Bottlenecks

Bottlenecks in a Process

Developing processes to ensure the proper outcome is met is needed in every organization. Each process is researched, monitored, and critiqued to ensure the fit for the organization is met. Two organizations may not necessarily have the same process however; two organizations may encounter the same issues. These issues are bottlenecks which do not allow a smooth workflow causing a disruption in operations. The Internal Medicine Clinic would like to decrease the cycle time for the patient flow in the clinic. In monitoring the patient flow of the clinic, mapping of the process and timings were performed to see where improvement is needed. This paper will describe the bottlenecks identified when timing the patient flow process in the Internal Medicine Clinic.

Patient Flow Process

Each time a patient presents for an appointment at the Internal Medicine Clinic, he or she must stop at the registration desk to verify demographic and insurance information. The patient then waits in the waiting room until the medical assistant is ready to room the patient. The patient then moves to the exam room where he or she waits for the provider. After the provider is finished with the exam, the patient waits for the medical assistant to follow up with any discharge orders. If the patient needs any lab the patient will return to the waiting room until the phlebotomist is ready and then will leave the clinic.

Bottlenecks

In reviewing the collected data, there are two bottlenecks noted. There is a morning session and an afternoon session and several appointments of each session were considerably longer then the 69 minute average, several over one hundred minutes. In researching the reason for the delay, it appeared to be a staffing issue. The medical assistant was not available to room the patient. Another observation made was even when the patient was roomed timely; the provider was not available to see the patient. In order for a process...