Case Studies
The ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ Association produces case studies on its member organizations across a wide range of health-care topics.
A multidisciplinary perioperative safety team was formed focused on improving perioperative assessment, testing and clearance process of patients. The team reviewed the medical evidence, attended perioperative conferences and consulted experts in the field. A perioperative testing grid was…
Best practices from the Surgical Care Improvement Project have been implemented to reduce the incidence of SSI. These practices in cardiac surgery patients include the appropriate use of prophylactic antibiotics, appropriate hair removal and post-operative glucose control. A multidisciplinary team…
A multidisciplinary team was developed with objectives to provide clear, easy to understand educational material that would equip patients and family members with a better understanding of their illness. Educational material was made available within 24 hours of admission, allowing for timely…
Since 1999, anticoagulant therapy was one of the top three causes of adverse events. A Six Sigma methodology was used to evaluate medication use processes. Evidence-based solutions tied to identified root cause analyses were implemented and internal outcome measurement re-enforced the need to…
This Lean project focused on improving processes in central sterile processing. All processes for cleaning, packing and sterilizing instruments were examined along with the scheduling and picking up of case carts. Data was collected including staff input. Waste and non-value added work was removed…
A Lean project to address why physicians were not receiving lab results in a timely manner was implemented. Lab processes were evaluated from order generation through verification of results being sent to physicians. Data was collected and evaluated for each step including value stream maps.…
Successful implementation of an evidence-based fall prevention protocol demonstrated a 50 percent reduction in falls without rebound. The program includes staff education, a patient-centered assessment and patient/family education. Read the whole case study below (click 'view item').
Reducing Excess Days in Acute Care | Learn how hospitals can improve patient outcomes and financial outcomes by monitoring excess days, implementing best practices, and reducing readmissions.
A quality improvement project using Lean Six Sigma DMAIC method in a 500-bed tertiary medical center reduced phlebotomy contamination rates from a baseline of 3.1 percent to 0.9 percent. This sustained improvement resulted in the elimination of 82 contaminations yielding annualized cost-avoidance…
Reduction of hospital-acquired infections is a major focus of the board of directors and senior leadership of Sinai Health System. Top decile performance nationally and in Illinois is the Board's expectation. To achieve these levels of performance, members of senior leadership, medical staff,…