ISE 428 Quality Professional Interview Mrs. Stacey Odom, Management Engineer at Northside Hospital Interviewed by Alexandra Blaha April 2014

Slide 2 Meet Mrs. Stacey Odom  Education:  Mercer University  Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.), Industrial Engineering 2006 – 2010 Background Information ISE 428 Quality Interview by Alexandra Blaha April 2014

Slide 3 Work Experience United States Air Force-Industrial Engineer  Guide, facilitate, and lead teams through complex problem solving events to improve quality, throughput, and cost of overall processes.  Analyze and comprehend numerical data to create monthly reports to support management’s goals.  Communicate and report daily to all levels of management in efforts to manage the full life cycle of a process improvement project.  Work daily with shops on Rapid Improvement Experiments to improve throughput, quality, and cost. Background Information ISE 428 Quality Interview by Alexandra Blaha April 2014

Slide 4 Northside Hospital Management Engineer  Analyze all aspects of hospital management and operations for potential improvement opportunities  Works with management, departmental and interdepartmental staff in identifying operational problems and inefficiencies, assists in the development and evaluation of alternatives and improvements, and assists in the establishments of implementation plans.  Serves as a technical advisor and internal consultant to all hospital management and staff on the use of productivity management tools and techniques, analytical techniques, and statistical applications.  Recommends staffing levels and skill mix distribution based on developed standards and comparative information, as appropriate.  Assists with the development of the annual staffing budget for all 3 hospitals based on volume projections, staffing goals, and historical trends Current Occupation ISE 428 Quality Interview by Alexandra Blaha April 2014

Slide 5 Corporate Philosophy 1  Does your company's mission statement mention quality?  Yes; Northside Hospital is committed to the health and wellness of our community. As such, we dedicate ourselves to being a center of excellence in providing high-quality health care. We pledge compassionate support, personal guidance and uncompromising standards to our patients in their journeys toward health of body and mind. To ensure innovative and unsurpassed care for our patients, we are dedicated to maintaining our position as regional leaders in select medical specialties. And to enhance the wellness of our community, we commit ourselves to providing a diverse array of educational and outreach programs.  Does your company's mission statement mention customer service?  No.  Does the company have a separate quality mission statement?  Yes; Throughout the Northside Hospital healthcare system, we are committed to balancing clinical excellence with safe, high-quality, compassionate care for our patients. In fact, we have been recognized for doing just that, across a wide array of specialties, by the nation’s leading health care organizations Interview ISE 428 Quality Interview by Alexandra Blaha April 2014

Slide 6 Corporate Philosophy 2  Does the company have a written quality plan? If so, where is it located?  Yes, it is located in the "About us" section of the website and within many educational features to employees at the hospital  In your organization, who is responsible for quality?  I believe this is somewhat a tricky question. Every employee here at Northside Hospital is responsible for quality and what we offer patients. There is a separate Quality Improvement department that focuses on different projects to continually improve the hospital experience, however, each department implements functions and responsibility to maintain quality in their own work. Interview ISE 428 Quality Interview by Alexandra Blaha April 2014

Slide 7 Corporate Philosophy 3  What are some job titles that relate to quality in your company? Educational Requirements?  Director of Clinical Quality  Professor and Clinical Quality Specialist  Radiation Oncology Quality Specialist  Pharmacy Clinical Quality Specialist  Director of Quality Improvement  Quality Improvement Specialist  Many of these positions prefer some kind of clinical background because of familiarity with clinical procedures/terminology. However, there is proof that this is not always required and many employees promote to these positions with experience. Interview ISE 428 Quality Interview by Alexandra Blaha April 2014

Slide 8 Corporate Philosophy 4  How does your organization define quality?  Many of our quality standards are set by national, state and local accreditation, certification and regulatory requirements. We also regularly seek feedback from patients.  How do your customers influence your quality program?  See above  How do you train/educate your employees concerning quality issues?  There are a number of different ways depending on the situation. It is important to note that I do not deal directly with quality and do not educate on quality. I work with Productivity Management, which ensures we have correct staffing, ideal process flow, and stay within budget. Interview ISE 428 Quality Interview by Alexandra Blaha April 2014

Slide 9 Corporate Philosophy 5  Has your company ever applied for or earned a national quality award or certification? (Baldrige Award, ISO 9000, CMMI, Other?)  D=OTH D=OTH  Do government regulations have a large impact on your quality procedures?  Yes Interview ISE 428 Quality Interview by Alexandra Blaha April 2014

Slide 10 Quality Methodology 1  Do you routinely collect data on the quality of your product or process? Do you use statistics to analyze the data collected?  Yes, the hospital is audited every few years and it is extremely important that we keep up with how we are doing at all times.  Do you use control charts? If so, what processes are charted?  My department does not focus directly with quality of procedures/outcomes, but we do use control charts every so often to analyze the time a process is taking and if it varies greatly. We focus much more on statistical analysis/time observations and lean thinking. I have become a master of Excel and help managers decide the best way to manage their departments. Interview ISE 428 Quality Interview by Alexandra Blaha April 2014

Slide 11 Quality Methodology 2  What kind of quality reporting techniques do you use? Who generates the reports? Who sees the reports?  We create summary reports for projects, but do not create quality specific reports.  What kind of quality/process control software do you use? (Excel, generic SPC, proprietary, etc)  Excel mostly  Do you monitor incoming materials and your suppliers? If so, how?  My department does not do this, but we do have staff that do. This is mostly in cost accounting. Interview ISE 428 Quality Interview by Alexandra Blaha April 2014

Slide 12 Quality Methodology 3  Do you use acceptance sampling methods? If so, what standards are they based on? Who designs the plan?  NA  19. Does your organization follow Six Sigma or Lean Sigma quality methodologies for process improvement?  Yes, although it is important to note that Six Sigma and Lean methodologies are just BASIC guidelines. The concepts are used and how we implement those tools vary depending on the complexity of the project. Interview ISE 428 Quality Interview by Alexandra Blaha April 2014

Slide 13 Quality Methodology 4  Are employees encouraged to obtain quality credentials such as Certified Quality Engineer or Six Sigma Black Belt?  No, not in my department, but they may encourage it in the Quality Improvement department. Interview ISE 428 Quality Interview by Alexandra Blaha April 2014

Slide 14 Additional Information/ Permission to Publish  odom/76/741/a30/ odom/76/741/a30/   Dr. Joan Burtner has permission to publish the interview responses on her course website. ( April 2014) ISE 428 Quality Interview by Alexandra Blaha April 2014