Question

Performance Improvement programs and effective project management require an understanding of the four phases of the project life-cycle: initiation, planning, execution/implementation, and closure. It is important to have each phase of the project mapped on a timeline and to be sure the project team has the appropriate members with the right skills to ensure a successful program. Using a case study from the text, students will demonstrate their ability to review and evaluate a performance improvement program by arranging the information provided into a timeline and devising a team with the appropriate skills and knowledge to work the plan.

Instructions

• Focus your assignment on the Case Study on pages 461-462 (added below).
• Answer the following questions based on the case study:
  • Draft a timeline showing the major phases of the project cycle (see Figure 18.1-added below) and the key tasks for each phase.
  • Develop a team of up to seven representatives from different departments to serve on a multidisciplinary project team. Construct a list of the types of individuals you would want to serve on this project team.
  • What departmental areas of the healthcare organization should be represented on the team?
  • What specific skills, knowledge, and expertise should team members possess?
• Your submission should include your timeline (use the Gantt chart in Figure 18.3 as a guide-added at bottom of page), as well as a minimum of 2 additional pages that answers questions 2, 3 and 4.
• Please prepare the paper in APA style, including cover and reference pages, with an introduction and conclusion.

Figure 18.1. The Pl process cycle Phase Processes (Steps) 1. Identify a Pl opportunity 2. Determine feasibility of the project 3. Define project objectives and scope 4. Select team members 5. Create vision and mission statement Initiation Planning 6. Identify activities (tasks) the team will perform, and estimate the dura tion of activities 7. Develop final system requirements and criteria for standards of success 8. Develop a schedule and cost estimates 9. Perform tasks and track progress 10. Develop training plan and implementation plan 11. Present recommendations to leadership Execution (Implementation)1. Execute implementation plan 13. Begin training 14. Track and monitor progress 15. Revise project as needed 16. Communicate results (final report) 17. Celebrate successes 18. Continue evaluation and control and identify new opportunities Closure for improvement

Case Study

A community health clinic located in a city of 250,000 provides the bulk of Medicaid and homeless care to the community. The clinic maintains approximately 27,000 active health records and has a staff of 90 employees. The professional clinical staff includes five family practice physicians, seven physician’s assistants, and four clinical nurse practitioners.The clinic management was recently notified that it is eligible to receive funding to convert its existing computer systems to a new integrated system that includes electronic health records. Until this point, all records have been paper, and records tracking throughout the clinic has been done manually. Billing and financial management processes have been maintained on separate systems. Clinic appointments were maintained on another system. The office applications consisted of outdated word processing and spreadsheet software. The database software was not integrated with other software.

The proposal for the new integrated system includes office management applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, database, presentation, e-mail, patient appointment scheduling, computer-based health records, billing, and financial management software. Laboratory specimens are sent out to a reference lab located at the county hospital. The lab has expressed interest in linking its lab results software to the new integrated system via its intranet. The lab manager indicates that the results can be transmitted in a format compatible with any relational database.

The administrative and clinical support employees are fairly stable, with an average personnel turnover rate of 8 percent and an average longevity of five years. The physicians on staff have only been with the clinic from six months to three years. The chief executive officer (CEO) has given the director of health information management the task of managing a project to convert existing systems to the new information management system.

Money available for the transition must be spent by the end of the fiscal year; there are 10 months left. The CEO also has indicated that all existing health records need to be scanned and loaded into the new system and expects to see this completed within the next two years.
CASE STUDY QUESTIONS

1. Up to seven representatives from different departments can serve on the multidisciplinary project team. Prepare a list of types of individuals you would want to serve on this project team.

2. What departmental areas of the healthcare organization should be represented?

3. What specific skills, knowledge, and expertise should team members possess?

4. Draft a timeline showing the major phases of the project and the key tasks for each phase.
Project Application

The Microsoft Project (2013) provides information and demonstrates how to set up a project schedule and track its progress.

Other web resources are available through searches using key words such as “timeline” or “project management” that provide access to tools such as Gantt and PERT charts.

Type the search words “project management software” or “timeline” into an Internet search engine. Explore and develop a list of sources that provide software for managing a project.
463

Review how you may apply project management methods to group projects in class or in the workplace.
Review Questions

1. This phase in the project life cycle includes clear objectives, importance of the project, and the expected outcome on the organization.

a. Initiation

b. Planning

c. Execution

d. Closure

2. The stage of project team development in which team members work together easily is called _____.

a. Cautious affiliation

b. Competitiveness

c. Harmonious cohesiveness

d. Collaborative teamwork

3. The planning technique provides a structure that requires the project team to identify the order and projected duration of activities needed to complete a project.

a. Gantt chart

b. PERT chart

c. Flowchart

d. Pie chart

4. A successful team leader must possess job task competencies and behavioral competencies. Discuss how these characteristics are beneficial to the success of project execution.

5. What are some techniques that can help make the execution of the project plan go as smoothly as possible?

Answer 1

1. ANS: It is a multidisciplinary project, so it is important each of the individuals that have knowledge of how each department must interact with one another. In each area the individual needs to be someone that has influence and authority. So I would include the following seven representatives from different departments can serve on the multidisciplinary project team. They are…..

1. Health Information Manager

2. Physician Representative

3. Physician’s Assistant Representative

4. Nurse Practitioner Representative

5. Finance Manager

6. Information System Manager

7. Office Manager

2. ANS: Departmental areas of the healthcare organization should be represented:

1. Health Information Management (HIM)

2. Billing

3. Clinical

4. Finance

5. Information System

6. Scheduling Department

3. ANS: The team members should have interests that achieve the common goal and be able to bring working knowledge from their respective departments to the help complete the team project. They should be able to work in a team but also deliver results to grow both professionally and personally. A good listener with a positive attitude and be able to participate actively in the team discussions.

4. ANS: Draft a timeline showing the major phases of the project and the key tasks for each phase:

Planning – Create a set of plans that help guide the team through the project.

Workflow – Map the process changes to that department.

Training – Create a training process for each department.

Data Conversion – Format and test the changes.

Go Live – Implement the changes.

Reference:

Chapter 17: Managing Healthcare Performance Improvement Projects. (2012). In M. R. Patricia Shaw, Quality and Performance Improvement in Healthcare, 5th ed., 5th Edition (pp. 373 - 387). Chicago: AHIMA Press.

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