Performance Improvement: Simple Wheel Model
Michelle Hussein
In a healthcare setting, compliance is a significant indicator of quality of performance. Whether it is compliance mandated by the organization itself or an external accrediting entity, compliance standards inform and drive desired performance. Because of this, the majority of performance improvement needs stem from out-of-compliance performance. Compliance is a living, breathing entity in a healthcare setting. Accrediting associations and the organization itself are continuously updating compliance standards to reflect the rapidly advancing field; some entities are updating standards as frequently as every quarter.
The PI Simple Wheel Model is designed to focus on compliance-based performance improvement needs that frequently arise due to the nature of rapidly changing compliance standards. This model identifies that performance improvement can be in continuous motion as it works to ensure that there is no gap between desired performance and actual performance. It also indicates that change-management always encircles the performance improvement process, touching each portion of the process in order to efficiently manage frequent changes when necessary. The process is also contained within the expectations of the organization as well as any accrediting entities to ensure that the organization’s identity informs the performance improvement process.
The PI Simple Wheel Model contains three phases that happen continuously as compliance standards change and evolve: Analysis; Intervention; & Evaluation.
· Analysis: The goal of analysis is to identify the out-of-compliance performance and identify why it is out of compliance. It asks the questions:
o What is the compliance standard that is not being met?
o How do we know that the standard is not being met?
o Why is the standard not being met?
· Intervention: The goal of intervention is to find the right tools to be implemented to get back into compliance. The steps of intervention are:
o Identify the tools/resources needed
o Design tools/resources needed
o Implement tools/resources
· Evaluation: The goal of evaluation is to determine if performance is back in compliance.