Improve Patient Turn Around Time

Whether it be in Diagnostic Imaging, Pharmacy, Clinical Laboratories, Medical Records or Admitting, decreases in Turn Around Time (TAT) can only have positive effects for patients in our healthcare system and for the healthcare professionals waiting for the information and/or the results.

Using Lean to develop a detailed Future State Implementation Plan will allow you to determine what tools you need to remove waste in the 'system' and the sequence the tools should be applied to in order to be effective. Lean Tools such as 5S, Standardized Work, Visual Controls, Flow, Quick Changeover and Poka Yoke/Mistake Proofing may be utilized to successfully reach the Future State and ultimately dramatically reduce the TATs.

This improvement results in the patient/all healthcare staff getting the necessary critical information needed to care for their patient in a more timely fashion allowing the patient to get the care they require sooner. The other benefits are:

• A potential decrease in complications if the information is quicker and the wait time for treatment is less


• It would potentially free up resources for other patients i.e. a room or a piece of equipment, to be accessible for another patient sooner