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Cash Is a Good Co-Pay Option
The team trained staff on how to handle cash, got a lock box to safely store payments, and let teams know that cash payments were possible.
- Some members prefer to pay in-person and in cash.
- Cash co-pays exceeded expectations and proved popular with members
Blitz Bulldozes Backlogged Claims
The team saw a 50 percent increase in sessions processed when members focused their efforts as a team on a particular work queue.
- Delays in moving claims through the process impacts members, staff and KP’s bottom line.
- Team members work together on the same queue until the backlog decreases, instead of everyone working in individual queues
Cracking the Case of Missing Lab Orders
Team uses facts and fun to educate departments about workflow missteps .
- Reducing missing lab orders improves patient care and eliminates extra work for employees.
- Analyzing data to identify problem departments and working with them to find solutions
Corralling Cancer with Coughs and Sneezes
Allergy team uses script and reminders to provide timely health screenings to patients.
- Identifying health risks and signs of disease as early as possible helps us deliver on Kaiser Permanente’s Total Health promise.
- Collaborating and sharing data to identify missed opportunities to provide health screenings
Staff Buddies Up to Inform Patients
Positive patient responses for staff communications increased 17 percent for the department in three months.
- Patients express appreciation when informed about wait times and delays, which shows respect for their time and eases anxiety.
- Schedulers and receptionists from two clinics paired up for one-hour shifts during predictably busy times to keep patients informed about wait times.
Speedy Slides Boost Service
On-time distribution of pathology slides increased 26 percent in two years, and People Pulse Work Unit Index score improved 30 percent.
- Physicians rely on analysis of the slides to diagnose and treat patients.
- The team used a visual display board that helped it track turnaround times.
Putting Patients on the Fast Track
After four months of rapid improvements, emergency room stay decreased from 162 minutes to the team’s target of 90 minutes.
- The length of stay exceeded national benchmarks — patients were waiting up to three hours with minor injuries that required a short amount of physician time.
- The team defined triage urgency using the Emergency Severity Index (ESI) and set up a fast track area at the front of the department.
Create Surgery Wait List
Dedicated employee shrinks surgery wait list backlog by 70 percent, clearing the way to fit emergency patients into the schedule.
- Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery patients were complaining about the wait for surgery, and the backlog prevented the scheduling of emergency surgeries.
- Created a wait list and called patients in order when there was an opening for surgery, so the process was fair to all patients.
Pharmacy Cuts Wait Times
Pharmacy team fills 89 percent of prescriptions in 15 minutes, and improves patient satisfaction scores 5.7 percent in one year.
- Backups in workflow contribute to long patient wait times and low patient satisfaction scores.
- A pharmacist now continually monitors incoming same-day prescriptions, and moves them ahead of the line to be processed immediately.
Questionnaire Shaves Wait Time
Patient wait times after gastrointestinal procedure reduced 18 minutes.
- From feelings of frustration and disrespect to increased risk of infection, making patients wait has negative outcomes.
- Create a questionnaire to hand patients at check-in, and train staff on new process.
Easing the Pain for Babies, Families
NICU team improves service scores and provides better service by educating new parents about infant pain management.
- Caregivers want not only to manage babies’ pain but also alleviate parents’ anxieties and help them know what to expect.
- Use a consistent script to discuss pain management during the admission process and keep parents informed throughout the baby’s stay in the NICU
Priority Prescriptions in 15 Minutes
Pharmacy team does better than regional goal, filling 88 percent of high-priority prescriptions promptly.
- Team overcame challenges — the department was undergoing a remodel and adjusting to a new robot dispensing device—to meet a regional “fill now” goal.
- Team implemented a quiet zone, which reduced distractions.