Improving Satisfaction and Timeliness in Interventional Radiology Processes Through Lean Six Sigma
摘要
The Interventional RadiologyInterventional radiology department at an acute care hospital identified opportunities for improvement that improved throughput, patient and staff satisfaction, and provided a more robust and accurate operational data entry system to enhance continuous improvement. The LeanLean SixSix Sigma SigmaLean Six Sigma (LSS) team applied the DMAICDefine, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) methodology with a heavy emphasis on statistical, graphical, and data analysis to baseline the current process. Root cause and leanLean analysesAnalyze were critical in identifying root causesRoot causes, inefficiencies, and wastes in the processes that were reduced and eliminated to improve the processes. The average on-time case start percentages increased 22% from the baseline period (19% to 41%) and achieved a high of 60% on-time starts during the improvement piloting period. The average on-time start times improved by 50%, and the percentage for the times in the holding area 30 min prior to the appointment time increased during the Q1 improvement period from 43 to 57%. The percentages in the procedure room, 10 min prior to the appointment time, increased during Q1 from 21 to 40%. In-room prep times improved by 5.5%, and the average procedure times were reduced by 24%, with a 30% standard deviation reduction. The end of exam to out of room times did increase during the improvement period, illustrating there was more improvement to be made.