Reducing the volume of reports filed after discharge in the medical record department at Abbott Northwestern Hospital.
METHODS
Decrease the backlog of "late" medical reports--ie, those sent to the Medical Record Department after the patient has been discharged and the patient's medical record has been received in the Department. Principals: Three teams: one composed of supervisor and staff of the records processing area; one of staff members from the Reception area; and one of staff members from the Laboratory, Radiology, and Special Diagnostics departments. Process Improvement Method: 10-step model based on Deming's key principles. Timeline: Begun: December 1991. RESULTS reported here: June 1992-September 1992.


RESULTS
The systems for routing inpatient medical reports were faulty, so staff from the nursing units and ancillary services often sent reports to the Medical Record Department when the patient was still in the hospital. The process for locating and retrieving a chart for late report filing was too lengthy and complex.


RESULTS
The backlog of unfiled reports has been reduced from 35 inches to less than one-half inch (an unusual, but customer-oriented measure). The time needed to file one inch of reports has decreased from 2 hours to 1.25 hours.
D004282:Documentation / Q000592:standards; D006746:Hospital Bed Capacity, 500 and over; D015274:Interdepartmental Relations; D008330:Management Audit / Q000379:methods*; D008499:Medical Records / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008500:Medical Records Department, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008910:Minnesota; D011786:Quality Control; D012107:Research Design; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis