Phoenix VA makes process improvement fun for staff and Veterans
Sometimes, when Veterans come to the Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center, they will find the main hallways full of activity, laughter, and smiling faces.
This was the case on June 26, when the Phoenix VA invited staff and Veterans to a Process Improvement & High Reliability Organization Expo.
Don’t let the name fool you, because everyone there was having fun with engaging and informative activities that demonstrated just some of the ways the Phoenix VA works towards continuous improvement to provide the best possible care to Veterans.
“We want our Veterans to know that we are striving to provide the highest quality of care,” said Ramadan Ali, Chief of System Redesign for the Phoenix VA. “We are actively working on improving both the care environment and processes to better serve them, and we wanted this to be a fun way to show them the behind-the-scenes work.”
The HRO Expo brought together Systems Redesign and High Reliability Organization specialists from the Veterans Integrated Services Network 22 to see how the Phoenix VA is creating a culture of process improvement.
"This was the first time we have conducted this type of in-person learning event, so it was inspiring to be able to interact with so many employees and Veterans to showcase Phoenix’s commitment to becoming a high reliability organization," said Azita Abel, Phoenix VA High Reliability Organization Lead. "The learning expo allowed us to showcase the systems we have in place to address improvement opportunities that in turn allow psychological safety and just culture to take hold."
This event also showed Veterans and their family members how the Phoenix VA is working to improve the systems in place to provide the best possible care for them.
“We also want to get our staff engaged and excited about improving our processes, so they can be involved with future collaborations,” said Ramadan. “We want our staff to know that they are empowered to solve issues, and that we are here to support them through applying the Lean Process Improvement methodology to do just that.”
Each table was both interactive and informative, some with games, others with challenges. Those who attended started out with a bingo card that was filled up with stars at each station they went to. When the card was full, they received a gift bag prize with some fun items and a gift card for the Veterans Canteen.
One participant was Armando Villegas, a Marine Corps Veteran who quickly understood the activity and the principles behind the Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycle. After almost making all four beanbags into the hole on a beanbag toss activity, Armando decided the best possible adjustment to help him get all the bags in the hole was to step further away.
“This gave me a great perspective on adapting and testing a new process,” said Armando. “It helped to step further away because there’s times when I can’t see well up close.”
After taking just a few steps back, Armando sank all four beanbags, one-by-one.