ABSTRACT
What exactly is changeover? Changeover is the amount of time taken to change a service line from the last step of one process to the rst step of the next process sequence. Changeover is typically referenced in terms of the revenue-generating entity, which in healthcare is usually, but not always, the physician. A good analogy in the airline industry is Southwest Airlines. Southwest Airlines contends that they can’t make any money as long as the plane is on the ground. In other words, an airplane landing, changing passengers and taking off again is a changeover process. For the duration that plane is on the ground, it is not generating revenue. So, in the case of the airline industry, a piloted, crewed plane is the revenue-generating entity. In the case of the ED, it’s a physician and a staffed bed.
