Project Management

Five traits of high reliability organizations: How to hardwire each in your organization

In this article, healthcare patient satisfaction guru, Quint Studer, advocates that healthcare organizations look to industries that have taken on the concept of high reliability as a central operating focus to dramatically improve patient safety.

The Seven Tenets of Healthcare Process Improvement

In this presentation, Lou Keller calls on 45 years of experience dealing with every manner of healthcare planning, management, design, control and implementation problem to paint a compelling and entertaining picture, not just of the critical differences between healthcare and all other management systems, but how to use an in-depth understanding and appreciation of those differences to achieve continual and lasting healthcare process improvement.

Efficient clinical workflows enhance user acceptance and other EHR benefits

This was a presentation at the 2013 SHS Healthcare Systems Process Improvement Conference
Hospitals and health systems spend millions of dollars to acquire and meaningfully use certified EMRS and EHRS nationwide. This presentation from the 2013 SHS Healthare Systems Process Improvement Conference describes a for-profit health system's experience in deploying efficient workflows that lead to increased acceptance and usage by physicians and other stakeholders to realize many benefits including receiving CMS incentives.

Project management - "An Overview for IT"

This presentation provides a description for effective project management of IT projects that can be applied in healthcare.

Project Managment for Healthcare Overview

What is Project Management? Project Management is the application of knowledge, skills and techniques to execute projects effectively and efficiently. It's a strategic competency for organizations, enabling them to tie project results to business goals.

Lessons learned from moving to Web-based surgical requests

The authors delivered a presentation and paper at the 2011 SHS Conference providing a comprehensive case study of how the Sir Mortimer B. Davis-Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Quebec, moved from a paper surgical request process to a web based system. The lessons learned described by the authors will be valuable for anyone undertaking a similar large scale IT change.

Total productive maintenance in the OR - A case study at Kadlec Regional Medical Center

A team at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland, Wash., took a lean approach to improving the availability and reliability of anesthesia related equipment in the OR. The team included physicians, staff, and external consultants. The article describes the background of total productive maintenance and how it was applied by a multidisciplinary team including physicians, OR staff, and clinical engineering. View related photos 

How to ace your joint commission survey with lean

In this Ezine article, author Gerald Leone describes how lean tools and principles were successfully applied in preparation for a Joint Commission Survey.

Evaluation of industrial engineering students' competencies for process improvement in hospitals

In an article recently published in the Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management, the authors concluded that while IE students working in hospitals focused on technical approaches to improvement, mastery and application of softer skills may be more beneficial. 

Audible alarms and workplace noise in nursing units: An envioronmental factors case study

A case study for reducing workplace noise on a pediatric nursing unit and maintaining appropriate noise levels.

Successful Projects – Take the "guess-work" out of choosing performance improvement methodology

In this presentation at a past SHS Conference, Lynne Linder and Brian Pfister describe the importance of using the right project selection methodology using a failed DMAIC case study with lessons learned.

Management Engineers

Management Engineering: What is it?

Centralized Database plus Socialized Medicine equals Distributed Risk

This paper details the errors in medical history records that can occur over time within the present U.S. system, and proposes a solution.

Recruiting Change: Process and Productivity Improvement in Human Resources

A traditional process improvement methodology leads to changes within a hospital's HR department.  Results from time studies, swim lanes, and simulation are used to support the proposed solutions.

Optimizing Caregiver Workflow in a PICU

Physician and Nursing roles and responsibilities within a PICU are redefined using lean tools to decrease LOS while increasing outcomes.

5 Projects, 5 Hospitals: Using DMAIC for Rapid Quality Improvements

Pressure Ulcer, Falls, Catheter-Associated UTI, Central Line Infection, and Objects Left in Surgery are addressed using process improvement methodologies.

Enhancing Hospital Health Information Management using Industrial Engineering Tools

Lean tools and simulation are used to recommend improvements to HIM operational processes.

Additional Thoughts Regarding our Roundtable with the Experts

Karen Martin describes the steps needed to ensure an improvement effort is successful at a system level, and ways for a performance improvement consultant to continuously improve their professional skills.

In by 9 Out by 6 - Level Loading

A CT scan department has its demand smoothed.

SHS Time-release fix: 5S is the little big secret for improving health care

5S theory and implementations are discussed

SHS Helping a Hospital Shine

Lean tools are used to redesign processes throughout a hospital.

SHS Root Causes

Workers at a substance abuse clinic use the Toyota Production System to continuously refine their treatment for each patient.

