How unitbased teams are getting results for KP

How unit-based teams are getting results for KP members and patients Examples of operational success Spring 2011

Inpatient Transport, San Jose Medical Center Transporters Improve Response Times WHAT THEY DID: RESULTS: Moved from a decentralized inpatient transport system to a centralized dispatch system. • Transporters completed 68% more patient trips per day and arrived at a patient location within five minutes of the call 90% of the time. • The average response time went from 4 minutes to 2. 5 minutes. • The change is saving an estimated $200, 000 annually from overtime that had been incurred when nurses and other technicians did some of the transporting. • Workplace injuries have decreased, from seven in 2008 to one in 2010. Read more about the teams work and other successful practices on the Labor Management website, www. LMPartnership. org.

Physical Therapy/Occupational Therapy, Sunnyside Medical Center, Northwest Squeezing wasted time out of inpatient PT/OT sessions WHAT THEY DID: RESULTS: The UBT found that more than half of the time they spent with patients wasted—either because of the frequent interruptions during a session or because patients weren’t ready for treatment when therapist arrived. The team decided to post signs on the doors of patient rooms and to improve communication with the nurses on the floor. Read more about the teams work and other successful practices on the Labor Management website, www. LMPartnership. org.

Out-patient Pharmacy, Parma, Ohio UBT improves service time WHAT THEY DID: RESULTS: • Developed a customer service survey for technicians to ask members about their experiences and wait times. From the fourth quarter of 2009 to the third quarter of 2010, Parma Pharmacy improved the following scores: • Services representatives round regularly in the wait area to look for members who may have been waiting a half-hour or longer. Read more about the teams work and other successful practices on the Labor Management website, www. LMPartnership. org.

FEATURED TEAM: Ambulatory Surgery Recovery, Moanalua Medical Center, Honolulu Cutting costs, clutter in the OR WHAT THEY ARE DOING: RESULTS: Team members created a more organized supply room by clearly labeling shelves and supplies, helping them keep better track of their inventory. They are also maintaining the inventory on a computer. The team saved nearly $10, 000 per month by reducing duplicate and overstocked supplies for medical center’s operating room. Labor co-lead: Avis Yasumura, RN, Hawaii Nurses Association, OPEIU Local 50 Management co-lead: Janet Lundberg, RN, procedural sedation manager Read more about the teams work and other successful practices on the Labor Management website, www. LMPartnership. org.

FEATURED TEAM: Internal Medicine, Hidden Lake Medical Office, Colorado Shifting division of labor slashes patient wait times WHAT THEY DID: RESULTS: To reduce wait times, medical assistants take patient vitals, a job that licensed practical nurses used to exclusively handle. The team also huddles twice daily. The team went from an average wait time of 19 minutes to less than 11 minutes. Labor co-leads: Cindy Agan, SEIU Local 105 and Tanya Ball, UFCW Local 7 Management co-lead: Shannon Martinez, nurse manager Physician co-lead: Angie Martinez, MD Read more about the teams work and other successful practices on the Labor Management website, www. LMPartnership. org.

FEATURED TEAM: Inpatient Pediatrics, Panorama City Medical Center No way! Hospital food that kids like? WHAT THEY ARE DOING: RESULTS: • Cutting back on wasted food and staff members’ time by allowing children to choose their meals from a kid-friendly nutritional menu. • Giving kids restaurant-style menus decorated with smiling giraffes, hippos and other happy animals. Percentage of the parents surveyed who agreed with the statement, “When my child felt well enough to eat, the flavor of the food was satisfactory. ” Labor co-lead: Judith Bowers, RN, UNAC/UHCP Management co-lead: Shukla Sen, interim department administrator Read more about the teams work and other successful practices on the Labor Management website, www. LMPartnership. org.

FEATURED TEAM: Pediatrics, South San Francisco Teamwork gets more kids vaccinated WHAT THEY ARE DOING: RESULTS: • Children get injections in the exam room, rather than in the injection clinic • Physicians have two versions of the same vaccine to choose from instead of several • Medical assistants and physicians huddle once or twice a day to determine which of their incoming patients need vaccines. Medical assistants then have shots ready for those patients. Over nine months’ time, the percentage of children ages 2 and younger who are current on their immunizations rose: Labor co-lead: Steve Levi, medical assistant, SEIU UHW Management co-lead: Sue Sorensen, pediatric manager Read more about the teams work and other successful practices on the Labor Management website, www. LMPartnership. org.