News Release

Process Improvement Program at CKHA Focuses on the Patient Experience

Chatham-Kent  --  Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA), with financial support of the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, is excited to announce the implementation of the Process Improvement Program (PIP).  This eight-month structured program (May – Dec 2010) focuses on improving the patient flow within CKHA, and thereby improving the patient experience.

PIP has four main objectives:

• provide safe, efficient, quality care while improving patient flow
• improve patient and staff satisfaction
• reduce Alternate Level of Care (ALC) days
• sustainable quality management initiatives

The core PIP Team is comprised of staff from the Emergency, Medical and Diagnostic Imaging departments. Steering Committee members include senior leaders, physicians, performance/quality improvement specialists and CCAC. 

The program launched in May, and this month, the CKHA PIP team began the first of four planned phases – the Diagnostic Phase.  Using the LEAN philosophy and Value Stream Mapping, the PIP team is assessing the various steps involved in caring for the patient, from their arrival in the Emergency Department up to the patient’s discharge from either the ED, or the in-patient Medical Unit.  Focusing collective efforts on specific areas of improvement from admission to discharge, they will report progress each month until December. 

On June 4^th, a representative from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) was on-site surveying staff in Emergency, Medicine and Diagnostic Imaging on their ideas of organizational factors that contribute to the Process Improvement Program.  Survey respondents were voluntary and anonymous and included a variety of front line staff including housekeeping, admitting, portering and nursing. The findings will be aggregated and included in reports to the Ministry, in scientific journals and conferences.

Effective June 7^th, the Nurse Practitioner (NP) hours of service have been extended in the Emergency Department in Chatham. These additional designated hours will support the core Emergency Department and Fast Track (where patients with non-urgent needs are treated).

Nurse practitioners are Registered Nurses with additional education in health assessment, diagnosis and management of illness and injuries, including ordering and interpreting the results of tests, and prescribing medications. They are highly knowledgeable and skilled health-care professionals who provide a range of health services to individuals of all ages. Their practice emphasizes health promotion and illness and injury prevention.

The benefits of NPs in Emergency Departments are:

• providing holistic care for patients with less urgent health concerns
• helping to reduce ED waiting times
• making efficient use of available nursing time and skills; and
• making more appropriate use of medical staff time by allowing physicians to focus on more critically ill patients

“We are excited to be a part of this improvement journey,” said Crystal Houze, Chief Nursing Executive/Chief Health Professionals Officer/Program Director Medicine. “We look forward to communicating positive changes that will help us deliver on our commitment to quality patient care and improve the experience of care for those we serve.”

Media Contact:

Crystal Houze, Chief Nursing Executive / Chief Health Professions Officer

Chatham-Kent Health Alliance

(519) 352-6400 ext. 6028

and

Paula Reaume-Zimmer

Program Director, Mental Health & Addictions Program and Emergency Services

Chatham-Kent Health Alliance

519-437-6106