Reengineering a surgical service line: focusing on core process improvement.
Integrating principles from a variety of theory has led to the development of a conceptual framework for reengineering in a clinical care delivery setting to improve the value of services provided to the customer. A conceptual framework involving the identification of three high level core processes to reengineer can provide clarity and focus for clinicians to begin directing reengineering efforts. Those core processes are: clinical management of the patient's medical needs, patient operational processes to support the clinical processes, and administrative decision-making processes to support the implementation of the clinical and operational processes. Improvement in any one of these areas has the potential to increase value, but the concurrent targeting of these core processes for reengineering has provided a synergy that has accelerated the achievement of the desired outcomes in the area of surgical services.
Kelly
D L
DL
LDS Hospitals (Intermountain Health Care), Salt Lake City, Utah 84143, USA.
Pestotnik
S L
SL
Coons
M C
MC
Lelis
J W
JW
D006754:Hospital Restructuring; D006801:Humans; D007324:Institutional Management Teams; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D018802:Patient-Centered Care; D013503:Surgery Department, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017749:Total Quality Management; D014589:Utah