Birth of a new maternity process

Miami Valley Hospital, the largest hospital in the Dayton, Ohio area, experienced a steady increase in deliveries and births between 1990 and 1996. Maternity length of stay increased by 15 percent in 1997 due to maternity minimum length of stay legislation and physician practices. The combination of more patients and longer stays resulted in an acute capacity problem. A computer model was developed to represent the patient flow and census. This model also analyzed the effect of differing patient types, increasing volumes, maternity unit configurations and policy changes. The model showed that minor construction enabled a 15-28% increase in volume and more balanced overall utilization without changing the licensed capacity. Additional parent transition rooms, a larger triage area, and a larger Perinatal intensive care unit were constructed in 1997.