Kontakt.io has launched a new solution that improves patient flow by automating room turnover to free up beds faster, in turn increasing bed capacity and efficiency, allowing nurses to focus on patient care.
Bed capacity management is a growing concern among US hospitals and impacting both top and bottom lines. In Mississippi, for instance, hospitals with over 250 licensed beds saw a 7.6% rise in average annual occupancy rates, from 73.1% in 2020 to 80.7% in 2024.
The solution in question, the Rapid Room Turnover, part of its Patient Flow solution, uses real-time location (RTLS) and the Internet of Things (IoT) to detect discharges in real time. This allows hospitals to expedite room cleaning workflows, increase capacity, and drive greater bed utilisation.
Several major national health systems are currently piloting the Rapid Room Turnover solution from Kontakt.io with proven results and positive feedback.
By cutting up to 50% from the typical two-hour discharge process, a 200-bed hospital can achieve clear, rapid ROI, including:
- $1.52 million in additional annual revenue
- 4.17% increase in patient capacity
- 760 additional patients per year
This marks a change from the traditional discharge process, which relies on nurses manually updating electronic health records (EHR) to indicate a patient has been discharged and the room is ready for cleaning. Nurses sometimes face delays in notifying services due to their focus on patient care, stalling the discharge workflow. As a result, some patient rooms frequently sit empty.
Kontakt.io’s Rapid Room Turnover solution uses BLE tags, which provide real-time visibility into patient movement, detecting when a patient has been physically discharged. Environmental services teams are then automatically notified to initiate room cleaning.
“Patient discharge—the final step in a patient’s journey—is one of the most obvious waste items in patient flow, causing operational inefficiencies such as unnecessary wait times and extended length of stay,” said Rom Eizenberg, Chief Revenue Officer and Head of Product Innovation, Kontakt.io. “The Rapid Room Turnover solution helps hospitals unlock faster ROI through greater capacity while freeing up nurses from tedious admin tasks to focus on bedside care.”
There’s plenty of other editorial on our sister site, Electronic Specifier! Or you can always join in the conversation by commenting below or visiting our LinkedIn page.
