Methodist Hospital Pre-Surgery Department benefits from collaboration with Operational Innovation

Patients and staff members have benefited from a recent collaboration between the Methodist Hospital Pre-Surgery Department and the Methodist Health System Operational Innovation (OI) department.

The 14-month “Improving Pre-Surgery Workflow” project, which ended in May, aimed to improve processes and reduce waste in the Pre-Surgery Department. The result?

Improvement in customer experience and time savings: Streamlining processes has allowed staff members to reach patients sooner for their pre-surgical calls. A perioperative tracking board tool helps quickly triage patient calls and improve communication among staff members. Previously, staff members were limited in their ability to quickly respond to calls due to the dependence on a paper patient chart system.

Reduced waste: The department has shifted from using printed documents for each patient to using digital files – saving approximately 500 sheets of paper per day. The dependence on paper has been eliminated. 

Flexible work arrangements: The project helped make remote and hybrid scheduling a reality for registered nurses and office assistants in the department.

“Pre-Surgery is made up of incredibly patient-centered, team-oriented, caring and compassionate people, and we wanted this option for our staff to remain competitive,” said Jasmine Howe, MSN, RN, CV-BC, team leader for the department. “Now we have 13 remote/hybrid RNs working this schedule option with more interested.”

She added: “I cannot overstate the importance of the Operational Innovation team's impact on Pre-Surgery and our patients.”

The Pre-Surgery Department’s experience is an excellent example of how OI can benefit departments around the health system, said operational innovation specialist Rollie Hardies, who worked directly with the department to find solutions.

“Process improvements with the help of OI aren’t only focused on financial outcomes,” he said. “Projects like this one that focus on employee experience and sustainability (reducing paper waste) are also valid topics to pursue. And in cases like this, where we have to overcome obstacles but end up with positive solutions, are especially rewarding.”

How can OI benefit you?

Operational Innovation is available to assist in all parts of the health system, including hospitals, clinics, Nebraska Methodist College and the 825 Building. Project requests for Operational Innovation can be submitted through the People Portal or by reaching out to Operational Innovation directly at @email.