Honore Daumier - The Burden, aka Washerwoman with Load, 1865
My two manager partners– Malathi Michael and Jacqui Davis — and I decided yesterday that we liked the term BURDEN more than WASTE when working on clinic improvement using Lean principles. Though these terms can be used interchangeably, our staff are more likely to recognize that we want to help them if we focus on finding BURDENS, rather than WASTE. So, to that end, here is the latest list of burdens to be addressed in future improvement efforts.
BURDENS AT NORTHGATE MEDICAL CENTER
- External referrals
- Lack of good education materials for obstetrics and diabetes
- Durable medical equipment (DME) referrals
- Not getting hard copy prescriptions to pharmacy on time
- Upsetting patients when provider is running late
- Losing lab specimens due to labeling problems
- Unreliable use of masks to limit spread of infections
- Add on of procedures to treatment center
- Routing of normal labs by LPN to ordering providers
- Patients stuck at lab waiting for orders
- Paperwork delays related to routing of faxes
- Lack of clear process for triaging over lunch hour for pediatrics
- Patient visits starting late
- Papers making it to provider’s desk without being screened by MA
- Excessive overhead pages in the medical center
Something missing from the list? Got something to say about BURDENS versus WASTE? Add a comment!
It is absolutely important to remember how VALUABLE our work is to our patients and to the community. Our sincere efforts are appreciated by the families we care for. We work hard for our patients because our good work is rewarding. However, when we are burdened with inefficient or wasteful processes, we can feel frustrated. Waste in the process is an obstacle that prevents us from serving our patients. By removing the waste, we remove the burden and our work becomes even more rewarding.
Yusuf