Contact: Marguerite Beck 



                                 MEDIA ADVISORY

	In an effort to bring down the cost of health care, hospitals across 
the country are downsizing and working to shorten the length of patients' 
stay. The number of hospital days per 1000 Virginians dropped 24 days in 
1993, to 618.74, according to the Virginia Hospital Association. 
At the University of Virginia Medical Center, patient days for fiscal year 
1993 to date were 164,288; patient days for fiscal year 1995 to date are 
142,807. 
	These two elements of the health care revolution are having a 
profound effect on the day-to-day lives of nurses and other health care 
professionals. The challenge for health care professionals is to find ways 
to deliver the same or better care in a shorter period of time.
	"Decreasing the length of stay certainly intensifies the level of 
work for nurses and other members of the health care team," said Jean 
Sorrells-Jones, head of Patient Care Services at U.Va. "We are examining all 
aspects of patient care -- both inpatient and outpatient -- as we look for 
ways to better care for our patients and prevent professional burnout. Every 
hospital in the country is grappling with this issue."
	At the U.Va. Medical Center, various efforts are underway to 
restructure the way care is delivered, including:
	* Redesigning management information systems -- the systems that 
support patient care like staffing and scheduling -- to respond to daily or 
hourly census changes. 
	* Forming multidisciplinary work groups to address the various 
components of patient care -- quality of care, patient satisfaction, 
staffing and scheduling management, availability of beds and internal 
communications -- in an effort to streamline care while ensuring a quality 
experience for the patient.
	* Developing programs to provide appropriate care and/or patient 
education in an outpatient setting. U.Va. began a home health care program, 
Continuum, earlier this year. Continuum nurses now visit patients in their 
homes and provide care that previously was given in the hospital. Other 
examples include: providing chemotherapy for cancer patients in doctors' 
offices or at home; and teaching new mothers how to bathe and care for their 
baby during pre-natal office visits rather than during the hospital stay.
	* Training patient care support staff to be multi-skilled for greater
flexibility during periods of increased demand.  	
	* Standardizing care for the management of patients with certain 
diseases/conditions (i.e. some cardiac surgery, total hip replacements and 
normal childbirth) to ensure consistent quality of care.
	For more information on the changes facing health care professionals 
or to arrange interviews with U.Va. staff who are experiencing these changes, 
call Maria Carlton, executive assistant to the chief patient care services 
officer, at 804-924-8441.
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                                                       July 7, 1995