Kaplan HI230: Unit 7 Final Project Part 3 (2015)

HI230: Quality Assurance and Statistics in Health Information

Unit 7 Final Project Part 3

CASE OF THE BELATED LAB TESTS

PROCESS IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITY

PACKET #3

Disclaimer: The organization and characters depicted in this exercise are fictional. Any resemblance to real organizations

or individuals is purely coincidental.

The Team went back to the data collection forms and created this data table of Phlebotomy turnaround times.

KEY:

TAT – turnaround time

MF – Monday through Friday

SS – Saturday and Sunday

D- Day

E – Evening

N – Night

SPECIMEN TAT TEST DAY SHIFT FLOOR

1 1.5 CBC MF D 3B

2 2.0 LYTES MF D 3A

3 4.0 CBC MF E 3B

4 .5 BUN SS E 4B

5 4.5 LYTES SS D 4B

6 1.0 GLC MF D 4A

7 3.5 CBC MF E 3A

8 2.0 LYTES MF D 4C

9 4.5 CBC MF N 3B

10 2.5 CBC SS D 3C

11 5.5 CBC MF E 4B

12 1.0 BUN MF D 3A

13 4.5 LYTES MF E 3B

14 2.0 GLC MF E 3B

15 4.5 GLC SS N 4A

16 4.5 CBC MF D 3A

17 1.5 LYTES MF D 3A

18 2.0 BUN MF D 4B

19 5.0 GLC SS N 4C

20 2.5 CBC MF D 3C

21 4.5 GLC SS N 4A

22 3.0 CBC SS E 4C

23 0.5 LYTES MF N 3A

24 5.0 LYTES MF D 3C

25 0.5 CBC MF D 4B

26 1.0 LYTES MF D 4C

27 4.0 LYTES MF E 4A

28 1.5 CBC SS E 3C

HI230: Quality Assurance and Statistics in Health Information

29 1.0 BUN MF N 4C

30 4.0 GLC MF D 3A

31 2.0 GLC SS D 3C

32 3.0 CBC MF D 4B

33 2.5 LYTES SS D 3C

34 2.0 GLC MF E 4A

35 5.0 CBC SS D 3B

36 1.0 CBC MF D 4C

37 1.5 LYTES MF E 3C

38 4.5 BUN MF N 3B

39 2.0 CBC MF D 3C

40 4.0 LYTES MF N 4A

41 2.0 LYTES MF E 4B

42 3.5 CBC MF D 3A

43 2.5 BUN MF D 3C

44 1.5 GLC MF N 3A

45 4.5 BUN SS N 3B

46 1.5 CBC MF D 4C

47 3.0 BUN SS D 3A

48 2.0 GLC MF E 3C

49 4.0 CBC MF N 3C

50 1.0 LYTES MF N 4B

51 2.0 CBC SS D 3C

52 5.0 LYTES MF D 4A

53 2.0 GLC MF D 3C

54 4.5 GLC SS E 4B

55 2.5 GLC MF E 4B

56 2.0 LYTES SS D 3A

57 5.0 CBC MF N 3B

58 2.5 BUN MF D 3C

59 1.5 GLC MF N 4C

60 2.0 CBC MF D 4A

61 4.5 BUN MF D 4C

62 0.5 LYTES SS E 3C

63 4.5 CBC MF N 4A

64 3.0 CBC MF D 3C

65 2.0 GLC MF E 3A

66 4.0 GLC SS E 3C

67 2.5 LYTES MF D 3C

68 3.5 GLC MF D 4C

69 4.5 LYTES MF E 4B

70 1.0 CBC SS D 4B

HI230: Quality Assurance and Statistics in Health Information

Assignment #1:

1. Put this data into an Excel® spreadsheet and create multiple graphs that will show the relationship between TAT

and the other factors.

Helpful Hints: TAT should be your vertical side of the graph. You will want a graph with Test, Shift, Day, and Floor data

displayed on the horizontal side of your graph. You will create 4 separate graphs.

You want the graphs to actually tell you something—they should show exactly where there are issues.

The first graph is comparing the type of tests, so you need to separate the data out by Test. You should find an average

TAT for each type of test and put that in a table and graph it and see if it gives you some good information. So up the

side you would have TAT and across the bottom you would just have 4 bars—one for each type of test.

Same thing for day of the week data. Average the TAT for MF and average the TAT for SS and put that into a table and

graph it. So again the TAT will be up the side and then you will have two bars, just one for MF and one for SS. This way

you can see if there is a difference in the TAT for these two. You will do the same with shift and floor.

There is an example with pretend numbers posted in Doc Sharing.

2. Describe what your graphs are showing you.

After viewing the graphs the team decides they need more information about the night shift….

