From spreadsheets to real-time insights

“In the past, we never had absolute certainty about the exact number of available beds,” says Dr. Véronique Fabré. “We relied on a morning snapshot, but by noon, that data was already outdated. Emergency admissions, unexpected discharges, or patient transfers had to be managed on the spot. Additionally, we lacked visibility into future capacity.”
Wim Van Doorsselaere confirms the inefficiencies of the previous system. “We used Excel lists, but these were outdated by midday. That meant a lot of phone calls and walking between departments to coordinate. Not only was this time-consuming, but it also led to inefficient resource allocation. There simply was no live overview. Just compiling and manually updating the bed availability list took around 20 minutes each day. Now, this process is fully integrated into the capacity management tool, which not only saves time but also reduces the risk of errors.”

Smarter collaboration between departments

With the integration of a data-driven and real-time capacity management tool within the EHR, AZ Jan Portaels now has a continuous and comprehensive overview of bed availability. “The biggest change? Transparency and trust,” says Dr. Véronique Fabré. “There is no longer any debate about where a patient should go. Everyone sees the same data and can act on it immediately.”
Previously, nurses and physicians spent valuable time making phone calls or physically checking for available beds. Now, this information is accessible at a glance. An additional benefit is the tool's integration with the emergency department. “Now, we can immediately see where capacity is available and which beds will soon be vacated,” Dr. Fabré explains. “This allows us to distribute patients more effectively and handle emergency admissions more efficiently - especially in the evenings and at night when staffing levels are lower.”

The results: reduced wait times, more efficient resource use

Since the implementation of the new system, the first improvements are already visible. Patient flow has accelerated, as departments can better plan and underutilized bed capacity has been minimized. Collaboration between departments has also improved, thanks to a central and up-to-date overview. Additionally, the workload on healthcare staff has slightly decreased. Nurses and physicians now have instant clarity on bed availability, reducing stress and improving efficiency in patient care.
“Integrated bed management brings more stability to hospital operations,” says Wim Van Doorsselaere. “Another major advantage is the rapid implementation. The entire process took only six to eight weeks. Most importantly, there is now a single source of truth for bed management. The tool uses color coding to present data in a highly intuitive way. Furthermore, it is included as part of the EHR licensing, eliminating additional costs.”

Wim Van Doorsselaere, program manager EPD at AZ Jan Portaels

Ready for the future

“We are still in the learning phase, but the initial results are very promising,” concludes Dr. Véronique Fabré. “Healthcare institutions looking to improve capacity management should seriously consider an integrated solution. It saves time, increases efficiency, and - most importantly - ensures that patients receive the care they need faster.”