Moving Innovation Beyond the Buzzword: Real-Time Capacity and Supply Management in Action

A recent piece from Becker’s Hospital Review highlights a growing reality in healthcare: organizations are moving beyond abstract discussions of innovation and taking tangible steps to transform operations, improve access, and strengthen long-term resilience.

At the center of this shift are leaders like Rick Carrico, CFO of Baptist Health, who are aligning digital investments with broader goals — expanding provider networks, enhancing operational efficiency, and improving patient experiences — not as isolated projects, but as strategic infrastructure.

This direction mirrors the work I have helped lead over the past several of years around real-time capacity and supply management. Rather than relying on outdated, static data, health systems are deploying dynamic platforms that enable them to:

• Track patient throughput and anticipate demand surges

• Maximize the use of staffed beds across sites especially in rural communities

• Coordinate personnel, equipment, and critical resources in real time

• Improve preparedness for both routine fluctuations and emergency response

  
  

These capabilities reduce bottlenecks and delays for patients, the ultimate goal, while improving financial performance and resource allocation.

We’re also seeing these tools unlock new models of care — including Hospital at Home. Delivering acute care in the home requires real-time visibility into patient status, mobile workforce coordination, and rapid delivery of supplies and medications. With the right systems in place, these programs can safely extend hospital-level care beyond traditional settings while preserving capacity for the highest-need cases.

Ultimately, Hospital at Home exemplifies what modern capacity management makes possible: a more flexible, data-driven healthcare system that adjusts in real time to patient needs.

In today’s environment, agility and coordination aren’t just advantages — they are essential. Real-time operations form the backbone of a high-performing, patient-centered health system.