Assignment task: The current workflow process has worked well for the past 10 years. The new CEO wants the DNFB to drop from $2.4 million to $750,000.00. Coding is the only thing preventing the bill from dropping within 3 days. In addition, there are complaints from some of the new physicians on staff that they have to wait too long to gets charts dictate. They want to be able to dictate the discharge summary within a day or two after patient discharge. To satisfy the CFO and the physicians, you will need to make changes. You need to speed up the process to get codes entered into the system faster, as well as to get charts to the incomplete chart room quickly. To accomplish this, you need to reengineer the current workflow.
The current process is:
- The charts are picked up from the unit at midnight of the day of discharge
- The charts are checked off the discharge list
- The charts are placed on the "wall" to await loose material that is needed for analysis, coding and quality indicator monitoring
- Loose material is filed in the charts for three days
- On the 4th day, each chart is coded
- On the 5th day, each chart is assembled
- On the 6th day, each chart is analyzed
- On the 7th day, the quality indicator abstracting is conducted and the charts are sent to the incomplete chart room or the permanent file
Q1. What changes can you recommend to accomplish your goals?
Q2. What impact (positive and negative) do you expect?
Q3. What could you do to diminish the impact of the negative outcomes?