Operations, the Heart of a Respiratory Care department

Wherever we look we are surrounded by mountains of data. Yet, with all of this data in our spreadsheets and dashboards we are challenged with understanding how to leverage this data to improve without reacting to the ever changing data from month to month. In this chapter, we will discuss how to understand variation and drive your performance to the next level.

Healthcare operations refer to the processes, systems, and activities that are involved in managing and delivering healthcare services. It encompasses a broad range of functions, including but not limited to:

1. Patient care management: This involves providing medical services, treatments, and therapies to patients.
2. Administrative management: This includes managing the financial, human resources, and legal aspects of healthcare organizations.
3. Facility management: This involves managing the physical infrastructure and equipment of healthcare facilities.
4. Information management: This includes managing patient health information, medical records, and data analytics.
5. Quality assurance and improvement: This involves ensuring that healthcare services meet the highest standards of quality and implementing strategies to continuously improve healthcare delivery.

Overall, healthcare operations play a crucial role in ensuring that patients receive timely, safe, effective, and efficient healthcare services.

Patient experience refers to the overall perception or impression that patients have of their healthcare interactions and services received from healthcare providers, staff, and the overall healthcare system. It encompasses all aspects of a patient’s interaction with the healthcare system, including access to care, communication, care coordination, clinical quality, safety, and patient satisfaction.

Patient experience is an important aspect of healthcare quality, as it directly impacts patient outcomes, patient satisfaction, and healthcare provider reputation. A positive patient experience can improve patient adherence to treatment, reduce medical errors, and increase patient engagement in their own care.

Here are some key elements of a positive patient experience:

1. Communication

• Clear and effective communication between healthcare providers and patients is essential to a positive patient experience.
• Healthcare providers should listen actively, ask questions, and explain medical information in a way that patients can understand.

2. Respect and Empathy

• Patients should be treated with respect and empathy by healthcare providers and staff.
• Healthcare providers should be sensitive to patients’ cultural, social, and emotional needs.

3. Care Coordination

• A seamless and coordinated healthcare experience can help patients feel more supported and empowered.
• Healthcare providers should work together to provide coordinated care that meets patients’ needs.

4. Clinical Quality and Safety

• High-quality and safe clinical care is a critical component of a positive patient experience.
• Healthcare providers should follow evidence-based practices, maintain high standards of hygiene, and take steps to prevent medical errors.

5. Access to Care

• Patients should have timely access to care and information.
• Healthcare providers should offer convenient scheduling options and provide clear information about the healthcare services available.

By focusing on improving patient experience, healthcare providers can improve patient satisfaction and engagement, reduce healthcare costs, and enhance overall healthcare quality.

3 Steps to Understanding Variation

Step 1: Write out a list of the measures that you routinely use

What kinds of data is readily available? Examples include:

• COPD Readmissions
• Missed treatments
• % PFT cancellations and/or no shows
• COPD Length of Stay
• % Medication scan compliance
• COVID LOS

Step 2: Pick 2 or 3 measures that you actually use and start to create a Control Chart

• COPD Readmissions
• COPD LOS
• COVID LOS

Step 3: Explain the noise. If no noise is identified, it’s a predictable process and does not require insight

Control Charts

Insert video creating an example XmR Chart

Identifying an Opportunity for Improvement to Drive Performance

Step 1 Identify Potential Problems

• Look to your organizations strategic priorities and/or Respiratory Care department goals

Step 2 Obtain Data to Clarify the Problem

Focus on problems related to Respiratory Care department goals and/or the organizations strategic priorities and avoid “pet projects”.

Step 3 Evaluate and Select Projects

Step 4 Create Project Charter

1. Problem statement
2. Goal statement
3. Business case and expected financial benefits
4. Project scope
5. Milestones/plan
6. Team members and roles

Step 5 Start the work