Three Tools To Solve 90% of Healthcare Problems
Jay presented this webinar to University of Illinois Chicago Director of Nursing Practice (DNP) faculty on 9/8/2022.
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Improvement Insights Blog
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Policies are Barriers to Performance Success
Are old policies making your business sluggish and irritating customers?
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma Demystified” and QI Macros [software].
“Some years ago I worked with a credit union. They were having trouble because on Friday nights there were really long lines [with] everybody trying to cash their paychecks and everything else. They were struggling. They also had a problem because when they lost a teller it took them 80 days to get a new teller in.
“We started looking at the process for doing that [with a] little value stream map. The very first thing they did was they offered that job to the rest of the company.
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Data is Like a Salmon
To make your Excel data usable, it can’t be chopped up like sushi. Here’s why:
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma For Hospitals” and QI Macros [software].
“I look at a lot of Excel data that people send me, and unfortunately most of them have been trying to make their spreadsheet pretty so that humans can read it. No, that’s dumb, all right?
“Very often they chop it up into little bits and they either spread it out all over the spreadsheet or they spread it out in separate worksheets because this is May, June, July… and so there’s no way to take that data and turn it into a performance chart: a Control Chart, a Pareto Chart.
Are You Using Force Multipliers to Maximize the Results from Lean Six Sigma?
Force multipliers help you get more done with less effort. Are you using this one?
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma Demystified” and QI Macros [software].
“In different arenas, often in the military, they talk about things that are force multipliers: Things that make your force better, faster, more agile, more everything. I want you to consider that the QI Macros is a force multiplier. It can take somebody and make them wildly more successful and productive rapidly. If I had that tool back in the 90s, I’d have gone through the telephone company like with a chainsaw, and maybe the company would not have been acquired and gone into bankruptcy (or almost gone into bankruptcy).
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Are You a Consultant or a Resultant?
Most of the business world deals with consultants. I’d like you to consider becoming a resultant. Here’s why:
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma For Hospitals” and QI Macros [software].
“Forever, business has hired consultants, and I think the operational word in there sometimes is “CON-sultant,” right?
“When I think of myself, I think of myself as a “resultant.” My job is to help people get results, not to come up with big PowerPoint presentations and keep the meter running for weeks and months and years on projects. No! Let’s get some results!
8/9/22 QI Macros webinar
Over 50 people signed up for this webinar, with Jay Arthur demonstrating some of the software’s most frequently used tools and answering questions asked by attendees.
If you saw a feature demonstrated in the webinar that might have been added to QI Macros after the version you’re using (for instance, the Improvement Project Wizard or the automated Process Change Wizard), you may need to purchase an upgrade to bring your QI Macros to the current version. Send an email to support@qimacros.com and we can help, for instance in generating a quote to upgrade all the users at your organization or just guiding you through the purchasing process.
Is Lean Six Sigma Just an Ukulele?
Have you ever made a judgement and discarded an idea before you realize how valuable it could be? Here’s how it applies to Lean Six Sigma and ukuleles:
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma For Hospitals” and QI Macros [software].
“This is an ukulele, and most of you probably think, “Well, that’s for Hawaiian music, isn’t it?” I’ll tell you; no, it’s a very versatile instrument. You can do lots with it. If you don’t believe me, go watch Jake Shimabukuro do Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen; it’s on YouTube.
“You know, with this this instrument we can do lots of things.
Education Does Not Mean Production
Lots of people have been educated in Lean Six Sigma, but some can’t use the methods and tools to solve problems. Here’s why:
“You know, I worked at Bell Laboratories in the mid-70s, and I was the little representative from one of the Bell operating companies: U.S West. It was Mountain Bell at that time, I guess… That’s true!
“Anyway, I was out there and boy, I’ll tell you: we had people with master’s degrees and PhD degrees. One of the things that I discovered when I was there is that education does not mean production. Right? There were people that were very educated and were very good at school but couldn’t find a way to write a line of code that worked with all the with all the help in the world.
Old Habits Die Hard
Ever caught yourself doing something from habit that makes no sense anymore? Here’s how it applies to Lean Six Sigma:
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma For Hospitals” and QI Macros [software].
“Last week I went out to eat breakfast and I ordered two eggs over medium with some hash browns. When my eggs showed up, I cut them up with a knife and a fork and then I sat there and I mashed the eggs into kind of like a scramble. I thought, “Oh my gosh, that’s how my dad always ate his eggs.”
RRTs vs Code Blues – What is Your Data Telling You?
Sometimes your data seems to be telling you something counterintuitive. Here’s a healthcare example using Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) and Code Blues. What is your data telling you?
“Hi, I’m Jay Arthur, author of “Lean Six Sigma For Hospitals” and QI Macros [software].
“Last week I got a call from a customer and they said, “Here’s some data and we need your help a little bit.” (This is rare, okay, but they did ask for help.) So anyway, the issue is in a hospital when patients’ respiratory [numbers] and everything else drops to zero, that’s what they call a Code Blue, right?
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