Special Projects

Improving Clinic Efficiency

We are living in an era of easily accessible data.  We appear to be data rich but information poor.  Often, delegate agencies and grantees do not use data to make decisions.  In addition, often when clinics identify a problem (clinic flow for client wait time, for example), clinic staff are not utilizing readily available tools for analyzing the problem and developing solutions.  Patient flow analysis (PFA) can generate cost information based on time and resource utilization.  Efficiency studies can assist managers to generate solutions to improved service delivery.

 
Goal: Improve the management ability of personnel working in Title X projects to utilize data to make decisions to improve the delivery of high quality, efficient family planning and preventive health services.
 
The Process: HCET will train two-person teams, from throughout PHS Region V, in Patient Flow Analysis (PFA). The teams will be chosen by the Title X Service Providers.  Each team will conduct a minimum two PFAs on a clinic in their respective catchment areas.  The PFAs will be used to determine where changes need to be implemented to create efficiencies in the clinic flow.  The efficiencies will result in decrease patient wait time/clinic visit time, increase the capability of the clinic to provide services to more patients, and/or reduce clinic costs.
 
Each team will attend three sessions for training and analysis: 
  1. The first session will train teams in the fundamentals of conducting a PFA study and will be a 1 ½ day session.  Between the first session and the second session each team will select a clinic to work with and then conduct a PFA in that clinic.  Participants will bring the data from the PFA to the second session.  
  2. During the second session teams will examine the data from the PFAs and identify (for each PFA study) changes that should be made to either decrease patient wait time/clinic visit time, increase the capability of the clinic to provide services to more patients and/or reduce clinic costs.  The second session will also focus on how to introduce organizational/system change.  Between the second session and the third session each team will work with their respective clinics to a) provide feedback on the PFA, b) assist the clinic in developing a plan for change, and finally, c) conduct another PFA to identify efficiencies realized by the process.
  3. During the third session the teams will present the results of their team’s effort and document the changes and efficiencies obtained. 


Teams participating in the Clinic Efficiency Special Project:
  • Ohio Department of Health
  • Indiana Family Health Council
  • Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin
  • Planned Parenthood of Minnesota/North Dakota/South Dakota
  • Michigan Department of Community Health
     
     
  • PFA Stipend Request Form
     
     

Objectives of the Training: To effectively analyze and measure the performance of individual clinics so that you can:

  • Reduce client waiting time in the clinic,
  • Create more equitable distribution of workload for staff,
  • Improve appointment systems, and
  • Facilitate staff discussion to identify barriers to change.

Downloadable WINPFA Program:

  1. Please visit the CDC’s website to download: http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/Products&Pubs/PFA_support/Instructions.htm

Handouts:

  1. Patient Flow-Analysis for Windows (WinPFA) Data Entry Manual
  2. Patient Flow-Analysis for Windows (WinPFA) Data Collection Manual
  3. WinPFA Registers in English
  4. Interpretation and Use of the WinPFA Reports

Other Site Coordinators Materials:

 

Family Planning 101 (Coming Soon)