Brooke Balster
About the Author
Brooke Balster
Latest Work
Modernizing UM: A case for system-level change
For many health systems, utilization management (UM) has long been a functional necessity, but rarely a strategic priority. Originally designed to ensure clinical appropriateness and support payer requirements, UM often grew up within hospital walls, shaped by local workflows and embedded within broader care management structures. As a result, traditional UM functions today are frequently…
Commitment and path required in change management to create a sustainable impact
In 2021, Carilion Clinic, a $2 billion revenue, eight-hospital integrated health system in Roanoke, Va., was facing a problem familiar to many health systems around the country: stubbornly high average length of stay (ALOS) that was hurting Carilion’s efforts to serve its community. The pandemic had exacerbated operational challenges and mitigated the effectiveness of previous…
Hospitals face increased need amid pandemic to improve patient throughput
An acute care hospital cannot begin to be able to deliver cost-effective care if it lacks a fully coordinated approach for moving patients from admission to discharge.