Across the country, health systems and providers are facing increasing demands for care within their communities. At times, the ability to serve patients is impeded not by staff shortages or outdated technology, but by an insufficient use of space. With relevant data to evaluate real estate performance, health systems can optimize existing space, preserve capital, and align provider deployment with broader strategic goals, all while improving patient access.
Many health systems rely on generalized measurements such as Appointment Volumes, Template Utilization, or Slot Duration to evaluate the balance between location size and patient appointments. While these metrics are important to monitor, they generally fail to show how exam rooms are actually utilized during hours of operation. This disconnect creates a false sense of efficiency which can result in misinformed assumptions about space needs, provider allocation, and expansion planning.
Incomplete Metrics to Track Utilization
1. Appointment Volumes: Total patient visits regardless of duration.
2. Template Utilization: The rate of filled to provided slots without regard to space
3. Slot Duration: The fixed time slot for each visit on a provider’s schedule
Meadows & Ohly delivers a more granular and actionable model that includes key performance indicators such as In-Room Duration, Level Scheduling, and Scheduling Density that provide significant insight to a location’s Room Utilization percentage. This model helps depict a more accurate representation of current space performance within the practice. Our distinct approach, backed by years of compiling specialty-specific data benchmarks, provides health systems and providers with a clearer picture of room utilization that more generalized metrics often miss.
When health systems incorporate these additional utilization measures into their overall approach to assessing space, it identifies impactful, yet practical opportunities for efficiency.
In-Room Duration reveals whether appointment slot durations truly reflect how long providers spend with patients, helping practices fine-tune scheduling templates that are based on actual performance.
Level Scheduling reveals which days or sessions are routinely overbooked or underused, encouraging a more balanced use of space across the week.
Scheduling Density breaks down activity by the hour each day, highlighting bottlenecks and uncovering areas of availability often missed by standard scheduling tools.
Combining these metrics in our methodology offers a detailed view of how space is used across the day with the ability to drill down by specialty and individual practice, a valuable feature otherwise not seen in the traditional high-level measurements. This added visibility enables system leaders, practice managers, and providers to better align resources with demand, unlock underutilized capacity, and turn existing space into a driver of patient access.
“Assessing the room utilization of our existing sites with M&O is a critical step in the implementation of our ambulatory strategy. The tool helps us identify opportunities to leverage existing space to meet the needs of our communities before we allocate additional capital to new construction.” - Al Green, Vice President of Strategy & Business Development, MaineHealth
By going beyond surface metrics, our data-driven model gives health systems a clearer picture of their real estate footprint. With this insight, organizations have the evidence-based framework needed to make confident decisions about space planning, future recruitment plans, and capital investment decisions, ultimately improving patient care while supporting strategic growth.
At Meadows & Ohly, our Asset Optimization approach equips healthcare organizations with the analytical tools needed to transform their real estate portfolio from static cost centers into dynamic assets that drive performance. For more information on how Meadows & Ohly can help you obtain a comprehensive understanding of your space utilization, please contact us.
About Meadows & Ohly, LLC
Meadows & Ohly is a privately-held, comprehensive real estate services firm that has served the healthcare industry since 1972. The Meadows & Ohly team brings a powerful combination of strategic expertise and operational knowledge to every engagement, with an overarching focus on creating environments that support better healthcare.
