1) I’ve heard
about lean in connection with manufacturing projects, but how does it apply to
the healthcare industry? Performance
improvement, lean and quality techniques have their foundation in principles
that apply to all processes, regardless of industry. In lean, for instance, the basic principle is
to reduce the resources wasted in steps that don’t add value to the product or
service. In the healthcare industry,
this means reducing time spent searching for supplies, asking for information
that already exists, repeating tests because the earlier results can’t be
found, or moving patients from room-to-room. Georgia Tech has also had great success in applying these techniques to improving
customer service and office-based processes.
2) How do quality techniques apply to the
healthcare industry? Quality and lean techniques are part of the toolkit
used to improve processes. Quality
principles ensure that the processes implemented by a facility reduce the
likelihood of error. Examples of quality
processes include designing sample collection, logging and storage techniques
for pathology processes to eliminate mistakes and reduce the number of diagnostic
tests that must be repeated. Error-proofing
reduces waste and improves patient care.
3) Can organizations beyond hospitals benefit
from these techniques? In addition to hospitals, the Healthcare Performance
Group also works with rehabilitation facilities, long-term care facilities,
imaging laboratories, ASGs, physician practices, pharmacies and other
organizations. Virtually any
organization that uses complex processes to produce a product or service could
benefit from using process improvement techniques to reduce wasted time and
resources.
4) How do we ensure that the changes made
continue after the project is over? Beyond improving processes, these techniques change the culture of an
organization. One example is by empowering
the people who are closest to a process to identify waste and suggest ways to
eliminate it. Sustaining these changes
over time may require modifying the reward system or training staff in a
different way.
5) Do these techniques address changes
required by the new electronic healthcare records systems? Adoption of electronic medical record systems
typically requires changes in workflow. The Healthcare Performance Group has worked with organizations to redesign
processes to take advantage of efficiencies offered by electronic medical
record systems. For instance, electronic
medical record systems help medical personnel handle multiple transactions in each
contact with a patient.