Posted for Dr. Ouellette from 5/30/2019 email:
1. The Lean Program is a system-wide initiative to improve the health care experience of patients, and the efficacy and safety of selected operations, for all clinics and other health care environments. A team from the Pulmonary and Critical Care division has been engaged in studying our clinic environment and targeting process changes. The following changes will be introduced in the near future.
2. Clinic staff at Main will be assessing patient needs for refills at the initiation of outpatient visits. Appropriate requests for refills of respiratory medications will be entered as pended orders into the clinic visit EPIC workspace. The provider will have the opportunity to sign these orders, update or change the orders, or delete the orders during the clinic visit. The purpose of this change is to increase the ease/efficacy of the provider work flow and guarantee that the patient receives needed refills during their visit. Outcomes will be monitored and feedback solicited.
3. Team huddles will be held for the clinic at Main beginning in the near future. Initially, the huddle will occur once weekly but frequency may increase. The huddle will be an informal meet-up at about 11 AM and will last no more than 10 minutes. The morning clinic checker will be asked to try and attend these huddles. The purpose will be to address acute contingencies, safety issues, and work flow processes. Participants’ feedback will be sought.