Applying industrial process improvement techniques to increase efficiency in a surgical practice.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Surgical Workflow Optimization
• Process Improvement Methodologies

Background:

• Preoperative workup processes can be lengthy, leading to patient delays and decreased practice efficiency.
• Streamlining patient journeys is crucial for improving surgical care delivery and patient satisfaction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of industrial process improvement techniques on streamlining preoperative patient workup.
• To reduce wait times between initial patient contact, consultation, and surgical procedures.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of Lean process improvement strategies within an endocrine surgery service at a tertiary medical center.
• Multidisciplinary collaboration was key to redesigning patient flow and departmental processes.

Main Results:

• Reduced average wait time from initial call to consult (18.3 to 15.4 days) and from consult to surgery (39.9 to 33.9 days).
• Significant decrease in patient cancellations (27.9% to 17.3%) and a notable increase in monthly consults (30.9 to 52.4).
• Specific improvements noted for low-risk patients with consult-to-surgery wait times reduced to 15.0 days.

Conclusions:

• Process improvement methodologies effectively streamline preoperative workup for surgery patients.
• Significant reductions in wait times and cancellations, alongside increased practice throughput, demonstrate the benefits of this approach.
• The generalized process is applicable across various surgical practices to enhance efficiency and patient flow.