Projects: Healthcare Management Analytics Lab

Systems and operations management are critical to keep a large, urban hospital running on a daily basis. Adding a trauma center to the mix not only introduces additional patients with complex care needs, but also has the potential to affect the operations of revenue generating programs and challenges the financial viability of the hospital. On the other hand, a trauma center introduces national standards, algorithms and resources necessary to provide timely care for the acutely injured. In a capacity and resource constrained system, how does the introduction of a trauma center impact the operations of a hospital? Do non-trauma patients benefit from the standards, algorithms and resources that a trauma center brings?

The University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC) is in a unique position to answer these questions. In 1988, UCMC closed its trauma center after less than 2 years in operation citing a loss of $2M per year. Since that time, the South Side community and activists have asked for UCMC to better serve the community that it resides by reopening the Trauma Center. In May 2018, UCMC began caring for trauma patients after establishing a Level 1 Trauma Center.

With access to UCMC patient and hospital level data from 2015 until today, your team will evaluate the impact of the trauma center on the efficiency and outcomes of non-trauma operating room procedures before and after the implementation of the trauma center. The ultimate goal of this project is to identify opportunities of increased operational efficiency. Your findings and recommendations will inform and guide strategic and financial decisions for the University of Chicago Department of Surgery and Perioperative Services.