empathy means for the hospital, patient and nurse?