Teleradiology 5S Implementation at Winship Cancer Institute
by Mohsina Yusuf
Lisa Kappel recently completed a Teleradiology 5S workshop at Winship to improve workflow and communication within her department. 5S is a visually-oriented system used for improving organization & flow in the workplace. 5S workshops increase morale, safety, and quality, and also reduce cost and ensure timeliness.
The 5S workshop provided an opportunity for the participants to work as a team and educate each other on how the current challenges prevented them from working efficiently. It also has allowed the team to think outside the box and develop creative solutions to improve the flow of information and remove process wastes. During the workshop, the Teleradiology team rearranged their office space and removed cubicles to facilitate communication among themselves and with individuals dropping off CDs to be uploaded to PACs. Small improvements such as bringing in the shredder from an adjoining room decreased unnecessary motion.
Next, the team created bins and leveraged visual management to guide standard work for CD drop-offs. They also created a standard workflow for holding CDs that reduced the need to repeatedly trace the patient or the requesting provider to return CDs. To tie together these improvements, the Teleradiology team created a Tier 1 huddle board.
Next steps for the Teleradiology team are to continue leveraging the 5S tools and Tier 1 huddle board to hardwire and further refine the standards created as part of the workshop. 5S has given the team a foundation to practice open communication and proactively eliminate waste, which in turn increases productivity and efficiency in processing increasing exam volumes that need to be uploaded via LifeImage into PACS.
“The 5S project has not only provided and enhanced organization skill and the technique of eliminating waste in the workplace, it also provided useful tools that are being utilized on a personal level,” shares Lisa.
Lisa Kappel recently completed a Teleradiology 5S workshop at Winship to improve workflow and communication within her department. 5S is a visually-oriented system used for improving organization & flow in the workplace. 5S workshops increase morale, safety, and quality, and also reduce cost and ensure timeliness.
The 5S workshop provided an opportunity for the participants to work as a team and educate each other on how the current challenges prevented them from working efficiently. It also has allowed the team to think outside the box and develop creative solutions to improve the flow of information and remove process wastes. During the workshop, the Teleradiology team rearranged their office space and removed cubicles to facilitate communication among themselves and with individuals dropping off CDs to be uploaded to PACs. Small improvements such as bringing in the shredder from an adjoining room decreased unnecessary motion.
Next, the team created bins and leveraged visual management to guide standard work for CD drop-offs. They also created a standard workflow for holding CDs that reduced the need to repeatedly trace the patient or the requesting provider to return CDs. To tie together these improvements, the Teleradiology team created a Tier 1 huddle board.
Next steps for the Teleradiology team are to continue leveraging the 5S tools and Tier 1 huddle board to hardwire and further refine the standards created as part of the workshop. 5S has given the team a foundation to practice open communication and proactively eliminate waste, which in turn increases productivity and efficiency in processing increasing exam volumes that need to be uploaded via LifeImage into PACS.
“The 5S project has not only provided and enhanced organization skill and the technique of eliminating waste in the workplace, it also provided useful tools that are being utilized on a personal level,” shares Lisa.