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Rapid Cycle Testing: A Disciplined Approach for Managing Innovation

Gaining consensus for changing a process is always a challenge. This is especially true given the complexity of healthcare processes. In spite of through analysis, meaningful progress is frequently hindered by fears of the unknown, a lack of consensus, multiple opinions, theories and forces that protect the status quo. Without the necessary skills, healthcare executives find themselves engaged in lengthy debates and countless hours in meetings attempting to gain traction for change while needed improvements are delayed. On one side of this spectrum is the mind set of designing the "Perfect Solution" prior to implementing any change. On the other side is a wasteful cycle of implementing one change after another in hopes something will work.

Rapid Cycle Experiments offers a proven approach for enhancing the speed and quality of decision making though out your entire hospital while introducing your team to the concepts of Lean-Six Sigma. Rapid Cycle Experimentation provides the foundation for a disciplined incremental approach to managing innovation and the analytical tools to accurately assess and quantify the impact of implemented changes.

As participants, your staff learns fundamental analytical and statistical techniques designed to increase the speed and quality of decision making. Caldwell Butler has extracted these methods from Lean-Six Sigma toolbox to create a proprietary program designed to introduce hospital staff to these concepts while actually producing cost recovery as an exhaust. Our clients report:

  • Improved speed of execution in testing and implementing changes
  • Increased confidence that decisions are producing the desired outcome
  • Reductions in quality-waste by eliminating changes that are ineffective
  • Lessening barriers to change by improving consensus among stake holders

Deliverables:

Our experience indicates that education followed by on-site apprenticing /coaching yields the most stainable results and changes in culture. For this reason our experts provide you with the on-site support to allow your staff hands-on experience in applying the most frequently used methods managing change. Your staff will receive training covering:

Lectures and Case Studies

  • Theory and value of rapid cycle experiments
  • How to translate resource denominated goals into process denominated goals
  • Role of Today’s Manager
    • Linking your work to the hospitals five critical core processes
    • 2:00 pm discharge = 80%
    • Surgery Cut to Close Hours/Staffed Hours = 50%
    • Emergency Department Length of Stay = < 4 Hours
    • In-Quality Staffing = 95%
    • Revenue Cycle Management % Clean Claim s in 5 Days =50%
  • Overview of Lean-Six Sigma Tools Set
    • Designing rapid cycle experiments
    • Selection of demonstration projects
    • Review of examples
    • Template Excel Models for Rapid Cycle Testing (Excel Worksheet format)
    • Overview of most useful techniques for analysis
    • Process capability
    • Run Charts
    • Control Charts
    • Pareto Analysis
    • Cause & Effect / Root Cause
    • Two Sample T-tests

Practical Application

  • Select cross functional teams
    • Identify areas of improvement in five core process
    • Implement Tests
    • Analyze results using methods
    • Present results in 30 Days

On-Site Support of a Master Black Belt in Lean-Six Sigma

  • Support of Master Black Belt in Lean-Six Sigma
    • Individual and team coaching
    • Support in designing experiments
    • Technical assistance in analyzing results