SNAPSHOTS OF CHANGE
UBTs are getting results
Examples of operational success
December 2012
SNAPSHOTS OF CHANGE
Laboratory, North Lancaster, Northwest
Lab hailed as it cuts taxi costs
WHAT THEY DID
Members of this team at the North Lancaster Medical
Office in the Northwest reduced the number of stat
specimens—those needing urgent processing—that are
delivered via taxicab by working with Kaiser
Permanente’s own transportation couriers.
Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and
tools for your team.
SNAPSHOTS OF CHANGE
Redwood City Inpatient Pharmacy
Team cuts overdue meds by half
WHAT THEY DO
To reduce the number of medications being given late to
patients, this Redwood City (Northern California) team now:
• Posts laminated cards at each med station listing where
medications are delivered and which drugs are typically
stored at each location
• Delivers medications to med-surg departments 15 minutes
before they are scheduled to be administered, allowing
more time for drug preparation
• Receives daily fax of on-shift nurses’ cell phones, allowing
pharmacy staff to call when a patient’s new medication is
ready for pick up
• Uses color-coded bins to distinguish between newly
prescribed medications and drugs physicians have
discontinued for that patient
Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and
tools for your team.
SNAPSHOTS OF CHANGE
Infectious Disease/Oncology, Cumberland Medical Offices, Georgia
Medication record-check keeps patients safe
WHAT THEY DO
Dissatisfied with the high percentage of patient records in
KP HealthConnect that had duplicate medications listed,
the team did a manual cleanup of patient charts. Over a
three month period team members would:
• Call patients and ask them to bring their medications to
the next appointment
• Review and confirm prescription orders with the
patient, nurse practitioner and clinical pharmacist
• Remove duplicate medications
• Expand the review to include infusion and one-timeonly medications
Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and
tools for your team.
Drop in duplicate
medications on file
31 points
(from 46%
to 15%)
Savings from avoided
hospital admissions
$90,000
SNAPSHOTS OF CHANGE
Patient Registration, Franklin Medical Office, Colorado
New printers lead to shorter lines
WHAT THEY DID
Members of this team in Colorado were frustrated with
an ongoing printer issue: repeat paper jams and
frustrating delays for patients and staff.
Using a simple tick sheet, staff members tracked how
often the printer was jammed, how much paper was
thrown away and toner wasted, time spent with IT
getting printers working again, and most importantly,
patient wait times. The UBT took its findings to the
purchasing department and had new printers within a
week.
Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and
tools for your team.
SNAPSHOTS OF CHANGE
Medicare Risk Business Services, Colorado
Team nets $10 million in Medicare reimbursement
WHAT THEY DID
Members of this UBT discovered a technical issue with
Kaiser Permanente’s partner hospitals in the region that
resulted in incomplete physician signatures on patient
charts. This glitch prevented KP from submitting bills for
hospital stays and procedures to Medicare for
reimbursement.
After the error was corrected, the team reviewed 26,000
hospital inpatient notes for 2010. Since then, the team
has captured more than $10 million in reimbursements.
The team attributes its ongoing success to: quick
huddles, holding each other accountable and
transparent communication.
Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and
tools for your team.
SNAPSHOTS OF CHANGE
Vision Essentials Optical Center, Southern California
Optical team making fewer corrections to glasses
WHAT THEY DID
To curb the growing number of times that members’
prescription glasses needed to be fixed or replaced,
staff members at the Optical Center in Redlands now:
• Log each redo in a tracking book.
• Troubleshoot service gaps and address them with a
newly created “redo monitor” and lead optician
taking primary responsibility.
• Use KP HealthConnect to identify possible factors
contributing to vision problems.
• Collaborate with optometry and ophthalmology
units in problem solving.
• Counsel patients on eye health and manufacturing
warranty limits.
Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and
tools for your team.
SNAPSHOTS OF CHANGE
Materials Management, Southern California
Supply team cuts annual linen costs
WHAT THEY DID
Members of this Panorama City, Calif., team reduced
annual linen costs in the Maternal Child Health
department by educating other hospital staff about the
true costs of buying and washing linens.
The team created and used storyboards, which provided
a confidence-boosting roadmap for staff members who
are inexperienced at public speaking.
Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and
tools for your team.
SNAPSHOTS OF CHANGE
Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hawaii
“Shot nurse” takes the pain out of waiting
WHAT THEY DID
Members of this team at the Honolulu Clinic shortened
the average wait time for injections by:
• Designating a “shot nurse,” whose main duty for the
day is to give patients injections.
• Using a whiteboard to communicate who is the day’s
shot nurse and who is the floor nurse (who directs
patients to the shot nurse and helps with shots when
needed).
• Using Lotus Notes Sametime instant messaging to alert
clinic nurses when a patient checks in.
Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and
tools for your team.
Clinic Pharmacy, Georgia
SNAPSHOTS OF CHANGE
Improved label printing saves money
WHAT THEY DID
Pharmacy technicians in Cumberland, Ga.,
now get the medication off the shelf before typing
in the prescription or passing the prescription on
to a pharmacist. This helps them select the right product
from the National Drug Code database
and increases the likelihood that labels will not
need reprinting. They also found a way to clearly identify
which prescription drug containers have been opened,
improving inventory control and preventing delays.
Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and
tools for your team.
Women and Newborn Care, Northwest
SNAPSHOTS OF CHANGE
Collaboration gets teams top patient satisfaction
WHAT THEY DID
UBTs in two Sunnyside Medical Center departments —
Labor & Delivery and Women & Newborn Care—worked
together on the same service goals. They focused on key
drivers of overall satisfaction, including hospital quiet
and good communication. As a result:
• Nurses try to respond to all call lights within three
dings, regardless of which nurse is assigned to the
patient.
• Use of the Nurse Knowledge Exchange and patient
rounding have minimized interruptions, reduced noise
levels and improved communication.
• The unit’s report rooms, where staff noise levels tend
to be higher, now have doors that close automatically.
57%
Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and
tools for your team.