Finding 0pportunities in pre-admission testing through value stream mapping

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Session
Perioperative

Authors
Paul O'Quinn
Operations Improvement Engineer
Susquehanna Health System

Ramesh Pondhe
Operations Improvement Engineer
Susquehanna Health System

Description
The presentation will provide the audience with a basic knowledge of the value stream mapping process and how it can be applied to a pre-admission testing (PAT) department. Examples of how opportunities were addressed in both the PAT department and the value stream mapping process will be provided.

Abstract
This presentation describes opportunities discovered in pre-admission testing (PAT) at The Williamsport Hospital through the use of a value stream map (VSM). We relied solely on work already published as a guide for our first value stream mapping effort. The presentation will:

1. Provide a basic understanding of the value stream mapping tool
2. Highlight specific opportunities discovered in the PAT department
3. Share lessons learned when using the VSM tool

One lesson learned was the scheduling of VSM team meetings. We continued with our standard approach to project meetings which was to allocate one to two hours per week. The result was six weeks to finish the current state map. Although we took longer than expected, the current state map proved to be an eye-opener. A major discovery was the low percentage of cases whose information made it through the entire PAT process complete and accurate the first time. We are currently in the final stages of implementing our future state map improvements. Updates will be provided during the conference presentation.