Atlanta-based Grady Health System, a major safety net hospital, has signed a five-year contract with Care Logistic with the aim of improving patient experience and boosting and efficiency.

Care Logistics, based in nearby Alpharetta, Georgia, will roll out its Hospital Operating System at Grady this summer. The hospital hopes to improve patient throughput, boost quality and allow for a better patient experience while creating capacity for growth.

Care Logistics work will be focused on improving coordination between all patient care areas such as diagnostic areas, nursing units, the emergency department, surgical and procedural services. 

In addition, the technology will help the hospital create a common patient progression plan and length-of-stay target that is shared enterprise-wide, so care teams can access it work together to keep the patient on schedule to the targeted treatment and recovery plan, officials said.

The Hospital Operating System will also help Grady improve bed placement and bed management and help staff to ensure patients are being placed in units that will give them optimal care based on their needs. The goal is to resolve and eliminating barriers so that patients progress more easily to their discharge target.

Research shows that patients with unnecessary, extended hospital stays risk more negative outcomes including greater chances of injury and contracting other illnesses, Grady executives point out.

"We look forward to our partnership to improve patient experience and build upon the strides Grady has already made in our financial well-being, investing in new services, and improving the quality of care for our patients and community," said Grady CEO John M. Haupert in a statement.

It’s not as if Grady Health, an Epic shop, has been sluggish on improvement. Just last year, the health system earned the prestigious Stage 7 designation on the HIMSS Analytics Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model.

For decades, Grady has managed a large, complex patient load and has assumed millions of dollars in indigent and charity care. Grady executives noted that these challenges combined with managing a sizable facility and staff make organization-wide coordination of care difficult to achieve.

Twitter: @Bernie_HITN
Email the writer: bernie.monegain@himssmedia.com