Graph/Improve/Down - Color

Lab Team Pokes at Processes and Gets Results
  • Documenting and tracking the time to complete each step in the process  
  • Identifying workflow bottlenecks
  • Reviewing staffing and tweaking schedules

What can your team do to examine and improve your workflow? How do you think that would affect care and service for our member and patients?

Laureen Lazarovici Tue, 07/30/2019 - 14:32

Tips for Reducing Supply Waste

Submitted by Laureen Lazarovici on Fri, 03/23/2018 - 17:00
Region
Program-wide
Keywords
supply waste
reducing clutter
Topics
Affordability
Role
Frontline Managers
Frontline Workers
UBT Consultants & UPRs
UBT Co-Leads
Request Number
LSR-1658
Long Teaser

Does your department have a cluttered supply room? Follow these tips to take stock and find ways to save time and money by designing better systems for organizing and ordering supplies. This will help keep Kaiser Permanente affordable for our members and patients. 

Communicator (reporters)
Laureen Lazarovici
Photos & Artwork (reporters)
Only use image in listings (editors)
not listing only
Highlighted stories and tools (reporters)
Download the Tip Sheet

Want a colorful tip sheet with these ideas to hand out and post on bulletin boards? Download one here!

10 Essential Tips for Reducing Supply Waste
Status
Developing
Tracking (editors)
Story content (editors)
Headline (for informational purposes only)
Tips for Reducing Supply Waste
Deck
Got clutter? Get organized to save time and money
Story body part 1

Is your department’s supply room or cabinet cluttered with a mix of overstocked, understocked and out-of-date materials? Throughout Kaiser Permanente, unit-based teams are taking stock of their supplies and finding they can save time and money by designing better systems for organizing and ordering supplies. Reducing supply waste is one of many ways that teams are helping KP become more affordable for our members and patients.Sort your supplies to determine which ones to keep, which should be disposed of, and which you need more information about before deciding.

  1. Create an opportunity for everyone in the department to give input about how often different supplies get used, so you don’t eliminate something the department needs.
  2. Organize the supplies by figuring out where each item belongs and then labeling supplies and shelves. Also set “par” levels, figuring out the quantity the department should always have on hand.
  3. Remember safety when organizing the supplies. Make sure people won’t have to bend too low, reach too far or lift something that’s too heavy.
  4. Establish a signal for when supplies need to be re-ordered. For example, the signal might beflipping the bin upside down, filling out a re-order card or alerting whoever oversees ordering supplies. And have a system for alerting people when an item is getting close to its expiration date.
  5. Routinize the new system by having a plan to make sure supplies stay sorted, in order and clean. For example, create a checklist to make sure the new procedures are followed or assign someone to sign off at the end of the day that the supplies are ready for the next day’s work.
  6. Check in regularly with other team members to make sure the new system is working and to tweak it if it needs adjustments.
  7. Consider approaching departments similar to yours that may order the same supplies. You may be able to consolidate orders. For example, many departments in the same medical facility order sutures.
  8. Calculate how much money you’ve saved. Compare what you were spending before on supplies to what you’re spending now.
  9. Take before and after pictures to help you communicate the story of how your department reduced waste.

Obsolete (webmaster)
Migrated
not migrated
Team Educates Patients and Saves $1 Million
  • Team members learning about their own benefits and researching which Emergency Departments Kaiser Permanente prefers to have members use
  • Analyzing claims data for patients with the highest number of Emergency Department visits
  • Educating patients about Emergency Department use

What can your team do to improve its own business literacy? And help patients make better decisions about their care? 

 

Laureen Lazarovici Wed, 07/05/2017 - 17:31
Oversight Reduces Document Scanning Errors
  • Hosting in-service to discuss how to properly set up a scanning procedure
  • Monitoring the process to ensure the scanning was done properly
  • Sharing feedback about the process so every team member can learn from any mistake

What can your team do to work with other UBTs so you can both improve? What additional training could your team benefit from?

 

scarrpm Fri, 12/30/2016 - 11:35
Dressing Room Reduces X-Ray Wait Times
  • Assessing the problem and working together to a solution
  • Converting extra closet space into a dressing room for patients
  • Realizing even small solutions pay large dividends

 What can your team do to use your physical space more efficiently? 

scarrpm Wed, 12/28/2016 - 15:58
New Needles Bruise Less, Please Patients
  • Identifying the problem was with the needle supplier
  • Filing a Responsible Reporting Form, and working together to arrive at the solution
  • Switching needle suppliers to improve care and safety

 What can your team do to listen to the voice of the patient? 

scarrpm Mon, 12/19/2016 - 16:22
Telemetry Monitoring Is Critical to Good Care
  • Identifying the number of patients off telemetry monitoring for longer than 3 minutes and why
  • Huddling to discuss the severity and consequences of the problem
  • Creating reminders to check monitors, and make it part of the routine

What can your team do hardwire improvements you make into your workflow?

scarrpm Fri, 12/16/2016 - 12:58
Subscribe to Graph/Improve/Down - Color