EON Blog

At EON, we’re privileged to work with OpEx Leaders and teams at a wide variety of organizations, which gives us broad exposure to the latest trends and most pressing challenges that our clients face.  Some of our clients are new to formal OpEx and are just getting their “sea legs” so to speak.  Others have been at it for some time and are trying to take their efforts to the next level.  The third category of client is one that has been on the journey for some time and has been able to implement a structured approach to OpEx within most or all of the organization.

The opioid crisis in America has heightened public awareness of the grave potential for health problems related to improper medication management. While the headlines speak of egregious over-prescription and gross negligence, any day-to-day process involving medications can be problematic if not managed well. 

At EON, we’re privileged to work with OpEx Leaders and teams at a wide variety of organizations, which gives us broad exposure to the latest trends and most pressing challenges that our clients face.  Some of our clients are new to formal OpEx and are just getting their “sea legs” so to speak.  Others have been at it for some time and are trying to take their efforts to the next level.  The third category of client is one that has been on the journey for some time and has been able to implement a structured approach to OpEx within most or all of the organization.

As we reflect on our work with clients across the OpEx maturity spectrum, we’ve identified 3 key challenges that every OpEx Leader will eventually need to address at some point in order to drive an approach to operational excellence that stands above the rest.  We sometimes refer to these as the 3S’s on the OpEx journey. Read on to learn about challenge #2, 'How to Scale Your Efforts'.

You contemplate the open sky before you. Below, an unobstructed seemingly bottomless expanse beckons. Fear wracks your mind and body as you hold the rail, precariously perched almost five-hundred feet above the Colorado River. An elevated heartbeat and heavy breathing are undulating reminders of your apprehension. And then … you jump.

If you want your hospital to operate effectively, standardization is one of the most important tools at your disposal. In fact, over 10 years ago, Dr. Peter Pronovost conducted a test across the state of Michigan of a revolutionary change in hospital I.C.U.s that dramatically reduced line infections. The high frequency and potential severity of line infections—possibly leading to fatality—gives them major importance. 

At EON, we’re privileged to work with OpEx Leaders and teams at a wide variety of organizations, which gives us broad exposure to the latest trends and most pressing challenges that our clients face.  Some of our clients are new to formal OpEx and are just getting their “sea legs” so to speak.  Others have been at it for some time and are trying to take their efforts to the next level.  The third category of client is one that has been on the journey for some time and has been able to implement a structured approach to OpEx within most or all of the organization.

Inventory management seems like a simple concept. Any organization wants to have “what you want where you want it when you need it.” If it’s there, everything goes smoothly. If it’s not, things start to fall apart.

In this final part of the series for Roger Price's presentation on the ROI from continuous improvement, he discusses the importance of claiming the value for continuous improvement in your organization.

He also touches back to the other three stages discussed in the series (making the business case, validating the business case, and managing your investment), proving that all stages are crucial when ensuring ROI from your continuous improvement approach. 

Your company’s lean assessment model helps the business to run smoothly and be ore predictable…unless, of course, it doesn’t. A model that’s poorly designed and deployed can create waves of problems across your company.

How do you know if you’re doing it correctly? Start with this list of do’s and don’ts, so your company will be poised for an easy transition.

There is certainly no shortage of content on operational excellence (OpEx) and continuous improvement (CI). Unfortunately, many companies that seek improvement never get far enough in their efforts to experience sustainable change.

Is your company's OpEx efforts stuck in neutral? Are you tired of trying to implement meaningful improvements and failing to make them stick?

If so, it's time to assess the health of your company's lean management system (LMS).

 “For want of a nail…a kingdom was lost.” That proverb could certainly apply in the healthcare field: “For want of a working piece of equipment, a patient was lost.” Evidence-based studies indicate that in the United States, premature death related to preventable harm to patients may be as high as 400,000 per year. Tens of thousands of these deaths may result from equipment-related issues.

Imagine a defibrillator that doesn’t power up, an operating room laser that fails, a patient monitor that doesn’t alarm, a radiation device that shifts out of calibration, or a digital control system that just shuts down. When any of these situations occurs, it can lead to a bad outcome for a patient, even death. Hospital professionals rely on having working equipment to do their jobs well. Equipment maintenance is critical to make sure this happens.