The award recognizes an individual or organization that has introduced innovations, used creativity and embraced risk-taking in their leadership of demonstrably-successful quality improvement initiatives. The Operational Excellence program at MaineHealth brings leaders and team members together to engage in work focused on improving safety, quality and the patient experience.
Operational Excellence at Waldo County General Hospital
Working together to find solutions for process improvement is vital for our hospitals. PBMC and WCGH look forward to the continued growth of the program in the coming years.
Beginning with Pen Bay Medical Center in 2013, Operational Excellence has rolled out at almost every organization across the MaineHealth system. One aspect of the Operational Excellence program is the “Gemba walk” where leaders visit numerous departments, every day, to talk directly with teams about the work being done there. Department personnel collect data on the issues they wish to improve (referred to as Key Performance Indicators or KPIs) and share this information at the Gemba walk.
PBMC celebrated completing more than 1,000 KPIs in 2017, while WCGH celebrated completing more than 500. KPIs range from safe sleep initiatives, timely patient communication and referral accuracy, to standardizing supply rooms and waiting area improvements.
