Case Study: Lehigh Valley Health Network reduces length of stay with Minitab

Lehigh Valley Health Network Reduces Length of Stay with Minitab

Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) worked with Minitab and its statistical analysis software as part of a Lean Six Sigma improvement effort. After two adjacent hospitals merged and patient volume rose 40% on the Medical/Surgical and Cardiac units, the team needed a better way to manage patient flow, reduce congestion during peak admission/discharge hours, and support staff satisfaction.

Using Minitab’s Dotplot, recoding tools, and Histogram, the team identified that most admissions and discharges were concentrated in a 10-hour window and simplified discharge locations into more actionable groups. Minitab helped LVHN deploy two Admission/Discharge RNs to assist unit staff, and over 13 months those RNs handled 30% of admissions and discharges on two units. The biggest result was a 13.6% reduction in late-day discharges to Skilled Nursing Facilities, with additional reductions for Home and Other discharges, indicating earlier discharges and improved flow.

Lehigh Valley Health Network