IMPROVING ACCESS AND REDUCING WAIT TIMES
In January , JBH joined together with the Government of Ontario to celebrate the announcement of a $ 2.7 million , 3-year investment for a new General Internal Medicine Rapid Assessment Clinic ( GIMRAC ). The GIMRAC will provide care for patients who need to receive referrals , assessments or timely follow-up care after their ED visit but not necessarily need extended emergency care . ED physicians will refer individuals to the GIMRAC where patients will receive the additional care they need in 24 to 72 hours by a team consisting of a general internal medicine physician , nurse practitioner , registered nurse , occupational therapist , physiotherapist , social worker , dietitian and pharmacist . Since these patients are able to be seen at the GIMRAC , they do not need to wait in the hospital for these services and can go home sooner . The clinic improves access to care by reducing wait times and freeing up beds and also ensuring patients are getting the most appropriate care for their needs . The picture to the left marks this important announcement , from L to R : Susan Busby , Michael Shea , Donna Cripps , Indira Naidoo-Harris , Eleanor McMahon Dr . Wes Stephen , Eric Vandewall , Don Dalicandro .
$ 2.7
Million
Invested
CARING FOR OUR PATIENTS IN THE COMMUNITY : INTEGRATED COMPREHENSIVE CARE MODEL PILOT
Last fall , JBH piloted an Integrated Collaborative Care Model for patients living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ( COPD ) and Congestive Heart Failure ( CHF ). This pilot program was established by our local LHIN and provided COPD and CHF patients with an additional 60 days of monitoring and support after their discharge from hospital . Our hospital partnered with the Community Care Access Centre ( CCAC ), community service agencies , primary care practitioners and other hospitals to provide homecare support , chronic disease management education within 24 hours of discharge and a 24-7 hotline for patients . Through this pilot program , there was a direct result in the reduction of COPD and CHF patients needing to stay in the hospital and a reduction in their readmission to the hospital . JBH met with patients in the pilot program after their 60 days to receive their feedback , which included appreciation for additional education and extensive support . These positive results for patient care have encouraged the focus on further development of the Integrated Collaborative Care Model for the next year .
CULTURE OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT : GEMBA TIME
304 improvements made from staff ideas
As part of a continuing journey to become a lean organization , JBH introduced Gemba Time - dedicated time for leadership staff to be present in the units and departments , focusing on enhancing quality and safety in real-time . Through Gemba Time , staff share approaches , experiences and leading practices with their peers and engage with patients , families , staff , physicians and volunteers about change ideas . Since beginning in August , 304 innovative ideas for improvement have been created and implemented !
Putting Gemba Time ideas into action has improved the patient experience , strengthened staff collaboration , reduced waste and created efficiencies of time .
At the weekly Quality Wall Leadership Meetings , staff share and celebrate these quality achievements . One example of the impactful results of Gemba Time is Laboratory Services , Receiving and the Maternal & Child Unit all collaborating to improve the time it took for bloodwork from newborns to be received by the Provincial Newborn Screening Program in Ottawa . Before the change was implemented , 41 % of screening was received in the lab within one day . Following the improvement , JBH is now meeting the one day target 95 % of the time , which is above the provincial average . JBH continues to recognize the impact of the innovative ideas of our staff , supporting a culture of continuous improvement , as we care for our patients and their families .
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