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HLT 403 · Unit 1 of 6

Patient Flow and Capacity

Healthcare Operations and Service Delivery

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Learning objectives

After completing this unit, you will be able to:

  • Analyze real business problems in this concentration
  • Apply the frameworks in "Patient Flow and Capacity" to a real management decision
  • Make progress on your Concentration case analysis applied project

Why this matters

Patient Flow and Capacity is essential to Healthcare Operations and Service Delivery. Lessons build fluency with anchor-company examples, worked problems, and assessments on the unit page.

Lesson

Unit overview

Complete all 4 lessons in order. Each lesson follows the program authoring standard: conceptual prose, worked examples, practice problems, and managerial judgment prompts. Finish unit exercises and the knowledge check before marking the unit complete.

Connection to applied work

This unit feeds directly into Concentration case analysis. As you read, capture notes, examples, and data you can reuse in that deliverable. Strong students finish each unit with a draft section of their project, not just highlights.

Practice

  1. Write a one-page summary of this unit in your own words without looking at the lesson.
  2. Find a real company example (public filing, news article, or personal experience) that illustrates the main concept.
  3. Draft one paragraph recommending an action a manager should take based on this unit.
  4. Add at least three terms from this unit to your course glossary.

Knowledge check

Answer these without notes before marking the unit complete:

  1. What is the central idea of "Patient Flow and Capacity"?
  2. What mistake do beginners most often make when applying this material?
  3. How does this unit help you complete Concentration case analysis?
  4. What is one decision you face this month where this unit applies?

Key takeaways

  • Analyze real business problems in this concentration
  • Business concepts only matter when they change a decision.
  • Your HLT 403 assessment (Healthcare Operations and Service Delivery. Six units covering applied topics in this concentration.) rewards applied understanding, not memorization.

Unit assessment

Complete each section below. Score 80%+ on the quiz to finish this unit's assessment.

50% applied project30% case work20% knowledge checks

Exercises

Apply what you learned in this unit with structured practice.

ExerciseApplied practice: Patient Flow and Capacity45 min
Complete a focused practice exercise on **Patient Flow and Capacity**. 1. Choose a real company, product, or situation you know. 2. Apply one core framework from this unit to analyze it. 3. Write your analysis in 300–500 words with a clear recommendation. 4. Cite at least one credible source.

Deliverable

300–500 word analysis document saved to your portfolio under HLT 403.

Rubric

  • • Framework applied correctly (not just named)
  • • Specific evidence from a real example
  • • Clear recommendation with tradeoffs acknowledged
  • • Professional writing with source citation
ExerciseDrill: Patient Flow and Capacity30 min
Work through the practice problems in the unit lesson without looking at notes. Then check your work against the lesson and write a short reflection: - What you got right - One mistake you caught - One concept to review before the next unit

Deliverable

Problem solutions + 150-word reflection in your HLT 403 workbook.

Rubric

  • • Attempted all practice items before checking answers
  • • Honest reflection on errors
  • • Identifies a specific review action

Case analysis

Analyze a case using frameworks from this unit.

CaseCase analysis: Patient Flow and Capacity60 min
Analyze a real business case through the lens of **Patient Flow and Capacity**. Choose a public company event, HBR-style case, or documented decision. **Deliverable structure:** 1. Situation summary (150 words) 2. Analysis using this unit's frameworks (400 words) 3. Recommendation (150 words) 4. Risks and what would change your mind

Deliverable

2-page case write-up in your portfolio.

Rubric

  • • Case facts are accurate and sourced
  • • Analysis uses unit frameworks explicitly
  • • Recommendation is justified with tradeoffs
  • • Risks are specific, not generic

Knowledge quiz

Check your understanding before marking the unit complete.

1. CareBridge is deciding whether to reduce emergency department boarding hours during flu season. Which metric is most decision-grade for tracking progress?

2. CareBridge reports $1.80B revenue and 3.2% operating margin. A 0.2 percentage point margin improvement is approximately:

3. Which statement best describes value-based care (VBC) at CareBridge?

4. Primary downside risk for Patient Flow and Capacity is:

5. CareBridge has 620,000 attributed lives and 2,200 licensed beds. Why does this distinction matter for patient flow, capacity constraints, and queueing dynamics?

6. Which evidence label is appropriate after a single-site pilot improves average ED boarding hours and bed occupancy?

7. David Park asks which lever best connects Patient Flow and Capacity to execution. The best answer is:

8. CareBridge operating days cash is 42. Why include liquidity in Patient Flow and Capacity decisions?

Next unit: Scheduling, Staffing and Workforce Design →