Issue link: https://industrialengineer.epubxp.com/i/905872
44 ISE Magazine | www.iise.org/ISEmagazine Cracking the KPI code in healthcare well-defined KPIs and implementing customer-facing opera- tional changes was overwhelmingly positive. The emergency response times were reduced systemwide by approximately 12 percent, saving nearly 37,000 minutes of response times in the first year. Second, the system was able to accomplish a lot more with existing resources, as no new resources were added for the first year. The year to-date salary expenses for the first year after implementation saved nearly $1 million because of the optimization efforts. In short, the ambulance service ac- complished a lot more with existing resources by optimizing its performance via well-defined, real-time KPIs. Pivoting toward improvement This case involving emergency services response points the way to how other healthcare organizations can use the right KPIs to drive organizational change. Ensure the organization measures the right data. Strate- gic goals and objectives are the compass for the organization, and aligning these goals with KPI data is imperative to keep the organization on track. Ensure as many KPIs as possible are measured and available for review in real time. You don't know what you don't know. If data are lagging, the organiza- tion and its environment may have changed during the data lag, which means any action you take might not be effective. Implement immediate action items for nonconforming KPIs to ensure that the system stays in control. Also, ensure that action items achieve the intended results. Remember, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. Action items should focus on specific root causes, be completed within a predetermined time frame and achieve the desired outcome. Include all relevant stakeholders in KPI data sharing. Many times, those leaders and staff closest to the process will be able to make the greatest level of change. Ensuring KPI data is readily available to all appropriate stakeholders, including front-line leaders, and provided in a simple, user-friendly for- mat are key drivers in the quest to achieve and maintain system optimization. Hold all business units accountable for their performance and nonperforming KPIs. Accountability should begin and end at the top of the organizational chart. Ensure KPIs are trending in the right direction. If KPI trends are not favorable, revisit the root cause analysis to en- sure the target (i.e., root causes) of improvement efforts is the appropriate focus needed to achieve the results you intend. Industry leaders will lead by leveraging real-time data to achieve and maintain high levels of operational performance. Reliable data that reflect the current customer environment is key to being able to pivot and adjust to change real time. Casey Bedgood is a Six Sigma black belt at Navice t Health. I 2014, he became Navice t Health's first i ter ally trai ed Six Sigma Black belt via the I stitute of I dustrial a d System E gi eers a d is Navice t Health's first black belt to publish his or her work. Bed- good has 17 years of cli ical, admi istrative operatio al leadership a d process improveme t healthcare expertise. He has exte sive experie ce a d k owledge related to emerge cy services, disaster ma ageme t, pre-hospital adva ced patie t care, performa ce improveme t, system optimizatio , co ti uous improveme t, strategic program desig d logistical pla i g. He is certified as a Georgia paramedic with more tha 6 years of emerge cy services experie ce. He received a AS i paramedic tech ology, a BBA mag a cum laude from Mercer U iver- sity a d a PA from Georgia College a d State U iversity. He is a member of the America ollege of Healthcare Executives. FIGURE 3 Factoring performance via percentages A healthcare organization's emergency response times can be examined via a response time continuum with fractile-based performance measures. (TAT stands for turnaround time.) Response tme contnuum Total response Ɵme Goal: < 12 minutes 90% Goal < 60 sec 90% < 1:29 90% < 25 minutes 90% Dispatch Ɵme Out of chute Travel Ɵme TAT