Workflow optimization assists healthcare providers by streamlining clinical operations, making daily routines efficient and less time-consuming. The time saved can be redirected to delivering high-quality care to patients. In short, fine-tuning workflows, coupled with the right tools and optimizing solutions, will streamline operations, improve the patient experience, and reduce operational expenses.
4 Methods for Analyzing Workflows to Identify Improvement Opportunities
Clinical workflows refer to the processes involved in providing healthcare services to a patient. Effective clinical workflow management is an essential for all types of healthcare organizations, as it creates stable and reliable process that support clinicians providing safe and high-quality healthcare, and in turn leads to better patient outcomes, and optimizes the utilization of healthcare resources.
Clinical workflow analysis is the best way to identify what is working and what needs attention. Here are four practical approaches to workflow optimization you may find in a healthcare setting:
1.) Observation Method
The observation method entails an external observer shadowing the clinical staff and discreetly recording their activities over time. They make note of discrepancies, unplanned activities, and bottlenecks in the workflow during medical practice. This method not only highlights the positives and negatives of the workflow management system but also serves as an educational tool to inform the staff of the areas that need improvement.
2.) Mapping Method
Mapping is a visual representation of clinical workflow stages that typically serves as a helpful tool for clinical staff, administrative staff, and management. This method breaks down the complex process of healthcare delivery into easily understandable visuals that promote better communication and understanding among the providers and staff. A graphical workflow map represents each step of the clinical process — including patient flow — to facilitate a better understanding of complex procedures, identify risks and opportunities, visualize process loops and potentials to intervene certain aspects of clinical workflow.
3.) Evidence-based Methods
This method gathers data about medical interventions and how they impact clinical workflows. Analytics, reports, and visualizations play a significant role in this type of analysis to bring out meaningful insights that better inform a workflow improvement strategy. Evidence-based methods strengthen the medical practitioner’s decision-making ability, ensure excellent patient care quality, and promote effective resource management.
4.) Feedback from Stakeholders
Collecting feedback specific to a particular activity, i.e., new patient visits, from stakeholders including patients, staff, clinicians, and administrators is an excellent method for analyzing clinical workflows. This promotes an understanding of how people within the medical practice perceive the workflow processes, identify bottlenecks overlooked by internal staff, and discover areas requiring improvement. Patient feedback is invaluable for highlighting the human aspect of healthcare delivery and highlighting areas that create frustration for patients and require attention.
Common Clinical Workflow Challenges in Practice Operations
Electronic health records (EHRs) are an essential component of modern healthcare delivery, ensuring that healthcare providers can provide patients with efficient, coordinated, and high-quality patient care. Using EHRs to their full potential can maximize clinical workflows, improve patient outcomes, and reduce inefficiencies in health systems.
Challenge 1: Documentation and Charting
One of the most significant challenges faced by clinicians is tedious documentation and charting. Documentation and charting play a vital role in the accuracy and continuity of patient care. However, they can be time-consuming and take away valuable time with patients.
EHR optimization can address this challenge by streamlining the documentation process. With optimized EHRs, healthcare providers can document care more efficiently, and have real-time access to pertinent information.
Challenge 2: Medication Management
With so many medications and doses to manage, it can be easy to make risky errors that impact patients. With EHR optimization, healthcare providers can use medication decision support tools and critical medical information on hand to avoid errors and ensure that patients receive the right medication at the right time.
Challenge 3: Patient Engagement
Patient engagement is a critical component of overall patient care. However, it can be challenging to engage patients effectively without the support of an optimized EHR. EHR optimization can address this challenge by providing healthcare providers with the tools they need to engage patients effectively.
With optimized EHRs, healthcare providers can use patient portals, secure messaging, and telemedicine to connect with patients and improve overall patient engagement and satisfaction.
Challenge 4: Regulatory Compliance
Regulatory compliance is a challenging aspect of healthcare delivery. Healthcare providers must comply with a wide variety of regulations to ensure high-quality patient care, but this can be difficult when the regulations can be complex and continually changing.
EHR optimization can assist with regulatory compliance tools that help create automated workflows addressing compliance. With appropriate optimization and training, clinicians can meet regulatory requirements and avoid costly fines.
Workflow Analysis for Improving Patient Experience and Staff Morale
The healthcare industry is becoming more complex and competitive, with patients demanding more personalized and convenient care experiences while medical professionals push for reduced workloads and high-quality work environments. Clinical workflow improvements should, therefore, be a priority to reconcile these expectations. The incentive is to establish a reputation for being an exceptional healthcare provider.
Streamlined Tasks
Perhaps the most notable benefit of optimizing clinical workflows is seeing greater efficiency in completing tasks, such as a reduction in the amount of time spent on things like charting and documentation, plus a decrease in errors. Standardization of workflows also improves patient safety, promotes accuracy, and helps avoid the mistake of redundant tasks.
With optimized workflows, clinicians can provide exceptional care, which translates to elevated levels of patient satisfaction and positive reviews. In turn, this increases employee morale and commitment to ensuring delivery of superior care.
Enhanced Patient Experience
Patient experience improves when patients know exactly what to expect during their time in your practice. Clinical workflows can be designed to ensure that patients receive consistent, dependable comprehensive care and understand the steps necessary to achieve their health goals.
Efficient clinical workflows are essential in reducing patient wait times, expediting discharge processes, and standardizing care delivery across team members. This consistency not only assures patients of quality care but also enhances their general satisfaction with your organization.
Increased Revenue and Improved Efficiency
Clinical workflows can make processes more efficient and cost-effective. By streamlining tasks, healthcare providers can process more patients in less time, thereby increasing the patient volume.
An efficient workflow also allows for more precise tracking of staff performance and behaviors. Such insights can help management get ahead of potential bottlenecks or errors in their work. This system provides valuable data and is useful for allowing medical professionals to make changes that save time and improve care without sacrificing accuracy or patient experience.
Increased Employee Engagement
The clinical workflows shared by the care team in a practice are essential to reaching patient care quality goals. By involving stakeholders in the modification of these workflows and seeking their feedback, it increases employee engagement across the board. A streamlined process for offering suggestions and giving feedback allows employees a voice in the workflow design. Additionally, developing an innovative workflow instills pride and ownership in staff, which enhances the quality of care.
Summary: Clinical Workflow Analysis in Healthcare
Efficient clinical workflows lead to better outcomes for both patients and healthcare providers. When workflows are streamlined, healthcare providers can work more efficiently, offer better care, and provide a better experience for patients. All these benefits enhance employee morale and engagement, which reduces staff turnover and increases workplace satisfaction.
Achieve Operational Excellence with Medical Advantage Practice Consultants
As specialists in practice operations, Medical Advantage can help streamline your medical practice workflows, effectively raising the quality of patient care, and staff satisfaction. Reach out to learn more about how our improving clinical workflow solutions can transform your practice operations.
