How to Build an Improvement Accountability System

Healthcare improvement accountability is often lacking, making your team’s accomplishments, frustrations, and suggestions feel unnoticed or less valuable.

Whether the shortcoming is due to disorganization, plan execution, lack of data and insights, or something else, it is possible to turn that around by introducing an improvement accountability system.

If you want to transform your healthcare improvement outcomes, you must first change your approach. However, the solution is not a quick fix. To achieve real, long-term improvement accountability and results, you will need to strategize, implement, track, and follow through on improvement initiatives.

8 Tips for Keeping the Improvement Team Accountable

1. Make sure your goals are clear, actionable, and achievable in a specified time frame.

Think about any possible hurdles you could remedy before starting. Brainstorm barriers you may run into and potential solutions for each. Predicting potential problems before they arise keeps you in a proactive mindset, rather than in a reactive one.

2. Think about your ideal team members.

Include capable senior leaders, local leaders, and sponsors. Identify people who have the time, knowledge, and passion to drive change. This core group will take ownership and stay organized to keep goals at the forefront.

3. Make sure the team sponsor is checking in with local leaders periodically.

A team sponsor can make sure progress data is kept up to date, provide all the resources frontline teams need, and ensure improvement actions are making an impact.

4. Course correct based on real-time information.

Team sponsors and local leaders need to discuss obstacles that pop up along the way so they can course correct quickly or drop initiatives that won’t be successful so they can focus on others. This will not only save time, but also keep the team advancing toward the defined objectives.

5. Communicate the impact of initiatives to senior leaders.

With real-time progress information, local leaders can present qualitative data and show what is working as well as what isn’t, and make recommendations for change. The added accountability, progress updates, and data-driven results will make senior leaders feel confident because they can proactively evaluate initiatives.

6. Make insightful decisions based on information and analytics.

With healthcare improvement software there is no need to guess anymore. The numbers and results are always available for analyzing and quick dashboard visualization. Leadership has around-the-clock access to improvement data so they can be prepared to make decisions at a moment’s notice.

7. Conduct a year-end audit and fine-tune your roadmap for next year.

What initiatives are working well? What can be further improved? An audit is just as necessary and helpful in healthcare improvement accountability as it is in finance. This is the only way to guarantee your plan is raising the bar from year-to-year.

8. Keep a best practices list for maintaining and improving your improvement accountability system.

Be sure to update this list regularly as best practices are identified, as well as after an audit.

Creating a healthcare improvement accountability system will organize, track, and accelerate your efforts. Don’t fret over the time it will take to build an efficient system. A well-built system will help you get up and running quickly and provide the flexibility to thrive and grow with your organization.

What can you do today to start building your accountability system? If you need a hand getting started, schedule a demo with us.