1. Process Improvement Overview

2. Key Questions for making improvements
What are we trying to accomplish?
How will we know a change is an improvement?
What changes can we make that will result in an improvement?
Thomas W. Nolan, IHI
The Key Questions to start with when making improvements are>>>>>>>>>>.

3. 1. What are we trying to accomplish?? (what is our aim??)
Must state a clear purpose or direction for improvement
Define when we have reached Success

4. P-(Plan) Select Process and identify the opportunity
Understand Current Process
Identify all possible causes of problem and which would have the greatest impact
Develop improvement action plan
Now that we understand the 3 questions that we need to be answering with our improvements, How do we “do it?’ PDSA

5. Making Improvements IHI-4 Phases of improvement: Plan, Do, Study, Act
Combine PDSA Cycle of change with 3 questions
Turns the ideas into actions
Framework for connecting actions to learning and thus the Model for Improvement
Rapid Cycle/PDSA/100 Day Improvement Projects are buzz words we all may have heard around HE. But what do they mean???
For the most part they are all interchangeable terms with some underlying themes.
They combine 4 phases: the planning of the improvement( often done by leadership), Testing or “doing” the improvement and collecting the data( typically done by the project team), studying the results (leadership and project team involvement), and acting on the learnings and implementing on a larger scale. (Will involve both leadership (support) and the project team)

6. 2. How will we know a change is an improvement. (What are our measures
Is the change driven from the aim?
Is the pt population defined?
Does trending reflect progress?
Are data available and can it be measured frequently?

7. 3. What changes can we make that will result in improvement
3. What changes can we make that will result in improvement? (What are our “actions”?)
Implement simultaneous small tests of change
Faster improvements
Ability to troubleshoot problems earlier
Enc staff involvement
Lowers resistance to change
Utilizes resources wisely
Helps to make choices for successful process changes
Ultimately allows you to achieve and sustain aims
Here are some reasons why trying small tests of change will help quality improvement projects achieve their aims quicker and sustain them.
READ through bullets

8. D-(Do) Implement process changes on a small scale
Carryout action plans
Monitor and report progress
Collect and report data: Create charts and diagrams
Communicate project progress

9. S-(Study) Review and evaluate the result of the change
Revise process as needed; recommend changes
Document project progress

10. A-(Act) Reflect and act on what has been learned from the pilot
Communicate to stakeholders
Revise policies and procedures as needed
Train, expand, document, and celebrate milestones along the way.

12. 100 Day Project Plan
Commissions leadership involvement and support throughout the project
Helps define goals, roles, and success
Helps hold the team accountable for accomplishing it’s goals in a timely manner.
HealthEast is using what is being called the 100 project approach. There are several different named tools out there, but the approach is very similar to that of other improvement methodologies. The reason behind the project planning worksheet is to give time and meaning to a project. Many times it is easy to get caught up in our everyday work and as many of us know, projects lag and get put aside to put out other burning issues (which we seem to have a lot of around here). Anyway, if you take a look at it, it gives definition to the timeframe as well as accountability to those involved from Senior leadership to the front line staff and implementation team.

13. 100 Day Project Plan Cont.
Works on initiating the “spread” of the project work to other sites
Helps plan out the monitoring and maintenance of improvements