Hospital Decreases Surgical Supply Update Time By 42% With GLSS
Canada
Healthcare
Operations
42%
- The problem: A healthcare organization faces major challenges with its surgical supply updates, which are crucial for ensuring surgeries run smoothly and that costs are reported accurately.
- Determined to fix the problem, the organization turned to GLSS’s Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Training & Certification. The tools and knowledge allowed the organization to reduce surgical updates by 42%.
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In the fast-paced world of healthcare, efficiency and accuracy are critical to providing high-quality care. Even small delays or errors can disrupt the entire operation. One key area causing problems in this organization was the process of updating surgical supplies. These updates are essential to ensure the right materials are available for surgeries and that costs are tracked correctly. However, the current system was inefficient, often taking more than 50 hours to complete an update.
The process relied heavily on manual communication through email, leading to delays and mistakes. Important steps were sometimes missed, forcing staff to redo tasks, which increased frustration, especially among the nurses who depended on accurate, up-to-date information to do their jobs effectively.
The organization realized it needed a more streamlined, consistent approach to reduce the time spent on updates, eliminate errors, and improve communication across teams.
Through careful analysis, two key root causes were identified:
- Manual communication: The process for communicating supply updates was entirely manual, relying on emails. This often led to missed messages, delays, and confusion as emails were overlooked or forgotten.
- Complex process with too many steps: The process of updating surgical supplies involved several detailed steps, but without a clear checklist to follow, it was easy for important steps to be skipped. This caused delays and required additional rework, which further compounded the problem.
With GLSS Training & Certification paving the way, the organization applied Lean Six Sigma to tackle the problem. They implemented two key solutions that had an immediate and lasting impact:
- A checklist for analysts: The team developed a detailed checklist that analysts could use when completing supply updates. This checklist made sure that every step in the process was followed, significantly reducing the chance of errors or missed steps. It provided a clear, consistent structure for everyone involved.
- Automated communication: The organization also automated the communication process. Instead of relying on manual emails, an automated notification was triggered once an analyst marked a supply request as completed in the system. This ensured that the right staff were informed immediately, without delays or missed messages.
The results were dramatic and immediate. The time it took to complete surgical supply updates dropped significantly from an average of 54 hours to 31 hours per update—a 42% improvement.
Nurses were notified right away when updates were completed, which reduced their frustration and ensured that surgeries ran more smoothly. Case costing reports became more accurate, allowing the organization to better manage its resources and budget.
The checklist played a vital role in preventing missed steps, eliminating the need for rework, and streamlining the entire process. As a result, staff satisfaction improved, and the organization was able to create a more reliable, efficient system for managing surgical supply updates.
with GLSS
GLSS Training & Certification made a huge difference in helping this healthcare organization overcome its supply update challenges. The innovative instructional design and Lean Six Sigma guidance provided by GLSS enabled the team to quickly implement solutions that delivered faster, more accurate results.
By reducing the time needed to complete surgical supply updates and improving communication, the organization is now better positioned for continued success. The skills and tools gained through GLSS not only solved an immediate problem but also provided the foundation for future improvements. Thanks to GLSS, the organization is ready to tackle future projects with confidence, driving even more results faster and more effectively.
*We value our clients’ confidentiality. While we’ve changed their names, the results are real.
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