Since the very first day of my residency, it became apparent to me that Lake Pointe values Lean Daily Management as a way to understand its departments and to help them operate efficiently.
To do this, Lake Pointe has LDM boards in each of its main departments. The departments then choose goals that they want to focus on in order to see how they are operating and to address problems. In the morning, administrative team members divide up and visit each department to see how they are performing and if they are meeting their goals. In addition to this, they also offer help to each department if they are having any challenges related to the goals or otherwise. If a department is having an especially difficult time meeting their goals, administration may work directly with them to find creative solutions together.
As departments meet their goals they can decide whether or not they want to remove them from their boards and replace them with new goals. Some have found that after they remove a goal from their boards that they begin to make mistakes again. In this case, they may choose to track the goal for a longer period of time. I’ve really enjoyed learning about what goals each department has chosen to track and why those goals are valuable to them.
It’s been very impressive to me to see how involved administration is with helping individual departments thrive. I’ve also been impressed by the commitment I’ve seen in departments to meeting and exceeding their goals. Both of these things say a lot about the people in an organization and ultimately it’s the people who determine what quality of care patients who come to the hospital receive.
Erin