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How unit-based teams are getting results
Examples of operational success
April 1, 2013
Team improves nutrition service while cutting waste
FEATURED TEAM
Food and Nutrition department
WHAT THEY DID
This San Jose Medical Center team identified ways to
prevent costly food waste, where unused formula,
supplements and food end up in the garbage. Small tests
of change included:
• Conducting a “wasted meal study” to learn how much
money was being lost to unused meals ($16,000 a
year)
• Improving communication with unit assistants about
patients’ eating patterns and discharge data
• Paying closer attention to expiration dates on
supplements and adjusting the ordering accordingly
Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and tools for your team.
RESULTS
Monthly food expenses cut by 10 percent
Medication reconciliation keeps patients safe
FEATURED TEAM
Infectious Disease/Oncology UBT
WHAT THEY DID
To reduce duplicate medications listed in patient records,
members of this team at the Cumberland Medical Office
Building in Atlanta started by manually cleaning up patient
charts. Then they instituted a new process for checking
medications:
• Licensed practical nurses and medical assistants ask
patients to bring their medications to office visits
• MAs and LPNs review patient medications and note on
member’s chart which ones the patient is or is not taking
• Providers confirm medications with the member and
remove the duplicate oncology medication from the
patient’s record
• MA prints out the patient’s medications and gives the list
to the nurse practitioner who, with the clinical
pharmacist, reviews it and removes expired medications
Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and tools for your team.
RESULTS
Percent of duplicate medications per
office visit
Standing together to prevent patient falls
FEATURED TEAM
Ortho/Neuro Surgical UBT
WHAT THEY DID
To radically reduce the number of patients who fall, the
team at Fontana Medical Center (Southern California)
conducted several tests of change including:
• Calendar posts to make problems known to all when
they occur, whether day shift or night shift
• Daily huddles include a patient safety briefing to air
concerns or potential problems
• Blame-free debriefings after a fall to discuss what
happened and how to prevent it
• Quick response to bed alarms indicating that a patient
has gotten up
Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and tools for your team.
RESULTS
Patient falls decreased by nearly 40 percent
Wait times down, courtesy scores up
FEATURED TEAM
Laboratory
WHAT THEY DID
To cut wait times that could sometimes exceed 45
minutes, the Mt. Scott Medical Office lab in the
Northwest moved to a one-on-one model in which:
• A technician stays with each patient from check-in
to blood draw
• The technician returns to the check-in desk to take
the next patient
• More team members are freed up to reduce the
queue, rather than having a dedicated member
working the computer
Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and tools for your team.
RESULTS
Improved patient satisfaction and an
unexpected jump in technician courtesy scores
Assigning ownership of surgical instruments
saves thousands
FEATURED TEAM
Head and Neck Surgery
WHAT THEY DO
To reduce the number of surgical instruments lost
before and after surgeries, nurses in this Franklin
Medical Office UBT in Colorado now “own” a set
instruments. They are responsible for counting the
instruments at the beginning and the end of the day,
similar to reconciling a cash box in a retail
environment.
RESULTS
The number of lost or broken instruments
Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and tools for your team.
UBT helps new members navigate KP
FEATURED TEAM
Adult Primary Care
WHAT THEY DID
To improve member retention and help Kaiser
Permanente grow, members of this UBT in Falls Church,
Va., have:
• Involved Spanish-speaking staff in welcoming 3,200
new Spanish-speaking members
• Used the New Member Identifier tool in KP
HealthConnect™ so staff can help familiarize new
members, or those who haven’t been in for a while,
with KP
• Called new members to set up appointments, help
refill prescriptions and address other needs
• Sent welcome letters and a road map on how to get
started as a Kaiser Permanente member and patient
• Passed out a new member kit with contact numbers
Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and tools for your team.
RESULTS
Favorable patient satisfaction scores