Session Description
Women at average risk for breast cancer are recommended to start mammogram screening at age 40. The goal of screening is early detection in women who do not have symptoms. In the spring of 2022, patients requesting appointments for mammography screenings were waiting an average of 80 days to receive services. A project team was tasked to reduce the number of days from request to schedule to below 30. Lean methodology and operational analysis led the path towards improvement, resulting in a 9.5 week reduction in wait time and improving earlier access to preventative screenings.
Tool:
Root Cause Tree Analysis
Problem:
Reduce the number of days from request to schedule for a mammography screening from an average of 76.3 days to under 30 days.
Tool Selection:
The need to focus the team and reject red herrings led the project lead to utilize the root cause tree. This tool guided identification of causes of the problem. The template was visual management for hypothesis. Data then was used to confirm or reject hypotheses.
Usage:
After initial data collection and analysis, meeting notes, and suggested causes were categorized by theme under hypothetical root cause statements. Data was used to support or reject hypothesized causes. Once assembled, root cause was apparent. The tool was effective at visually displaying and communicating causes, rationales, and creating team support.
Results:
After initial data collection and analysis, meeting notes, and suggested causes were categorized by theme under hypothetical root cause statements. Data was used to support or reject hypothesized causes. Once assembled, root cause was apparent. The tool was effective at visually displaying and communicating causes, rationales, and creating team support.
