Getting Budget Approval for a Patient Safety Solution

In today’s healthcare environment, there is an overwhelming need to demonstrate the value and return on investment of implementing a new technology like a patient safety solution. Read on to learn simple strategies on getting executive buy-in and budget approval.

For risk managers, it is no longer enough to react to adverse incidents—instead, it is becoming increasingly important to proactively avoid risk.

Patient safety is a significant focus of these risk management efforts, not only for the benefit of patients, but also for the financial difference it can make to an organization. (1) However, identifying a viable patient safety solution is only half the battle. You could do hours of research, sit through dozens of demos, and find (what you think) is the perfect solution… only to have your momentum halted when it comes to getting the budget approved for a patient safety solution.

That’s why risk managers should also be prepared to demonstrate through appropriate metrics and analysis how a patient safety solution can create value and provide a significant return on investment for their organization. It all starts with a comprehensive plan.

1. Get executive buy-in by demonstrating ROI on a patient safety solution

The first step towards getting budget approval is to demonstrate to your executive team the value of implementing an incident reporting software. Schedule one-on-one time to meet with key influencers, such as the CFO or the CIO, about exploring a patient safety solution. Use your meeting as an opportunity to learn about the executive’s top challenges or concerns, and use that information to support your pitch.

Remember to include data and ROI projections wherever possible; being able to demonstrate a strong return on investment will go a long way in getting budget approval for an incident reporting system. 

Let’s look at patient falls as an example:

• According to the Joint Commission, across 1,263 hospitals in the United States, adults in medical and surgical units fall 3.56 times per 1,000 patient days, with 26.1% of falls resulting in patient injuries. The average cost of a patient fall with injury is $9,491. (1) If a hospital has an average of 50 patient falls with injury per year, it will cost the organization $474,550 annually.
• If the incident reporting software reduces the number of falls with injury by 50% (25 falls with injury per year, down from 50), then the new cost of falls with injury will be $237,275. The hospital will save $237,275 annually as a result of implementing the solution.

• ROI can then be calculated with the following formula:
  % ROI = (Return/ Investment) * 100 = ($237,275 / Cost of Solution) * 100

If you’re serious about getting an incident reporting system approved, these are the kind of numbers you should be taking to your C-Suite when it comes to decision time.

Although the upfront cost might seem like a large number at first, when you break it down and calculate the return on the investment over time, investing in a patient safety solution can save your organization a lot of money and drastically improve patient outcomes.

2. Understand your team’s challenges

The next step to getting approval for an incident reporting system is to clearly understand the unique needs of your team. What challenges do they struggle with that an incident reporting system could help alleviate?

Maybe your employees are spending a lot of time manually reporting incidents on paper or through Excel, and they want to be able to submit reports more efficiently and easily see trends over time. In this case, you would want to look for an incident reporting software that includes an intuitive user interface and robust data visualization.

The key to success in implementing any incident reporting software is utilization—so it’s worth the time spent upfront to truly understand your team’s needs and challenges, in order to gain a strong return on your investment. Consider questions such as:

• • Is it taking too long to complete an incident report?
  • Is under-reporting an issue?
  • Are the right people immediately notified when an incident is reported, or are there delays in notification?
  • How and where is the data shared? Is it easy to identify trends over time? 

3. Do your market research

Once the need for a patient safety solution has been established, it is important to commit adequate time and resources to thoroughly consider different options. Spend time evaluating the organizational values and system capabilities of potential vendors to understand if the solution will be a good fit for your team.

Speaking with other healthcare organizations that have implemented similar technology can also be very helpful when deciding on an incident reporting system.

It’s also important to note that not all incident reporting systems are built specifically for healthcare, so when evaluating vendors, be sure to ask if the system is HIPAA compliant and if it is optimized for a healthcare setting.

By understanding your team’s challenges, doing your market research, and getting buy-in from executives by demonstrating ROI, you’ll be well on your way to getting budget approval for a patient safety solution.  

Performance Health Partner’s Incident Reporting Software

Performance Health Partners' incident reporting software is an enterprise software solution that includes prevention, reporting, and post-event analysis to bring your organization closer to zero harm. Learn more by scheduling a live demo with our team.