The Institute for Healthcare Optimization (IHO) is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) research, education and service organization that serves as a catalyst and provides a vehicle for spreading the application of operations management and patient flow variability management techniques across the broader hospital community and health care delivery system. Our work is most beneficial to emergency departments, inpatient units, cardiac cath lab, radiology and interventional radiology, operating room, labs, and any walk in services whose main goals include improving quality and simultaneously decreasing costs. We work with senior management, physicians, nurses, and performance improvement specialists to develop tools and guidance that hospitals can use to implement improvements, educate and train on theory and application of scientific management methodologies, and disseminate knowledge on successful application efforts. « less