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J U N E 2 0 1 5 | O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
A
couple
of years
ago, we
began seeing
more and more
surgical delays,
mostly because
surgeons were
often late for their
first cases of the
day. Overtime
costs were on the
rise, patient satisfaction scores were falling, and surgeon and employ-
ee morale was sinking.
It was time to encourage the bad apples to do better, and to recog-
nize the good apples for their diligence. So we created an "apples in
the barrel board" and started some healthy competition. We printed
all of our surgeons' names and photos on paper apples, which we
moved up and down the "barrel," based on their percentage of first
cases completed on time. Additionally, surgeons who started 100% of
their first cases on time in a given month were recognized with apple
certificates posted on their OR doors the following month. It's fun and
it's made a difference. We're now seeing fewer delays, more optimal
use of our surgical suites, increased patient satisfaction scores and
improved staff morale.
Ebony Mitchell, BSN, RN
Houston (Texas) Methodist Hospital
emitchell@houstonmethodist.org
EFFORTS BEAR FRUIT
Our Apple Display Keeps Delays at Bay
Ebony
Mitchell,
BSN,
RN
z SEEDING IS BELIEVING Our on-time start rate was ripe for improvement.