Lollipops for Excellence

System-level quality and effectiveness programs are implemented using Six Sigma at a childrens' hospital in Washington DC.

SHS Attacking Waste and Variation Hospital-wide: A Comprehensive Lean Sigma Deployment

Improvement projects in surgery, nursing, and the ED are discussed.  The process of moving a hospital towards adoption of Lean Six Sigma is also described.

SHS Creating A Patient Centered Access Management System

Improvements to a provider appointment-making system are motivated, tested, and sustained

SHS Development and Implementation of a Healthcare-Based Economic Evaluation Methodology

A methodology for standardized evaluation of the financial impact of operational and patient care improvements is discussed.

SHS Utilizing Industrial Engineering Student Teams to Benefit Management Engineering Efforts

An ED lean project is discussed, highlighting some advantages that undergraduates can bring when partnered with professionals in the field.

SHS In by 9 out by 6 - Load Leveling

Detailed description of a lean project to improve TAT in the CT Scan department.

SHS Improved Scheduling in a for Profit Surgical Center

In a for-profit ambulatory surgical center, the current scheduling method often results in cases starting later than the initial plan.  The presentation describes an implementation of clustering as well as multiple simulations of different possibilities.

SHS Building Lean From the Ground Up

The surgical admitting process is targeted with a lean event.  Current and future state is described, the process of improvement is shown, and results are discussed.

SHS Achieving a Shared Baseline: Implementing Evidence Based Clinical Practices

The authors propose a methodology for shortening the time gap between discovery of new evidence-based clinical results and hospital (provider) utilization of the new practice.

SHS Building Bridges to Clinical Improvement

Clinical improvement results are discussed for glucose control, rapid response teams, vent bundles, and bloodstream infection projects.

SHS Reaching New Levels of Patient Safety Through Improved Specimen Labeling

Results of a hospital-wide specimen labeling lean project is discussed.

SHS Establishing Nursing Staffing Requirements in an Imaging Environment

A study is done to improve the communication between and expense of the nursing staff associated with all imaging modalities.

SHS Re-positioning Accountability in Labor Management: Success Stories

Implementation of productivity monitoring programs are discussed

SHS Get em In - Get em Out

Multiple projects and results are discussed in the goal to continuously improve patient flow.

SHS StaffingMatrix - A Powerful Tool for Balancing Staffing and Demand

A hospital implements improvements in staffing to hourly changes in RN demand.

SHS Enhancing Performance Excellence: Total Emergency Services Redesign

All processes in an ED are redesigned, with multiple outcomes showing improvement.

SHS Applying Redesign Principles to Design ED and Hospital Patient Flow Processes

This is an overview of several lean redesign projects in the ED with overall solutions discussed and analyzed.

SHS A Revolution in ED Patient Throughput Management

ED throughput process improvement projects are discussed.  The presenter is a MD.  Several changes are shown with great results.

SHS Going Beyond - Finding New Ways to Analyze Revenue Cycle Performance Improvement

Issues with billing denials can be addressed by creating and addressing a Pareto chart of top reasons for lack of payment.  This is analyzed through implementation.

SHS Creating a Flexible Position Control Process--Linking Management Engineering and Human Resources

Process improvement within the HR department is shown through this project dealing with RN flex staffing.

SHS Using Six Sigma Principles to Reduce Billing Errors

Billing error reduction as a Lean Six Sigma project

SHS Improve Outpatient Clinic Access and Service with Lean Six Sigma

A lean project is done at a cardiac clinic.  Problem is to reduce wait time for an appt and cycle time of the appointment.  Results are discussed.

SHS Creating a WOW! Experience At the First Point of Contact

A performance improvement team tackles a call center.  Issues and lessons learned are discussed.

SHS Gain Competitive Advantage by Aligning Process Improvement with Hospital Strategy

Changing managerial thought is a process; this presentation demonstrates one way that managers are forced to confront the reality of differing goals/expectations of other managers they must work with.

SHS Putting Data Into Action in the Operating Room Setting

New ways to display OR data are proposed in this presentation.

SHS Optimization of Surgical Scheduling

An OR's case scheduling process is studied; improvement projects are proposed.

SHS Improving Patient Care - Case Carts and the Operating Room

Reasons for delay in creation of case carts are addressed.  SPD often has inefficient workarounds as part of their daily routine.

SHS Continued Barriers to Operational and Financial Performance in Surgical Services

Surgical services projects often have many barriers to success; this presentation helps illuminate and identify where they may be for your hospital.

