QFD Papers on Health Care

DREAM/QFD to Re-design Staff Service Excellence at Rutland Regional Hospital Systems

Darren Childs, QFD Green Belt; Melissa Bartlett, QFD Green Belt®; and Shannon Stover, QFD Green Belt® of Rutland Regional Health Systems, USA; Dom Serino, QFD Gold Belt®, Rutland Health Foundation, USA; Glenn Mazur, QFD Red Belt®, Japan Business Consultants, QFD Institute, USA / ICQFD

Keywords: Quality Function Deployment (QFD), Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Service Excellence, Healthcare, Voice of the Customer (VOC), Design/Redesign Effectiveness Assurance Method (DREAM)

As a regional medical facility, the goal of Rutland Regional Health Systems is to develop standardized processes and clear expectations for how they serve their customers. Through working to apply quality thinking, the hospital team has identified the non-clinical areas needing improvements such as the way they deliver care to the patients, staff behaviors, words, body languages and different team coordination. This presentation will share an on-going project that demonstrates this hospital's commitment to understanding what is important to their patients and bringing fresh improvements in the delivery of patient care and the mind-set of healthcare professionals through the use of QFD (Quality Function Deployment) and DREAM (Design/Redesign Effectiveness Assurance Method).

QFD to Re-design New Physician Orientation and Induction: Connecting New Physicians into a Healthcare Community
Jill Jesso-White, QFD Green Belt®, Rutland Regional Medical Center,  USA; Glenn H. Mazur, QFD Red Belt®, QFD Institute, USA and ICQFD

Keywords: Quality Function Deployment (QFD), Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), physician orientation, healthcare, Voice of the Customer (VOC), Design/Redesign Effectiveness Assurance Method (DREAM)

The physician induction process is an interactive process beginning from the recruitment of a physician and continuing over the first year to help him/her as well as the doctor's family adjust to both the medical and broader community environment. Its success is crucial to physician retention and development of a happy work force that can ultimately affect better patient care. This project shares our ongoing efforts to build a better process of orienting and inducting new physicians in our hospital and community, by using Modern QFD tools and Voice of the new physician feedback.

Predicting Future Health Insurance Scenarios using Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) by Carey Hepler, QFD Black Belt^®, Innovation Director, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, USA; Glenn Mazur, QFD Red Belt^®, QFD Institute / Japan Business Consultants, Ltd.

Keywords: healthcare, health insurance / financial product development, market projection, Modern QFD, AHP

Election years breed uncertainty especially when the incumbent president and vice president are not seeking office. The 2008 U.S. presidential elections have additional healthcare related urgencies due to the impending retirement of the Baby Boomers and the shifting winds of global competitiveness. While forecasting the election outcomes is beyond the scope of this paper, just as many businesses do, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) wants to anticipate how the next administration and congress might set new healthcare policy in order to begin planning for and implementing new processes for their members, providers, and business decision makers. To achieve this, this project used a combination of Quality Function Deployment (QFD), Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), and other forecasting tools to look at possible 2008 election and policy outcomes and what new opportunities might be created to service both their traditional members as well as the uninsured in the State of Florida. The identified scenarios can be used to map and prioritize different market segments, formulate key customer needs into value propositions, determine strengths and weaknesses in their current competencies and capabilities, and then initiate service quality projects to begin improving those areas where customers will need them most. Several quality methodologies have been used to design successful products.

Using QFD to Understand, Prioritize, and Develop Solutions to Address the Future Needs of Customers by Kathy Hines, QFD Black Belt^®, Innovation Leader, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, USA; Glenn Mazur, QFD Red Belt^®, QFD Institute / Japan Business Consultants, Ltd.

Keywords: healthcare, health insurance / financial product development, market projection, Modern QFD, AHP

The way Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) defines "Service" today is likely to change over time. As the United States health insurance model continues to evolve, with increasing financial responsibility falling on the consumer, the opportunities for new and different interactions with the health insurance company are sure to follow. Consumers are already very savvy when it comes to evaluating alternatives in other industries and it's only a matter of time before the health care industry is also comparatively shopped like many other commoditized products and services. BCBSF must continue to evolve to create a service experience that enables and empowers members in their decision-making efforts. This project utilized the QFD methodology to anticipate the changing needs of consumers and how service might evolve. The requirements for the project included:

• Understanding the future-state of the industry;

• Anticipating and prioritizing future member needs as a result of new industry pressures;

• Developing a well defined goal for the service organization;
  Identifying solutions that target member needs;

• Validating solutions from the member's perspective;

• Selecting the best solution(s) given benefits and constraints; and

• Implementing solutions that are most valuable to the member and continue to differentiate BCBSF.

Using QFD to Involve All Employees in the Corporate Innovation Process by Kathy Hines, QFD Black Belt®, Innovation Leader, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, USA; Glenn Mazur, QFD Red Belt^®, QFD Institute / Japan Business Consultants, Ltd.