Interview With the Night Phlebotomist

Preface: The team decided a visit to the night shift or a discussion with the night phlebotomist (Dave Stick) would help

to find some answers. The Assistant Administrator (Lotta) volunteered to talk to Dave. The Quality Advisor (Tom)

thought it would be a good idea to join her.

——–CURTAIN UP—————–

Lotta: We have a big problem with the turnaround time for urgent lab tests here at the hospital, and the Quality Council

has put together a PI team to work on this. Since the lab is part of my organization, I’m the team leader. We’ve studied

this problem and found that blood-drawing for urgents on the night shift takes too long. We set up this meeting with

you today to find out what’s going on.

Dave: What’s the Quality Council?

Lotta: It’s the hospital management, and they’re really concerned about urgent test turnaround times. Can you tell us

why phlebotomy takes so long at night?

Dave: (getting defensive) I don’t know. Why don’t you talk to the floor secretaries? I hear they’re always slow at night.

It’s certainly not my fault!

Tom: Maybe we should explain things a little more. There’s something about the process of drawing urgent specimens

at night that seems to take longer than on the other shifts. We think there may be something different about the

HI230: Quality Assurance and Statistics in Health Information

process and maybe we could think of ways to improve it if we understood it a little better. You’re the expert, so we’re

talking to you. Could you help us understand what you do?

Dave: (relaxing a little) Well, everything’s different around here at night. You should come and visit us some time. I’m

the only phlebotomist on duty and I’m on the run all the time. There used to be two of us, but, then there was the last

round of cut backs. I think we need more night staff! You should tell THAT to your Quality Council!

Tom: You might be right—we may end up hiring more staff, but we can’t decide that without knowing more about the

problem. Tell us about drawing blood at night.

Dave: Well, there are two of us in the lab at night, myself and one tech. I draw all the bloods and help out with the

testing when I can. The phones are mostly answered by the Tech. She takes the request for a blood test and records it

on a log sheet, by the floor. If it’s a STAT request, I go right out.

Lotta: What about the Urgents?

Dave: Those get called in, too. But, I can’t go running for them all the time. When I go out for a STAT, I do any urgents in

that unit as well. Then, near the end of my shift, I go around to all the floors and draw the rest of the urgents and the

routines, too. Anyway, after I do the draws, I bring the specimens down to the lab and leave them with the techs. Have

you talked with the night tech?

Tom: We can do that if we need to. But, let me make sure I understand what you’ve told us so far. You go right out when

a STATs called in and while you’re in the unit you take care of any Urgents that are there. When an Urgent is called in,

you don’t go right out, but at the end of your shift, you make a sweep of the units and take care of both the Urgents and

Routines. Do I have it right?

Dave: That’s it. We used to go out for the urgents just like the STATs before the last cuts. After that, with just me on

nights, we couldn’t do that. I told my supervisor about that and he said it was OK, if that was the best we could do.

Lotta: Harry agreed with that? I wonder why I didn’t know.

Dave: No, not Harry – the guy before him. I think he left and went to Valley Hospital. Look, I’m serious. There are lots of

things that are done a little differently on the night shift.

Tom: I’m sure you’re right! One more thing, what do you know that’s special about units 3B and4A?

Dave: Oh, those. That’s Diagnostic Med and Psych. They have very few requests at night, and just about zero STATs. I

never make a special trip up there. I’m telling you, we just don’t have the time to run out for every test at night. Besides,

if they really want the results in a hurry, they order them STAT. If that Quality Council wants special runs for everyone,

they’ll just have to bite the bullet and hire more night staff.

HI230: Quality Assurance and Statistics in Health Information

Tom: Well, I think you’ve given us a pretty clear picture. We really appreciate your being so frank with us. I wonder if

you’d be willing to join our project team. What do you think?

Dave: That would be great. Us night people don’t get a chance to be involved in lots of things that go on during the day.

Lotta: I realize that. We could move our meetings to the first thing in the morning. And, I’ll see to it that you’re paid for

the time.

——-CURTAIN DOWN—————

Assignment 2:

1. Critique this interview. What was done well? What was not done so well?

2. Where is the team in the problem solving process?

Submit your work for Assignment #1 and Assignment #2 together in the Unit 8 Final Project Dropbox.

Explanation & Answer

Our website has a team of professional writers who can help you write any of your homework. They will write your papers from scratch. We also have a team of editors just to make sure all papers are of HIGH QUALITY & PLAGIARISM FREE. To make an Order you only need to click Order Now and we will direct you to our Order Page at Litessays. Then fill Our Order Form with all your assignment instructions. Select your deadline and pay for your paper. You will get it few hours before your set deadline.