SHS Streamlining Your OR

A hospital undertakes a systemic improvement of their OR suite.  The process and final results are detailed.

SHS Optimization of Overtime Costs and Operating Room Utilization

A program is proposed that effectively confronts a majority of the issues with scheduling patient surgeries.

SHS Moving Up the Curve: From Individual to Team to Organizational Effectiveness

Management team-building requires careful thought and planning. The presentation goes over several common pitfalls and proposes solutions.

SHS How Change Management Transformed a Multi-site GI Practice

Replacing manual processes and disparate systems with a multi-site Gastroenterology electronic medical record system in a large multispecialty practice had many challenges.

SHS Change Management-The Key to Successfully Re-engineering Health Care Solutions

The presentation is a discussion of change management proposals and policies.. Some are successful yet some fail miserably.

SHS Ways and Wonders of Change?

Key success factors for change as well as the keys to team dynamics are considered and explained within this paper.

SHS Size Matters; How Big Does Your ED Need to Be?

A Premier consultant discusses lessons learned from performing many Lean ED projects during her career.

SHS Applying SHS Conference Learnings Back at the Ranch

Emergent Care was redesigned to decrease wait time significantly.

SHS Weekend Services: The Patient is Here, So Why Aren't We?

A 848-bed hospital is experiencing long LOS and targets ancillary service availability as one potential source of improvement. The project discussed tracks the data, demonstrates immediate results, and suggests future improvements.

SHS Optimizing Cargiver Workflow in a New Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

A lean project generated proposals for rescheduling the providers' workload. During testing of the proposals, daily departmental volume was completed significantly earlier in the day.

SHS A World of Innovation: Beyond Productivity at The Ohio State University Medical Center

A system-wide reporting tool for each cost center is developed and implemented. It is adopted as part of the budgeting process.

SHS Our Lean Journey Continues and What A Year It's Been!

Lean projects at Kaiser Permanente are detailed and discussed. The report is a system-level presentation showing many departmental improvements.

SHS Lean in the Laboratory and Radiology: A Patient Throughput Imperative

Lean improvements within the radiology suite and laboratory workspace yield notable improvements. Project benefits are discussed.

SHS 5S An Entire Hospital System in 5 Months

A system-wide rollout of 5S was performed. Results as well as lessons learned are discussed.

SHS Health System Examples of Long Term 5S Success

5S implementation strategies at multiple systems of varying sizes are presented and contrasted.

SHS Enhancing Hospital Health Information Management Using Industrial Engineering Tools

Lean principles are utilized during analysis and transformation of a HIM department. Results and lessons learned are discussed.

SHS Delivering Faster Lab Turnaround Through Lean

Lab collection and processing techniques are examined and improved. Results are discussed.

SHS 5 Projects, 5 Hospitals: Using DMAIC for Rapid Quality Improvement

System-wide implementation of Lean Six Sigma has resulted in many successes. This presentation discusses the rationale for their overall strategy.

SHS Cost Justification of New Technology - Measuring ROI

Hospital IT implementations must make assumptions to generate and defend the ROI. Several assumptions relevant to initial facilities planning are considered within this presentation.

SHS Capturing Supply Charges in the Emergency Department: How and Why?

ED charge capture is a constant problem for hospitals. This presentation covers one system-wide approach to increasing the capture rate.

SHS Premium Pay - Are You Paying Too Much for Your Labor?

HCA discusses its methodology for monitoring its usage of premium pay to ensure they use as little as possible.

SHS Connecting the Revenue Cycle to the World Wide Web

A pre-registration Internet interface was successfully developed. Lessons learned and sustainability are also discussed.

SHS Lessons Learned Implementing Lean Sigma in Healthcare

Any organization implementing lean six sigma will experience both success and failure. This presentation describes some of the "growing pains" of one system, as well as a methodical demonstration of the lean tools utilized in their improvement efforts.

SHS A Six Sigma Approach to Denials Management

Payment denials were decreased, resulting in a cost savings of $1.6 million annually. This project steps through the list of improvements made.

SHS Using Lean Techniques to Improve Turnaround Time and First Case Starts in the Operating Room

Turnarounds and first case starts are improved using a variety of lean techniques. Sustainability, achievement of buy-in and metric details are also discussed.

SHS Improving Surgical Services Through Enhanced Ancillary Support

Lean improvement projects are performed within the supplies delivery function of a surgical services suite.

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