Spring 2008 - Memorial Hospital of South Bend

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Performance Excellence Hits the Mark Six Sigma training improves quality of care An exciting commitment to Performance Excellence has overtaken the world of Memorial over the past year, infusing new thinking and fresh outlooks into the day-to-day operations of Memorial. The Six Sigma and Lean methodologies of process improvement have made an enormous impact on the kind of care Memorial can give to its patients and families, while improving the quality of work life for physicians and employees. Memorial’s partnership with General Electric (GE), a company widely known as one of the best-managed companies in the world, has brought Lean, Six Sigma, the Change Acceleration Process and Work-Out to Memorial’s well-established culture of forwardthinking innovation. This brave new world began when 21 Memorial employees undertook the daunting task of completing GE’s Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and Green Belt Development Program. At the end of the session, five Black Belts and 16 Green Belts emerged, ready to take on the roadblocks and destroy the barriers that keep change and improvement from happening. Amazing Results • Fewer delayed and canceled surgeries for patients • Quicker turnaround time for “high-demand” pieces • More room in the center core of surgery • Decreased clutter using “just-in-time” carts • Less non-value-added time for physicians and nurses • Decreased “needed” items • Improved collaboration between departments • Savings of more than $64,000 a year Sterile Processing staff send completed case carts up to Surgical Services throughout the day, using a special dumbwaiter.
“I can’t overemphasize the rigorous training our Black Belts and Green Belts went through. GE’s training was months-long, data-driven, heavy on critical thinking and decisionmaking and very intensive,” says Matt Krathwohl, executive director of Performance Excellence (Memorial’s brand for process improvement that includes Lean and Six Sigma tools). “Now our Black Belts and Green Belts are applying that learning to real life challenges at Memorial.” “I was the director of the pharmacy when I took this position,” says Black Belt Jim Goshert. “It’s definitely unlike anything I’ve ever done before. In fact, I wish I had done this a long time ago. It would have been useful in my role as a manager. The things you learn can be applied to improve and control processes in any department.” Using Six Sigma principles, Goshert and his team took on the task of improving case cart accuracy for Memorial’s surgical team. It was one of five training projects that the Performance Excellence team members undertook at Memorial after completing their certification. By ensuring the timely and correct presentation of surgical instruments, patients are less likely to be delayed or rescheduled, making a better experience for everyone. Some surgeries require an enormous amount of equipment. In the past, the Sterile Processing Department would ensure surgery received all case carts by 6 a.m. With all that equipment around, nurses, doctors and staff barely had enough room to walk the hallways. Now that the improved process only allows for 10 case carts at a time, it opened up that area tremendously. “Another type of issue can occur when say two or three hip surgeries are scheduled for one day,” says Goshert. “Now say each of those surgeries require the same piece of equipment, an item we only have one of. Throw in the fact that this equipment needs to be sterilized after each surgery. Now these highdemand pieces are highly trackable, with one dedicated Sterile Processing representative to handle calls.” Safety has improved not just in surgery but for all employees working in that area of the hospital. Preparing carts closer to surgery time helps decrease clutter and reduce the likelihood of incomplete carts and delayed surgeries. Financially, this project saves Memorial $1,231 per week, or $64,000 per year. “I have strongly supported this project from the beginning,” says Jayne Mitton, R.N., executive director of Surgical Services. “As with all projects, the process is still a work in progress, but has a tremendous potential, and it shows great collaboration between departments. “An added bonus is that anytime you’re trying to improve processes, you’ll find something else you can improve upon,” says Mitton. “It’s helped us see other areas for improvement, which is always helpful.” “My team on the surgery cart case was outstanding,” says Goshert. “Johan Kuitse, Mark Wilson, Darla McAllister and Greg Piper, who was a co-sponsor with Jayne Mitton. They are so energetic about this process. They are the reason we made this happen. I can’t say enough about them.” Never Stop Learning Memorial’s Black Belts and Green Belts have earned a certificate of achievement for successfully completing the Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and Green Belt Development Program. Black Belts Diane Freel Carey Gaudern Jim Goshert Sandy Kowalski Tom Merry Green Belts John Albright Ken Anderson, D.O. Cindy Crawford Yolanda Emley Matt Krathwohl Johan Kuitse Darla McAllister CJ Paulausky Julie Phillips Greg Piper Barb Ponder Tracee Siade-Jones David Sipp Janet Sipp Deidra Turner Mark Wilson, R.N. He also couldn’t say enough about the partnership with GE that has made all of this possible. “If Memorial can continue to use this training, and get even more and more people trained, we will have a brighter future,” says Goshert. “Because every process we improve in our individual departments improves Memorial.” SPRING / SUMMER 2008 › www.qualityoflife.org 013
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Spring 2008 - Memorial Hospital of South Bend

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