PNNL

Abstract

The staff at three Washington State hospitals and Battelle Pacific Northwest Division have been collaborating to apply Failure Mode Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) to assess several hospital processes. The staff from Kadlec Medical Center (KMC), located in Richland, Washington; Kennewick General Hospital (KGH), located in Kennewick, Washington; and Lourdes Medical Center (LMC), located in Pasco, Washington, along with staff from Battelle, which is located in Richland, Washington have been working together successfully for two and a half years. Tri-Cities Shared Services, a local organization which implements shared hospital services, has provided the forum for joint activity. This effort was initiated in response to the new JCAHO patient safety standards implemented in July 2001, and the hospitals’ desire to be more proactive in improving patient safety. As a result of performing FMECAs the weaknesses of six medical processes have been characterized and corresponding system improvements implemented. Based on this collective experience, insights about the benefits of applying FMECAs to healthcare processes have been identified.