September, 2017

Another 20 Huntsville Hospital System healthcare providers participated in the UAH Lean Healthcare Academy in 2017. Participants in the course included personnel from multiple locations in the Huntsville Hospital system.

The five-day course, which is provided by the UAH Lean Healthcare Program with trainers from the Office for Operational Excellence, is a combination of lecture and hands-on simulations covering topics such as introduction to lean concepts in healthcare, workplace organization, continuous flow, problem solving, root cause analysis, pull systems, quick changeover, value stream mapping and continuous improvement implementation.

After attending the interactive training sessions, participants began working
together on teams to identify improvement projects and then used the tools and concepts from the course to implement improvements. Upon the completion of the team projects, participants can obtain over 28 CEU or CME credits.

UAH Lean Healthcare Program has certified over 140 personnel at Huntsville Hospital through the UAH Lean Healthcare Academy.

What participants are saying:

This training will be very beneficial to every part of my job.

Most week-long training classes are grueling, but these instructors made the week fun, hands-on, and useful

UAH-OOE provides on-site business, technical and management support, training and program management.  The OOE staff are full-time, non-academic experts with vast experience in continuous improvement, human resource management, quality systems management, supply chain management and other business and engineering disciplines.  This expertise is leveraged to assist organizations in achieving operational excellence in Planning, Processes, and Products/Services through development of People and conservation of the Planet. 

August 23, 2017

Innova Primary Care had their Ribbon Cutting with the Huntsville Madison County Chamber today, August 23 to celebrate their new clinic.

There were several key components that were taken into account when designing the new medical clinic. The concepts and principles of a Patient Centered Medical Home played a significant role in the design and layout of the new building for Innova Primary Care.

The facility incorporates LEAN principles from studies conducted by the University of Alabama in Huntsville Office for Operational Excellence to create a highly efficient and technology driven clinic.

Our work with UAH aided the transformation of our clinic to a more highly efficient and patient-centered space.

-David Uptegrafft, Strategy Director

David Uptagrafft, Strategy Director commented, “Our work with UAH aided the transformation of our clinic to a more highly efficient and patient-centered space. We look forward to utilizing our new facility to push the envelope and innovate healthcare delivery for our region.”

The new location for Innova Primary Care has four times the amount of space than their previous location. The increased size of the clinic brings the need to be able to locate healthcare equipment, providers, as well as staff members throughout the day.

UAH-OOE provides on-site business, technical and management support, training and program management.  The OOE staff are full-time, non-academic experts with vast experience in continuous improvement, human resource management, quality systems management, supply chain management and other business and engineering disciplines.  This expertise is leveraged to assist organizations in achieving operational excellence in Planning, Processes, and Products/Services through development of People and conservation of the Planet. 

July 27, 2017

Huntsville Hospital’s Medical Intensive Care Unit is getting closer to its goal of zero infections.

Last week, Director Regina Wilder provided a Chick-fil-A breakfast to thank her staff for working to eliminate central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI).

Despite treating some of the sickest patients at the hospital, the unit has gone eight months without a CAUTI and made it almost a year – from July 2016 until last month – without a central line infection.

Chief Medical Officer Robert Chappell, MD, attended the breakfast to present Regina with the hospital’s Quality Coin. Chief Nursing Officer Karol Jones and HH Health System Chief Operating Officer Jeff Samz were also on hand.  The MICU’s low infection rate “is incredibly impressive,” said Jeff, “and it makes our hospital a safer place for patients.”

The low infection rate is incredibly impressive and it makes our hospital a safer place for patients.

-Jeff Samz, HH System Chief Operating Officer

 

How did they do it?
Regina said MICU caregivers are required to wear a surgical mask and gloves when accessing a patient's central line. The unit also uses port protector caps that are pre-treated with alcohol to help prevent infections, she said, and conducts daily audits to make sure each patient’s central line dressing is dry.

“To go 11 months without a CLABSI is pretty amazing considering how many patients we have with a central line,” said Regina. “The goal is zero infections, and that’s what we’ll continue to work towards.”

