Quality Improvement (QI)

Quality Improvement (QI) What is it?

Kelly Nagel, MS, LRDQI Council

4/16/2014 2

Agenda• Review QI and Flow chart power point– 10 minutes

• Review Affinity Diagram process– 10 minutes

• Break into groups and brainstorm reasons for “delayed reimbursement”– 10 minutes

• Groups post ideas and group ideas (silent consensus)– 20 minutes– Complete Affinity Diagram

• Adjourn

4/16/2014 3

QI Definition

• It refers to a continuous and ongoing effort to achieve measureable improvements in the efficiency, effectiveness, performance, accountability, outcomes and other indicators of quality in services or processes which achieve equity and improve the health to the community.

**Is the work we are doing making a difference or just making work for us to do?

4/16/2014 4

Continuous Improvement

PLAN

DO

CHECK/Study

ACT

4/16/2014 5

General Approach“AIM”

Issue to Consider Brainstorm &

Consolidate Data

Flow Chart Existing Process

Cause & Effect Diagram – Greatest Concern

Drill down to root causes

Gather DataTranslate Data

into Information

Analyze Information and

develop solutions

Flow Chart New Process

Monitor new process and Hold

the Gains

4/16/2014 6

Gather Reciepts

No

Travel Reimbursement(Out-of-State)

Do you have the required original receipts?

Return from travel

Yes

1Do you fill out the travel

voucher?

Yes

No

Yes

No

1

Contact Accounting on how to proceed

Employee review travel voucher and sign

Employee receives check by inside mail

Submit original voucher and original receipts to accounting

Give to division director and/or section cheif for signatures

Audited and determined acceptable?

Employee emailed

No

Accounting stamps with date received

Entered int o Peoplesoft

Returned to Employee Unpaid

Can you get the required original receipts?

Give proper information and documentation to

support person.22

Make copies and date stamp

Complete Travel Voucher and paper clip original reciepts

2

Payment ProcessedNo Yes

Direct Deposit set up for Employee?

Yes

Accounting picks up check from state treasury office

Employee account credited

4/16/2014 7

Analyzing a Flow Chart

• Redundancy• Bottlenecks• Rework loops• Hand-offs• Wait or delays

4/16/2014 8

What is an Affinity Diagram?

• A tool for assimilating and understanding large amounts of information.– Group large amounts of ideas, issues, items, or

observations into categories for further analysis.• Used to categorize ideas.– Used after brainstorming– Helps to provide direction and overcome team

paralysis

4/16/2014 9

How To Do It:

• Clearly define the issue to be explored– Issue Statement

• Brainstorm ideas/reasons about the issue– Individual silent brainstorming (write each idea on a separate sticky note)– Ideas should be written in more than one word

• Post ideas at random– Participants can ask for clarification when idea is read

• Silent Consensus– Look for ideas that seem to be related in some way– Move the sticky notes until the notes are grouped– It is ok to have “loners”– It is alright to move notes that someone has already moved– If a note seems to belong in two groups, make a second note

• When ideas are grouped, select a heading (categories/themes) for each group– Themes should be at least two words

4/16/2014 10

Draw Finished Diagram

• Write a the issue statement at the top of the diagram

• Place the header above each group of ideas• Review and clarify the ideas and groupings

Affinity Diagram Example

4/16/2014 12

Next QI Tool??

• Cause and Effect Diagram–May 21st•1 pm to 2 pm•Capital: AV Rooms 210 & 212

• Contact Gregg Reed with questions