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Bonus Case Study 2

Assignment: Review the information below and write a 1/2 to 1 page summary on how you meet/address one of the 7 features below. (Choose only “ONE” feature)

7 Features of Highly Effective Outcomes Improvement Projects

1. Outcomes Versus Accountability

Most outcomes improvement project teams operate under one of two precepts: measure for accountability or measure for improvement. Projects that measure for accountability primarily focus on rewarding or punishing based on whether or not individuals adhere to certain processes and procedures.

Ok, so what does measuring for improvement really mean? It’s the concept that we focus on the process and not on individuals. It’s the concept that interventions to improve outcomes focus on the inliers and not on the bad outliers. It’s the idea that in looking to improve the process, we don’t waste time getting every data point 100 percent correct, but get the information and level of accuracy of information needed to move forward and evaluate if interventions are working or not. Instead of punishing the three individuals who have the worst outcomes for a particular surgery by denying them privileges to perform that surgery, focus on what causes the bad outcomes in the process and implement actions to ensure those outcomes don’t occur for all providers.

2. Define Your Goal and Aim Statements Early and Stick to Them

To keep the project moving forward, the project team should define the SMART (Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Bound) goal up front. I’ve found that defining this in the first or second workgroup meeting is usually the best timing. Establishing these parameters puts everybody to work on efforts that will return the best bang for the buck. It becomes clear when work is heading down a sidetrack and, therefore, not beneficial.

3. Assign a Knowledge Manager of the Analytics (Report or Application) Up Front

Three factors made her participation a critical success factor to the project overall. First, she was assigned up front. This way, she knew everything going on with the project from start to finish.. Second, she was not purely technical, but instead had a bit of technical background and was a subject matter expert in the process and clinical environment. Third, she was someone they knew, trusted, and was an innovator. Choose the right Knowledge Manager and you’ll be well on your way to a successful project. If the Knowledge Manager doesn’t have the three attributes mentioned above, then the probability of long-term success decreases.

4. Get End Users Involved In the Process

End users need to be involved in the process. When choosing the end users to participate, it is important to think long term. Which end users will be able to champion the outcomes improvement project?

5. Design to Make Doing the Right Thing Easy

First of all, the analytics tools must be simple and easy to use. Ensure a basic level of usability. Remove barriers to accessing the information needed to make improvements. The second design element in making the right thing easy to do involves interventions that are built into the workflow.

6. Don’t Underestimate the Power of One-on-One Training

Outcome improvements only happen when analytics and interventions are adopted. Technology champions and super users need to be the subject matter experts, those who know the process well, who others trust, and who, optimally, are early adopters.

7. Get the Champion Involved

Ever walk into a project kickoff meeting and nobody knew why we chose this particular project and the sponsor of the project was not even in attendance. Instead, the group questioned if there even was a problem to solve because their current systems was giving them what they needed. The champion needs to convey the “why” of the project to the group and ensure that these reasons resonate with those involved at all levels. The best champions intrinsically motivate the workgroup and others to work toward the common goal. This is what gets everyone onboard to solving the problem and creating improvement. The champion regularly shares the vision, encourages and celebrates with all participants and stakeholders, and ensures the outcome improvement project progresses.

Inserts adopted from an article found at the following website:

https://www.healthcatalyst.com/7-tips-for-quality-improvement-projects-in-healthcare