{"70820":{"#nid":"70820","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Initiative Helps Rural Georgia Hospitals Improve Performance","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESeven rural Georgia hospitals will participate in a new initiative designed to help increase their capacity to serve patients, improve the quality of their services and reduce costs.  The benefits will come from adopting performance improvement techniques that are already widely used in manufacturing industry.  \u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe two-year demonstration project, to be led by the Georgia Institute of Technology\u0027s Enterprise Innovation Institute through a $349,000 grant from Healthcare Georgia Foundation, will help train hospital staff in \u0022lean\u0022 techniques that identify waste in processes and find ways to eliminate it.  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech has successfully used the approach with hospitals in Atlanta, Columbus, Newnan and Vidalia.  Its \u0022lean health care\u0022 training programs have been licensed for use nationwide by the American Hospital Association.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022We want to take the techniques that have proven to be so successful in large hospitals and use them in small, rural hospitals,\u0022 said Frank Mewborn, director of the Healthcare Performance Group in Georgia Tech\u0027s Enterprise Innovation Institute.  \u0022Rural hospitals typically don\u0027t have the resources to hire outside consultants to help with performance improvement issues, so we very much appreciate the support from Healthcare Georgia Foundation to make this initiative possible.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech project leaders will work with health care professionals at the participating hospitals to conduct lean assessments, teach basic lean concepts, develop value stream maps to analyze the flow of materials and information, and implement rapid process improvement techniques.  Because the techniques rely on input from those closest to the processes being improved, each hospital will dedicate staff members to work with Georgia Tech. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022This is a substantial investment on the part of the hospitals because they must pull front-line staff from their normal responsibilities during the process improvement activities,\u0022 Mewborn noted.  \u0022Involvement of these key people is essential to the process, and it pays off long-term through better processes and buy-in from those who are on the front lines of providing patient care.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBeyond direct process improvements, the initiative will also provide long-term benefits through senior leadership and hospital staff who have been trained in the lean techniques and who will share them with other departments and facilities.  Success will be measured by improvements made during the process, and by the ability of each hospital to continue the process improvement efforts after the initiative\u0027s conclusion.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ERural hospitals in Georgia face a financial crisis because their patients are less likely than those of metropolitan hospitals to have health insurance.  At the same time, hospitals in underserved areas face other competitive disadvantages as they confront rising costs.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022A lot of rural hospitals are struggling to make payroll every month,\u0022 Mewborn noted.  \u0022They don\u0027t have revenue opportunities from more profitable kinds of surgeries because they may not have a large enough market.  They are meeting an essential need for health care in their areas, but their reimbursement rates tend to be low.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESuch facilities need to find sustainable ways to become more efficient, which is why Healthcare Georgia Foundation provided the grant to Georgia Tech.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022This grant award represents a tremendous opportunity to achieve greater efficiencies in health care quality and costs,\u0022 said Gary D. Nelson, president of the Foundation.  \u0022By taking this issue on from both clinical and operational perspectives, we can achieve sustainable efficiencies where they are most needed in our state.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOne of Georgia Tech\u0027s first lean health care projects was with the emergency department at Meadows Regional Medical Center in Vidalia, Ga.  As a result of the process improvement activities done there, the average time patients remained in the emergency department was reduced 44 percent and physicians were able to see more patients per hour - all while maintaining a 92 percent patient satisfaction rating.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOther hospital process improvement projects done by Georgia Tech have:\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E- Shortened the lead time and reduced errors in blood testing,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n- Developed a time-saving system for managing intravenous pumps,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n- Reduced errors and lead time for collecting and processing tissue samples,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n- Increased capacity by reducing room down-times between patients,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n- Boosted laboratory capacity and reduced errors through improved organization,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n- Increased physician productivity through standardized work processes, and\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n- Streamlined pre-registration processes.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHospitals that have agreed to participate in the program include Upson Regional Medical Center in Thomaston, Peach Regional Medical Center in Fort Valley, Monroe County Hospital in Forsyth, Morgan Memorial Hospital in Madison, Banks-Jackson-Commerce Hospital in Commerce, West Georgia Medical Center in LaGrange, and Hutcheson Medical Center in Fort Oglethorpe. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe projects are expected to be completed by June 2010.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout Healthcare Georgia Foundation\u003C\/strong\u003E: Healthcare Georgia Foundation is a statewide, private independent foundation.  The Foundation\u0027s mission is to advance the health of all Georgians and to expand access to affordable, quality healthcare for underserved individuals and communities.  Through its strategic grant-making, Healthcare Georgia Foundation supports organizations that drive positive change, promotes programs that improve health and healthcare among underserved individuals and communities, and connects people, partners and resources across Georgia.  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout the Enterprise Innovation Institute\u003C\/strong\u003E: The Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute helps companies, entrepreneurs, economic developers and communities improve their competitiveness through the application of science, technology and innovation.  It is one of the most comprehensive university-based programs of business and industry assistance, technology commercialization and economic development in the nation.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 100\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAtlanta, Georgia  30308\u003C\/strong\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contacts\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986); E-mail: (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E) or Nancy Fullbright (404-894-2214); E-mail: (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:nancy.fullbright@innovate.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Enancy.fullbright@innovate.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\n\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Seven health care facilities will be part of a pilot program"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"Seven rural Georgia hospitals will participate in a new initiative designed to help increase their capacity to serve patients, improve the quality of their services and reduce costs.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech will help seven rural hospitals adopt \u0022lean\u0022 practi"}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2008-12-11 01:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:03:19","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2008-12-11T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2008-12-11T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"70821":{"id":"70821","type":"image","title":"Nurse cleans infusion pump","body":null,"created":"1449177314","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:15:14","changed":"1475894623","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:43"}},"media_ids":["70821"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.healthcaregeorgia.org\/","title":"Healthcare Georgia Foundation"},{"url":"http:\/\/innovate.gatech.edu\/","title":"Enterprise Innovation Institute"}],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1675","name":"hospital"},{"id":"1674","name":"improvement"},{"id":"1676","name":"lean"},{"id":"1509","name":"process"},{"id":"1677","name":"quality"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EResearch News \u0026amp; Publications Office\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=jt7\u0022\u003EContact John Toon\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404-894-6986\u003C\/strong\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}