CVC thinks LEAN
(May/June 2007)
17 lean projects involved in activating new CVC
Any time you improve a process by 10 percent, it’s considered a success. But when you improve the process so it’s done right 100 percent of the time, it’s phenomenal!
This is what happened to patient preparation in the Cardiac Procedure Unit’s Electrophysiology Lab when CVC staff and faculty decided to give themselves the “lean treatment.”
Previously, patients prepared for EP lab procedures were not shaved sufficiently and the task had to be repeated. Because of the lean workshop, nurses worked together to develop preparation protocols for each procedure, and know exactly what needs to be done.
“We standardized the process and eliminated the problem,” says Michele Derheim, R.N., M.S.N., CPU manager. “Now, patients are properly prepared for the procedure 100 percent of the time."
This is just one of 17 lean projects CVC teams have tackled since last September. Some projects involved value stream mapping, some required complex analysis and others were quickly implemented “just do it” projects.
Marc Whitted, R.N., Electrophysiology Lab, says, “The workshops have inspired us to become lean thinkers. We look at our processes and ask ourselves if our customers would see what we’re doing as valuable. We cut out the waste and end up with a better system.”
The Vascular Surgery Team completed their value stream mapping workshop in January with the following results: patients no longer have to wait a week to schedule an appointment; discharged patients receive a followup call soon after leaving the hospital;plans are under way to create a streamlined multidisciplinary pre-op history and physical; and faculty are standardizing pre- and post-op testing, which will make it easier to coordinate patients’ tests with their visits.
CVC Chief Administrative Officer Linda Larin says, “Opening the new clinical building gave us the opportunity to evaluate how we do everything. We needed to implement processes that would help us be more efficient, yet not lose sight of our efforts to deliver worldclass service. We are thrilled with the difference it’s making in our operations.”
Learn about other CVC lean projects (authentication required). Learn more about the Michigan Quality System, the Health System’s lean initiative.