Patient Flow Metrics: 5 KPIs Every Hospital Should Track

Hospitals don’t usually have an effort problem. They have a workflow visibility problem.

Many delays come from small breakdowns that are easy to miss:

• requests that aren’t acknowledged
• consults that sit too long
• transport delays
• unclear handoffs
• constant "checking in" messages 
• or worse, unopened messages 

The fastest way to find bottlenecks isn’t guessing. It’s tracking a few workflow metrics that reveal where time is being lost.

Here are five metrics that can expose bottlenecks in under 30 days.

1) Time to Acknowledge (Request → Confirmation)

What it reveals: whether requests reliably reach the right team. This applies to consults, transport, escalation, and bed placement.

Why it matters: if requests aren’t acknowledged quickly, staff waste time following up and duplicating work.

2) Time to Action (Acknowledged → Work Started)

What it reveals: how long tasks sit after someone says “we got it.” This is where delays often hide:

• consult accepted but no arrival
• transport confirmed but no pickup
• discharge ready but stalled

3) Escalation Frequency

What it reveals: which workflows consistently break under pressure. High escalation frequency can indicate:

• unclear ownership
• staffing mismatch
• inconsistent coverage
• missing workflow visibility

4) Task Completion Time (Start → Done)

What it reveals: which steps take longer than expected. Examples:

• consult completion
• transport time
• admit order → bed assigned
• discharge readiness → discharge complete
  
  

Completion time helps leaders focus on the biggest delays first.

5) Handoff Lag (When Responsibility Changes Hands)

What it reveals: where accountability becomes unclear. Handoff lag shows up when:

• patients are transferred but not fully received
• tasks are assigned but not owned
• consults are requested but not actively managed

How to Use These Metrics in 30 Days

You don’t need a major project. Use this quick approach:

• Week 1: choose one workflow (consults, transport, EMS handoff, bed placement)
• Week 2: track 2–3 timestamps consistently
• Week 3: identify the longest delay and why it happens
• Week 4: make one targeted change (role routing, closed-loop acknowledgement, escalation thresholds)

Conclusion

Workflow bottlenecks don’t require guesswork. They require visibility.

By tracking these five metrics—acknowledgement time, time to action, escalation frequency, completion time, and handoff lag—hospital teams can quickly pinpoint where delays are happening and take meaningful action in under 30 days.

If you’re trying to improve patient flow, reduce burnout, or speed up response times, start with the metrics that reveal friction, not just outcomes.

About GD [General Devices]

GD is a HealthTech company specializing in communication solutions that help EMS and hospitals deliver simply seamless patient care. Powered by responsive innovation, GD’s user-friendly solutions facilitate rapid, secure, voice, telehealth and data sharing communications across care teams to help save time, money and lives. Backed by a 40+ year history and thousands of implementations, GD is an experienced industry leader. Visit https://general-devices.com/ to learn more.

Media Contact
Alessia Ambrosino
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