Keywords: QFD application; innovation process; employee Voice of the Customer (VoC), QFD for diversity; healthcare insurance industry; Modern QFD

With competition at an all time high, more and more companies are seeking ways to capture that next "big" idea, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) which currently has over 9,000 employees, each with an idea on how the company can increase membership, reduce costs, differentiate products and services from our competitors and expand our distribution channel. Random idea creations, however, can become a drag on resources and lead to disappointment among those whose ideas are not utilized. When the Voice of the Customer is used to drive idea creation and selection process, then the diversity of our internal resources can be fully harnessed.

The Many Faces of AHP - How to use AHP with Different Audiences for Maximum Results by Carey Hepler, QFD Black Belt®, Innovation Director, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, USA; Glenn Mazur, QFD Red Belt^®, QFD Institute / Japan Business Consultants, Ltd.

Keywords: Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP); healthcare insurance planning; insurance / financial product development; Modern QFD

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) is the oldest and most respected health insurance organization in the State of Florida. This paper will discuss thee company's use of Analytic Hierarchy Processing (AHP) in terms of audience and technology delivery, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each of the technologies when working with our constituent groups.

Finding Customer Delights Using QFD by Carey Hepler, QFD Black Belt®, Integrated Market Intelligence, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, USA; and Glenn Mazur, QFD Red Belt®, President, Japan Business Consultants / Executive Dir, QFD Institute, USA

Changes in market demographics and the regulatory environment are creating many new opportunities for health-care and related organizations. As the oldest and most respected health insurance organization in the State of Florida, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) strives to stay ahead of the competition by quickly responding to these changes with new and improved insurance and health maintenance products. Recently, we have begun to use QFD to discover the unspoken customer needs for an underserved portion of our population. QFD has allowed us to convert their needs into new products, services, and features to delight and attract new customers as well as retain current customers. This paper describes some of the new opportunities we are facing, and shows step by step how we are addressing them by understanding the Voice of the Customer and innovating and implementing exciting solutions.

Challenges in Rapid Deployment of New Services in Healthcare by Michael Scutero, Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Quest Diagnostics Inc., USA; Sonja Draganic, Six Sigma Black Belt, Quest Diagnostics Inc., USA; and Angela Rylsky, Six Sigma Black Belt of Quest Diagnostics Inc., USA

Through careful application of QFD in the early phases of a DFSS activity, we show solutions to customer queuing problems.  The problem occurs in patient outreach, or service centers (PSC) that are responsible for patient blood draws and specimen collection.  Patient flow through PSC sites, when disrupted, often results in delays and dissatisfaction.  Patients are essentially  “pushed” through the sites.  The new and improved services generated include personnel redeployments, customer routing, customer flow regulators, supply chain efforts and improved transportation.  In addition, we uncover needs & solutions for implementation of these new services to over 40 geographically separated PSC sites in a relatively short time. This paper reports Project Management activity (PM), new product introduction (NPI), Design for Six Sigma (DFSS), QFD deliverables, QFD application, and case study success.

How a Successful QFD Project for a Niche Product Eventually Changed the Entire Organization.  Ed Chaplin, M.D., Provisional QFD Black Belt^®, Continental Rehabilitation Hospital San Diego, USA.   Using Comprehensive QFD, a niche product in healthcare was redesigned. The result doubled the service volume and led to another project – redesign of the core competency of physical rehabilitation services. The paper will report the application of QFD as a path provider for the hospital’s financial success, the 3-yr progress and challenges.

Introduction of QFD Method to Our Original Medical Quality Improvement (MQI) Activity in Nerima General Hospital by T. Takahara, M.D., Dept of Surgery, S. Iida, M.D., President, and M. Fujimori, Nerima General Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. Since 1996, Nerima General Hospital has been executing their own Medical Quality Improvement (MQI) Process to improve quality and function of medical care. QFD and FMEA are a part of this  year's declared focus. This paper presents introduction of QFD to our MQI activities which resulted in good outcome in both external and internal customer demands.

Applying QFD in a Hospital Setting: A Study of Medical Quality   by Dr. Yoji Akao and H. Fujimoto, Asahi University, Japan. The application of QFD in service industries concerns itself not only with quality as valued by the customer, but must also consider quality of the service operations themselves. Similarly, a medical facility must consider both the societal role of the hospital and the actions necessary to assure the health of the patient. This paper will demonstrate that metrics for clinical staff quality can be incorporated in the various QFD charts to clarify, evaluate, and manage medical quality. 

Prioritizing Customer Requirements in a Rapidly Changing Marketplace by Bill Naccarato of Dade International, Inc. Changes in health care financing methods have led to substantial changes in health care delivery, which provide a significant challenge for new product development in the industry. Using a structured process for product definition, Dade is now developing an analyzer that will facilitate workstation consolidation within hospital clinical laboratory. This talk presents an overview of how the change in the health care market affect design of analyzers. Using actual data, the presentation will demonstrate the techniques used to process information and prioritize customer requirements.

