The University of Toledo

SHBE 6020: Creating Effective Operations

Course Description:

The course examines critical issues in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare delivery process. The unique role of a physician in healthcare delivery affords multiple opportunities to improve performance of the healthcare system. This course will enable physicians to design and implement initiatives that improve the quality of care, via the application of quality principles such as six sigma. Additionally, the course will also help physicians to hone your skills in improving care delivery by streamlining processes, reducing process inefficiencies, errors, and delays, and increasing process reliability and safety.

Potential Learning Objectives:

Able to do the following in the context of healthcare:

1. Learn performance improvement tools that you can use to deliver high quality healthcare
2. Understand how you can develop a culture of quality consciousness in your organization
3. Understand the tools that can help you analyze and design efficient processes
4. Be able to analyze complex systems and suggest ways of improving patient safety
5. Design and outline a plan for improving quality of care at your home institution

 Potential Topics:

The Three Faces of Quality

1. Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control (DMAIC) cycle for improving quality
2. Initiating and implementing quality improvement programs
3. Managing for change

Science of Reliability

1. Process analysis for identification of inefficiencies, waste and delays
2. Value stream mapping
3. Analyzing complex systems for reducing errors, mistake proofing and improving patient safety

High Reliability 2.0

1. This module requires the application of some of the concepts and ideas learnt in the two previous modules (The three faces of quality and Science of reliability) to the participant’s healthcare setting.