By Healthcare Facilities Today

In the increasingly quality-driven and value-based world of healthcare, the importance of efficient and effective work processes cannot be overstated, according to an article on the Becker's Hospital Review website. A well-oiled machine will deliver high-quality care to a higher volume of patients.

Work processes and staff performance have to continually evolve to ensure that quality and cost goals are being met. In the Becker's article, six CMOs and chief quality officers discuss their organizations' successes and challenges and offer advice on how to develop a culture of continuous process improvement.  

Linda Butler, MD, CMO/CMIO said Rex Healthcare, Raleigh, N.C., has undergone multiple performance improvement initiatives. According to Butler, the most successful has been when Rex invited a team from N.C. State University's Industrial Extension Service to educate various co-workers on Lean methodology. There was a bed replacement project that involved biomedical engineering, the transporters and the nursing staff on one unit, which reduced the turnaround time for beds requiring replacement or maintenance. 

"We are constantly reviewing our procedures to identify areas for process improvement. Some of our upcoming programs will involve NCSU once again. There will be three teams of biomedical engineering students who will spend the semester at Rex in the Women's Center and Birth Center, the intensive care unit and bariatrics," Butler said in the article.

For William Conway, MD, chief quality officer for Detroit's Henry Ford Health System the program that has drawn the most attention is their No Harm Campaign - an initiative to reduce harm in healthcare. 

"We monitor 60 different parameters in the harm index, and we managed to reduce the patient harm rate by 40 percent in last four years. That's at least double the national decline,: Butler said.

Read the article.