Bikas Building Clinic Builder incorporating Value Stream Mapping

Where our health is concerned, as individuals we generally wear one of two different hats. Which hat we're wearing depends on how good we feel or how healthy we are. When we're feeling well we wear the everyday person hat. And when we're sick, or uncertain about our health, we have the option to wear the patient hat. That is, if we choose to seek medical care. Choosing to be a patient is often tempered by our concerns for receiving medical attention. Do we have a physician? Do we like him or her? Is their medical practice a convenient place to visit? Do we feel welcome and cared for there?

Women's Health Alliance-Atrium OBGYN is an example of a physician's practice that is thinking ahead of the curve to ensure patients feel well cared for on all levels. In 2009 they carefully observed how the physical setting of their care environment worked, and didn't work, for their patients. By utilizing value stream mapping, or VSM, (a process learned through North Carolina State University's Industrial Extension Service), they found that the environment they had designed ten years earlier had some drawbacks. VSM involves literally following and documenting actual patients' movements through the typical steps in a patient encounter, i.e. the transitions between check-in, waiting room, exam room, laboratory, x-ray, and check-out.

As they observed patient "flow" Atrium OBGYN noted that because an exam room opened into the waiting room, patient privacy was compromised whenever the door opened. Going from exam room to laboratory or x-ray or the restroom for specimen collection sometimes meant backtracking and wandering into administrative or private office areas within the practice. Getting lost in "a maze" of hallways is confusing, sometimes embarrassing, and causes unnecessary interruptions and ultimately delays care. Atrium OBGYN wanted to ensure a more positive patient visit, with the expectation of improving patient outcomes. They believe the more pleasant the encounter, the more positive you may feel about your health situation and more likely to fully participate in your care.

With this in mind, and armed with the data to prove they didn't have the best setting for a satisfying patient encounter, Atrium OBGYN is building a new facility that incorporates a patient flow model that minimizes inconvenience. And to take it a step further, they've chosen a spa-like design and décor to further enhance the atmosphere. In March Bikas Building of North Carolina LLC will begin the process of transforming the interior of Atrium's new office space near Rex Hospital. The anticipated result is a warmly welcoming, easy-to-navigate medical office. When completed, Atrium OBGYN will be helping the everyday person be a more responsible patient. By eliminating barriers to patient flow, it is expected patients will better enjoy their visits and won't hesitate to return when necessary. ---- Lisa Herrington