Regina recently completed the UAH Lean Healthcare Academy training and is currently working on implementing lean concepts learned during the class.  Other MICU staff have also completed the training and continue to improve operations in the unit.  Brian Buchman is another graduate of the Academy who leveraged the knowledge gained to implement best practices to reduce CLABSIs and CAUTIs a couple of years prior.

UAH Office for Operational Excellence provides on-site business, technical and management support, training and program management.  The OOE staff are full-time, non-academic experts with vast experience in continuous improvement, human resource management, quality systems management, supply chain management and other business and engineering disciplines.  This expertise is leveraged to assist organizations in achieving operational excellence in Planning, Processes, and Products/Services through development of People and conservation of the Planet. 

February and August, 2016

Over 40 Huntsville Hospital System healthcare providers participated in the UAH Lean Healthcare Academy in 2016. Participants in the course included personnel from Huntsville Hospital, Helen Keller Hospital (Sheffield, AL), Athens-Limestone Hospital (Athens, AL) and Decatur Morgan Hospital (Decatur, AL). The five-day course, which is provided by the UAH Lean Healthcare Program with trainers from the Office for Operational Excellence, is a combination of lecture and hands-on simulations covering topics such as introduction to lean concepts in healthcare, workplace organization, continuous flow, problem solving, root cause analysis, pull systems, quick changeover, value stream mapping and continuous improvement implementation. After attending the interactive training sessions, participants worked together on teams to identify improvement projects and then used the tools and concepts from the course to implement improvements. Team projects from the 2016 Spring and Fall groups included supply room ‘two-bin’ systems, modifying facility layout to improve flow, improving patient registration process, reducing time spent processing medical records, reducing patient time in ER, workplace standardization in sterile processing and improving equipment availability in hospital units.

Course attendees receive the equivalent of a Lean Healthcare Green Belt Certification and, upon the completion of the team projects, participants can obtain over 28 CEU or CME credits.

The Fall 2016 course, hosted by the UAH College of Nursing, was conducted on campus in the UAH Nursing Building. UAH Lean Healthcare Program has certified over 120 personnel at Huntsville Hospital through the UAH Lean Healthcare Academy.

What participants are saying:

Absolutely! Excellent class. Great mix of lecture, real-life examples, and hands-on simulations that keep the days flowing

Most week-long training classes are grueling, but these instructors made the week fun, hands-on, and useful

(This course) has transformed my way of thinking

Joe Paxton (Director, Office for Operational Excellence) leads a Lean Healthcare Academy session for Huntsville Hospital healthcare providers.

OOE Lean Six Sigma Black Belts, Green Belts and NIST Certified trainers have over 100 years combined lean experience in 100's of company engagements in manufacturing, business processes, supply chain and service industries including healthcare.

The Office for Operational Excellence certified trainers and practitioners assist organizations in their pursuit of excellence by providing training and support in strategic lean and six sigma deployment, facilitator and leadership development, value stream mapping and rapid improvement event facilitation and support.

UAH makes the news, as Joe Paxton, a lean healthcare practitioner in the Office for Operational Excellence, explains to WHNT how UAH is helping Huntsville Hospital apply lean concepts to reduce wait times and improve efficiency. Huntsville Hospital’s Vice President of Emergency Services Tracy Doughty explains, “They ask questions that we don’t normally think about. Sometimes you get into doing things the old way, and it’s always been done that way. They’re questioning everything we do and making us take a second look at all of our processes.”

UAH is on "the leading edge of higher education institutions nationally" by combining its research, educational and training functions to offer Lean process instruction to healthcare practitioners, says a nationally known Lean instructor.

Dr. Hugh McManus, senior special projects engineer at Metis Design and associate director of the LAI (Lean Advancement Initiative) Educational Network (EdNet), travels extensively to train the trainers who will be giving instruction in Lean principles.

Dr. McManus was on campus April 3 for a course to familiarize university staff, graduate students and Huntsville Hospital representatives with the one-day training so they could instruct others. UAH is a charter member of EdNet, which was founded at and collaborates with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).