Organizing = happiness for one RIS team

06/05/17 12:13:pm

Cluttered, disorganized supplies that end up wasting time and creating frustration. That’s the reason behind the latest Rogers Improvement System work – this time at Rogers- Brown Deer. Building on the groundwork laid in a West Allis unit back in December, a team recently tackled the nurses’ station, sink area, and closets in the Brown Deer inpatient adult unit in what’s known as a 6S project. The name comes from the steps including Sort, Set to Flow, Scrub, Safety, Standardize, and Sustain.

After cleaning, reorganizing and creating visual cues for where things go and when to re-order supplies, the team created an environment they can all enjoy and be proud of. It’s possible no one was as happy as Onya Chism in the Purchasing Department. “When I saw all the extra inventory that wasn’t being used or needed, I saw dollar signs. It all added up to $743.56, and that’s money that can be used for more important things in the hospital!” she notes.

“I don’t think we can underestimate the power of a clean and organized environment as a way to honor and respect patients,” says Christine Dawley, Manager, Spiritual Care Services.

Streamlining calls reduces wait time and number of transfers

Another Rapid Improvement Event (RIE) team tackled a cumbersome process for getting callers to a screener. The Intake and Transitions RIE resulted in some big changes:

Case notes about callers will now be documented in the Cerner electronic health record instead of sent out in a string of hundreds of emails.
Screeners and the call center staff will now be located together, and they will have an easy way to see who is available to take a call. The old process left callers on hold while the Call Center might need to make multiple phone calls looking for an open screener.

With 2,200 calls coming in each week into the Call Center in Oconomowoc, these changes will make a big difference for patients and families who are in crisis and have found the courage to make this important phone call.