Customer-Inspired^® Quality and Process Improvement

Introduction
With the national emphasis on improving the quality and safety of patient care today, health care institutions continue to promote systems of evaluation that will identify and improve organizational performance practices, capabilities, and results. The current operational improvement needs of hospitals and physician group practices may not need to focus on hospital or group wide processes but in selected areas of concern and interest. Hospital executives desire rapid cycle improvement that can have an immediate effect on operations and costs.

Our patented Customer-Inspired^® Quality methodology is designed to help organizations improve their patient oriented care processes, emphasizing the following work process evaluation components: 

• A cross functional process improvement approach that integrates departmental services related to defined systems of care; 
• Improvements in productivity and efficiency, reducing unnecessary work and expense; 
• A short and long term work process improvement plans; 
  and, most importantly, 
• Enhancements in patient satisfaction and loyalty.

Objectives / Deliverables
Our Customer Inspired Quality system will: 

• Introduce a designated process improvement team to the tools, techniques, and skills involved with the Customer-Inspired Quality methodology; 
• Develop a Process Profile^® graphic that clearly defines the selected work process for review, its start and end points, quality measures, adverse quality indicators, and management measures; 
• Identify the strengths and opportunities for improvement within the work process; 
• Chart the flow of the entire work process, identifying process efficiencies and areas for improvement; 
• Implement team consensus determined work changes that bring immediate improvement in quality and efficiency/productivity; 
• Identify and implement quantifiable measures at critical points within the work process; · 
• Develop a reporting mechanism to monitor, maintain, and improve the work process; and · 
• Prioritize the longer-term opportunities for improvement and identify key next steps toward improvement implementation.

Project Length
A project normally requires 8 to 12 work weeks, depending upon the complexity of the process and the availability of team resources.

Team Structure
The initial Work Process Improvement Team will normally consist of the following members: 

• Executive with overall administrative responsibility for the work process; 
• Administrative representatives from each of the departments providing services to the work process; 
• Staff representatives directly performing services within the process; 
• Designated medical staff members or their representatives who have a direct effect on the quality of the work process; and 
• Patient / parent representative participating in the entire evaluation or at appropriate points of process improvement; 
  and 
• Shaw Resources staff.

Typical Process Improvement Work Flow

Figure 1: This diagram shows the typical work flow Shaw Resources employs for implementing process improvement.

Figure 2: This diagram shows a hospital's inpatient organizational process, with the patient's point of view shown 
above the blue line, and the hospital's shown below.

Related Articles and More:

• Work Process vs. the Organizational Chart

• Processes from a Customer's Perspective

• The Process Profile^® Diagram

• Faster Turnaround Times Drive New "Express Care" Emergency Services

• Process Improvements Boost Patient Satisfaction and Quality at Stanford University Hospital

• Efficient Delivery, Optimal Care Aided by Customer-Inspired Management System

• A Winning Game Plan for QI

• Choosing A Quality/Performance Improvement Methodology