Mercy Public Hospitals Inc. (MPHI)
Specialist Clinics Access Policy Project
Department of Health Project Briefing
Andrea Bower, Project Director
22 May 2014
MPHI Clinics
Mercy Public Hospital Inc. (MPHI) includes a range of outpatient services at
the following sites:
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Mercy Hospital for Women, Heidelberg
Werribee Mercy Hospital, Werribee
PANCH, Preston
East Melbourne Lymphoedema Clinic
There are 80 specialist clinics across these sites:
Obstetrics
Gynaecology
Gastroenterology
Surgical
Oncology
Paediatric
Diabetes
Lymphoedema
Reproductive Medicine
General Medicine
Allied Health
Urology
Psychiatry
22 May 2014
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The Baseline
Target processes for this presentation by MPHI are:
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6.8 Referral Acknowledgement
7.3 Clinical Prioritisation
Past challenges in improving target processes
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Inconsistent processes across campuses, programs, and clinics
Inconsistent governance around timeliness and receipt of referral
No sustained data management or accountability for outcomes
No overarching project management
Processes are mostly manual with minimal e-tools
Access to stakeholders
22 May 2014
3
The Baseline – Current Data
Initial data is anecdotal:
6.8 Referral Acknowledgement
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Most referrals received by fax in various locations in clinics across MPHI
An electronically produced acknowledgement letter to the referrer and patient
within eight (8) working days for the majority of MPHI clinics
7.3 Clinic Prioritisation
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Clinical triage is mostly completed within five (5) working days
Requests for more information are sent the day of triage
Urgent cases are planned for treatment within 30 days
Any critical events relating to patient safety are reported through VHIMS and
where clinical prioritisation is an issue, corrective action is undertaken
22 May 2014
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The Baseline - Challenges
The challenges for SCAP identified to date are:
6.8 Referral Acknowledgement
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The reliance on fax and post for information exchange
The reliance on fax and post for the receipt of referrals creates a single point of
failure if the fax breaks down
Some time elements are purely manual
Providing referrers with the right referral and suitable guidelines
22 May 2014
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Challenges (cont.)
7.3 Clinic Prioritisation
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There are areas of strength in relation to the target, and there are opportunities
for improvement
Other general challenges noted to date:
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Website requires review and update
Clinical and administrative discharge from clinics is poor
Resource constraints and inadequate communications systems
Limited understanding of the referral process by consumers
22 May 2014
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Progress to Date
Works to date include:
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Appointment of a Project Manager
Development of a Project Management Plan, Project Schedule and other start up
activities
Establishment of Project Steering Committee and Project Working Party
Completion of initial gap analysis by the initial SCAP working party
Identification of all specialist clinics and key stakeholders
Analysis and documentation of current patient journey with specific emphasis on
target processes
22 May 2014
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Action Plan - Milestones
22 May 2014
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Action Plan - Progress to Date
As of Week 5, key milestones for Stage 1 is completed, and Stage 2 is in
progress and on target. The schedule for project anticipates a completion
date of 30 June 2015
TASK
MILESTONE DELIVERABLE
Stage 1:
Project Manager commences
Development of PMP
Identification of clinics and stakeholders
Commencement of current process analysis
Stage 2:
Data collation, desktop analysis and planning
Current process documentation with confirmation with
stakeholders
Executive and departmental briefings
Kickoff governance groups
22 May 2014
MILESTONE DELIVERY
STAGE
Weeks 1 - 6
30/05/14
Weeks 7 - 19
29/08/2014
Week 6 - ongoing
30/05/2014 -
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Action Plan - Considerations
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Review implications of new Specialist Clinics Access Policy – Ensuring
Access to Maternity Care
Review of who performs clinical prioritisation
System changes to facilitate achievement of target timeframes
Review of resource utilisation
22 May 2014
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Thank you