Publication | BRG Review
Hybrid Productivity Measurement in Hospitals
Chris Cable
August 28, 2020
The traditional productivity model used in hospitals relies on a worked hours per unit of service (WHPUOS) metric to determine target staffing levels appropriate for given levels of volume. In this model, the amount of total staff required is assumed to be proportional to department output volume. A common criticism of this model is that positions in many departments do not vary proportionately with volume (e.g., managers, educators, analysts).
This paper explores an alternative model that accommodates fixed staff in productivity measurement. This alternative model predicts more accurately staffing need for a given level of department output.