Client Challenge
A cancer treatment center was experiencing problems with excessive patient waiting and processing times. Patients expressed increasing dissatisfaction with this situation. The center realized that the time it took to process paperwork was too long. It recognized as well that it suffered from a lack of visual controls and performance metrics. Deciding that something needed to be done, the cancer treatment center turned to the lean-improvement experts of RWD for help.
Implementation
Working together, a cancer center team and RWD assessed the center’s processes by means of value stream mapping—developing pictures of both its current state and a prospective future state. Swim lane analysis was then used to identify root causes and improvement opportunities within clinical and business processes. The team created spaghetti diagrams and standardized work diagrams that led to the elimination of redundant process steps.
Our Solutions
As a result of the cancer treatment center/RWD lean team’s efforts, several key potential improvements were identified:
- A 70 percent reduction in total process time
- A 90 percent reduction in appointment backlogs
- A reduction in process steps by 40 percent