Northwest Clinics - Case study
Integrated Quality Management System including the Digital Improvement Tracking System
About Northwest Clinics
Northwest Clinics is a dynamic and ambitious hospital organization with multiple locations, each providing high-quality care. For multiple treatments, Northwest Clinics belongs to the top of the Netherlands, based on both quality and quantity.
To realize continuous quality improvement, Northwest Clinics regularly reviews the efficiency and effectiveness of processes, while making sure that high quality and safety standards for patient care are met. Culture and leadership are key.
Cooperation Northwest Clinics & The Patient Safety Company
The cooperation between Northwest Clinics and The Patient Safety goes far back in time. In 2006, Northwest Clinics became the first customer of TPSC. In fact, Northwest Clinics has made an important contribution to the development of our software platform, TPSC Cloud™.
In 2014, we formalized our cooperation with a strategic partnership. We involve Northwest Clinics in the development of new functionalities and applications. We took our cooperation to the next level, resulting in more TPSC Cloud™ applications that are used throughout the Northwest Clinics.
TPSC Cloud™ applications in use
In 2006, Northwest Clinics started using the Incident Management System: The system supports the registration and management of events that cause or could cause unanticipated harm to patients. Weaknesses in existing processes are discovered. The analysis of incidents is focused on improving processes so that incidents can be prevented in the future.
Over the years, the TPSC Cloud™ platform has been expanded with multiple custom applications. These applications are part of the Safety Management System of Northwest Clinics:
- Calamity Analysis – Root causes are discovered and investigated using SIRE. The analysis process is supported and registered in the Calamity Analysis Application.
- OHSA Incidents – This application provides full insight into occupational safety health issues; these are issues/events that harm or could harm employees.
- Hospital Incident Registration – Expressions of aggression towards employees of Northwest Clinics are reported and managed in this application.
- Regional Logistics Center (RLC) – Incidents that are related to medical instruments are reported and monitored.
- Internal surveys – This application is used to set up and send out internal surveys and collect and manage the responses. For example, a survey to evaluate an internal meeting.
The Digital Improvement Tracking System
The digital improvement tracking system forms the core of the Safety Management System. The application is the central location where all points of improvement are registered. It realizes structure, transparency and coherence. Each point for improvement is appointed to an owner. The file of a point for improvement comprises action plan, activities and monitors progress. By using filters, all data in the application can be used for management reports and graphs over a certain period allowing improvement actions to be assured.
“Since the organization-wide implementation of the improvement tracking system, the amount of action points increased from 30 to 175 per month. In addition, the mean throughput time for completed action points decreased from 250 days to 30 days.”
The simplicity and usability of the software are the main factors contributing to this success.
Integrated Quality Management System
Besides TPSC Cloud™, Northwest Clinics uses many other systems and documents. All of them serving the same purpose: Providing good quality care, tailored to the actual needs of the patient, and meeting legislation and regulations.
For the purpose of realizing structure, coherence and easy accessibility of these systems the Northwest Clinics implemented an integrated quality management system, called How we Work, including the House, Achievement books and the digital improvement tracking system.
The digital improvement tracking system is fully integrated and plays an important role within the Integrated Quality Management System. The application ensures that the PDCA-cycle is followed consequently and enables Northwest Clinics to continuously improve the quality of care.
The House contains:
- The vision, core business, and policy
- Business control processes
- Healthcare processes
The achievement books describe how they do it in the Northwest Clinics; They contain facts, figures, and agreements of each department.
Before the introduction of the House and Achievement books, each of the 79 departments of the Northwest Clinics
has its own quality manual and multiple action lists. Considering the amount of decentralized quality manuals, management of organization-wide guidelines was difficult and undesirable.
Introduction of the House with the Achievement books enabled the organization to manage organization-wide guidelines and procedures in a centralized manner.
External auditors are impressed by the way the Integrated Quality Management System and the digital improvement tracking system supports the complex organization. Patient care improves and information from the organization and each department is easily accessible for management, employees, and stakeholders, like accreditation bodies. Information is transparent, unambiguous and departments can learn from each other.
Publication Open Medicine Journal
The success of the Integrated Quality Management System does not go unnoticed and is recognized internationally. The Open Medicine Journal asked Northwest Clinics to write an article. You can read the publication here.
More information?
Are you interested in more information about the Digital Improvement Tracking System of Northwest Clinics? Please request an online demonstration without obligation. Become acquainted with the software in half an hour and discover the many possibilities it offers.
