The healthcare industry is complex, and questions without a single solution often arise. So when Inspira Health Network experienced significant emergency department (ED) holds due  to a lack of inpatient capacity, they engaged Array to analyze patient arrival and unit assignment data. The client believed that inadequate inpatient unit capacity was causing these holds. The results offered a different conclusion.

The case study below describes how a discrete event simulation model helped determine the true cause of the ED holds and offered a solution, which would also relieve current inpatient pressures.



The processing rates of each step combine to create total throughput time. Steps with longer durations which occur later in the process create bottlenecks, and non-value-added waiting time will increase the time it takes to get through the system. With data-driven throughput analysis, and using simulation modeling, the Array Advisors team collaborated with Inspira to determine the optimal process steps configuration that maximizes the value quotient in their ED.

Learn what Array’s experienced team can do for your health system.