Basic Principles
A major academic hospital was aiming to make its planning activities more uniform and efficient, with the help of a new electronic patient record system. Not only would that serve patients better, it would also bring calm and rhythm to the organization. But although the hospital had been talking about the change for some time, it had never managed to make any real progress. Vintura was called in to set basic principles everyone could agree upon, so that process design and implementation could finally go ahead from there. As quickly as possible.
Defining the Challenge
What exactly is comprehensive planning? And what is it intended to achieve? Our first task was to establish mutual understanding by running a large working meeting for all sections of the hospital community. We defined the ambition and agreed upon planning requirements. After that we interviewed the individual participants about their specific planning methods, what needed to change and what the consequences would be.
At a second session, we took a number of important decisions. About the planning horizon, rostering, how to organize strategic and tactical plans, structuring, opening timetables, and linking preoperative, theatre, and clinic schedules. All with a view to optimizing the chain for patients, and preferably also optimizing resources.
Rapid Results
Everyone signed up to all the principles and all the decisions taken. What had been a complex and time-consuming issue was now resolved in just four weeks. The hospital was finally able to proceed with the implementation of its long desired system.
