Week 10 - Redesign Principles and Tactics

Source / Reference:

1) "E-health: applying business process reengineering principles to health care in Canada"  by Michael Bliemel, Khaled Hassanein 2007

http://www.khaledhassanein.ca/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/J7.pdf

 

2) El Sawy's Redesign Principles and Tactics

http://higheredbcs.wiley.com/legacy/college/turban/0471229679/add_text/ch09/el_sawy.pdf

Subject: 

The Role of BPR in Health Care

======================================================================

Response:

There are 3 types of reengeneering principles according to El Sawy: 

There are many problems in the health care industry such as excessive waiting times for patients, lack of access to providers and information, high costs of delivery and medical errors. Heavy reliance on paper based patient records in medical institutions is one of the major contributor to these problems. Recent research has found out that doctors using computer based patient records performed better and more efficient than doctors who used traditional paper records. Thus, reengeneering is necessary for health care industry.

Applications of the ten principles in health care industry:

1) Lose Wait - Waiting times for patients and processes. 

By utilizing faster communication technologies such as email, the waiting time between when lab results are requested and when they are delivered can be reduced. Moreover, processing time can be reduced by having facilities closer to where they are requested. 

2) Orchestrate - Coordinating between health care providers to balance workloads. 

Rather than taking on patients until capacity is reached in one hospital, hospitals can share their patients when one of the hospital has extra beds for patients. In addition, medical staff have more time to service their patients and improve their services leading to shorter length of stay for patients. 

3) Mass customize - Providing flexibly of interaction options and service offerings to various patients

Various methods such as telephony, email, video call, or personal appointments can be offered to patients to access health care professionals when seeking advice. Customized advice and feedback can be given based on different patients through online support system. 

4) Synchronize - Synchronize the physical and virtual parts of processes

Tracking the movements of medical supplies, laboratory results, and patients electronically in order to ensure that everything is where it is needed when it is needed.

5) Digitize and propagate - Upgrading to 21st century

By doing so, information can be shared faster and more controls can be put into place to ensure their accuracy and completeness. Patients can be prompted to key in their own medical histories and complaints prior to consultation with a physician. This can reduce the amount of clerical work performed by professionals.

6) Vitrify - Making processes transparent

Only relevant data are shared among the system, thus ensuring the privacy policies. Patients do not need to worry about the exposure of their personal data. Management, researchers and policy makers can get a big picture of problems and opportunities within the system.

7) Sensitize - Preventing medical errors

The system will notify the medical staff when it detected prescription error such as incorrect dosage, changed of patients' medical conditions, etc. By having such information, the medical staff can take prompt actions to deal with such circumstances. 

8)  Analyze and synthesize - Enabling timely reactions to sudden changes in environment

Predictions of outbreak of influenza can be made and preventions can be taken through vast amount of information gathered through data mining. The analysis of such data can lead to the identification and simulation of further improvement to the health care system in terms of quality of care and cost reductions. 

9) Connect, collect, and create -Foundation of knowledge management

New insights and ideas can be gained through the sharing of knowledge about participants. Knowledge repositories can be created. Executive boards can make better judgment in decision making.

10) Personalize - Having closer relationships with patients

Patients can receive more personalized treatment according to their preferences. For example, different patients have different views about the use of antibiotics. Physicians become familiar with the needs of their patients through conversations about their lifestyle and professions.