A QFD-Based Evaluation of Prevention Services by Robert F. Hales, ProAction Development, Inc., Pamela Clark and Don Lakes of TriHealth. With financial incentives changing in the healthcare environment, healthcare organizations, physicians, and employers need to become focused on developing and offering health services that are designed to prevent, or minimize the impact of illness or injury. This paper will describe the process used to develop an overall corporate strategy, structure and service based solely on the benefits TriHealth's customers desire from a Prevention Services provider.

Applying QFD In Health Care Services - The Princeton Foot Clinic, J. Gibson, Baptist Health System.  Increasing competition, shrinking bottom lines and the push for health reform are forcing hospitals to differentiate in the delivery of services. One way to achieve this is to consistently deliver what customers want and further, what will delight them. The paper reports how the Clinic's  task force consisting of clinicians, marketers and TQM staff was able to design a new service with built-in quality with the help of QFD and ensure clinicians to hear the voice of the customer above the high tech din of healthcare.

Designing The Voice Of The Customer Into A New Hospital Surgery Center, S. Macfarlane and K. Eager, The Quality Advisor, Inc.  Healthcare is changing. Kennewick General Hospital in Washington needed to stay competitive. But how do you change the process by which hospitals and their employees provide care in an efficient, customer oriented way? This paper reports the progress made at the hospital by a cross-functional QFD team to design the surgery process for their new surgery center. The method, what worked and what did not, and recommendations for others in a similar situation and hospitals wanting to remain competitive.

Cardiac Arrest! QFD On The Heart And Soul Of A Medical Center, V. Alterescu, D. Newhart, and F. Tiedemann, John Muir Medical Center.  This is a case study involving three distinct QFD projects in separate clinical service areas: Cardiology, Oncology, and Rehabilitation, all undergoing radical market and governmental reform and competitor threats. Through the use of QFD, an interdisciplinary team was able to focus on developing services which are systematically tied to customer desires in each project. Had QFD not been done for these projects, the organization would have attempted a very different set of services built around the voice of single internal customer. The paper reports their QFD steps in three projects.

QFD In Health Care: Identifying Methods To Tailor QFD To A Service Industry. A Case Study At The University Of Michigan Medical Center, D. Erlich and E. Kratochwill, University of Michigan Medical Center. The University of Michigan Medical Center piloted QFD in a new unit which consolidated several diagnostic procedures into one unit. The objective was to learn when QFD is mot appropriate for a hospital, and to stimulate service volume at the new unit. The paper discusses 1) UMMC QFD approach, 2) the difficulties experienced in applying QFD to healthcare, 3) the benefits derived from QFD, and 4) the ways to tailor QFD to healthcare and the service sector.

Applying QFD to Health Care Services: A case Study at the University of Michigan Medical Center, Deborah M. Elrich, PH.D. and Dennis J. Hertz, University of Michigan Medical Center.  The University of Michigan Medical Center piloted QFD in a new unit which consolidated several separated diagnostic procedures into one unit. Based upon early TQM success, the organization employed QFD to realign resources to meet the valid customer requirements of the combined groups in order to stimulate service volume by better satisfying customer desires. The team is now completing the A-1 matrix. This paper discusses the Medical Center's approach, reports experiences learned, identify changes which have been implemented, quantify the financial benefits which have resulted from these changes, and offer ideas on how best utilize QFD at a referral hospital.

Market Expansion Analysis Through QFD, J. A. Miller, Quality Processing Consulting, H. N. Tucker, Clintec Nutrition.  This paper presents the approach and findings from a House of Quality based analysis of how the market leading company could cause expansion of the entire clinical nutrition business worldwide.

1992 Proceedings

Hospital Marketing's Role in TQI: QFD, Duane Loller, Meadville Medical Center.  With the advent of TQM programs in hospitals, the marketers have a unique opportunity to both further the objectives of marketing effort and develop a close link to operations. This paper examines the experience of the Meadville Medical Center with the development of a research system using QFD tools. The linkage of existing market research programs with a QFD matrix has yielded improved quality of customer research and improved acceptance of the output.

Multi-phase QFD Studies for Product and Services Development, Joe A. Miller, The Focus Consulting Group, Inc., Armando Bombino, Baxter Healthcare Corporation.  When QFD is implemented as a structured component of a customer satisfaction driven TQM process, it helps link the basic concepts of TQM into the product and service development processes. Training cross-functional product or service development teams in multiple phase applications of QFD and facilitating those teams to rapidly develop all of the QFD matrices pertinent to the full cycle from concept through product introduction enables critical decision and information needs to be identified earlier in the development cycle. This is demonstrated through a range of applications in this paper.

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