Lean Six Sigma project addresses waste reduction
When Rebecca Turner, PharmD., M.B.A., BCPS, pharmacy director, wanted to reduce waste at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton, she turned her attention to crash cart trays and the emergency drug boxes hospital units keep on hand. And she enlisted pharmacist Sharon Samuel, PharmD., M.B.A., to join her in a Lean Six Sigma project to address the issue.
“I’ve been here 13 years, and we had never done a deep dive to see if these boxes are still needed, if the contents are used frequently and if some of the medications in the boxes are still the standard of care,” said Rebecca. “We hoped to reduce the costs of wasted medications, as well as the risk of keeping expired medications in stock.”
They sent a list of the medications to various committees and nursing directors to review the contents and determine which medications were used frequently. Pharmacy technicians also reported which medications they replaced often and which expired without being used.
When the project began, the hospital had 26 types of boxes with different amounts and combinations of medication, as well as 34 crash cart trays.
“The units had more than just one box, too,” Sharon said, adding that having the boxes increases the risk of being cited by The Joint Commission. “If they find boxes open or anything out of date, you’ll get a citation.”
By the end of the project, only three types of boxes were kept intact.
“We got rid of about half of the boxes,” Rebecca said. “And we drastically reduced the contents of the others.”
The project initially aimed to reduce waste by 25 percent but instead achieved a 57 percent reduction, Rebecca said.
“It was a good opportunity to evaluate our processes and come up with a protocol on how to re-evaluate this again next year,” Sharon said. “It’s more than just a cost savings, too. It was a great way to look at how we could better provide for patients, nurses and physicians on the medical staff.”
Rebecca said the department plans to review its waste report every year and look for opportunities to save money.
“Reducing waste is one of the paramount principles of Lean Six Sigma,” Rebecca said. “And this also saves time and human resources, because pharmacy techs spent a lot of time checking and refilling boxes and trays.”
Sharon said she really enjoyed her yellow belt experience.
“It was great to work with all the different departments to figure out what they really needed, instead of just wasting space,” she said.
by Robin P. Loveman
Posted January 8, 2019 RobinLoveman@TexasHealth.org
