Operational Excellence Healthcare Alliance Launched at IHI Forum

The Operational Excellence Healthcare Alliance (OEHA) was officially launched today at the annual forum of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Orlando, Fla.

"We chose the IHI meeting for our launch because hospitals at this conference already see the value of process improvement," says Eric Lavelle, CEO of OEHA. "We are delighted with the warm reception OEHA is receiving which confirms that US healthcare is ready for OpEx."

Operational excellence is "doing the right things right, consistently." Operational excellence puts the right people in the right place at the right time with the right tools – and a defined methodology that is measurable. OpEx hospitals operate in an environment where clinical and financial functions are integrated, and their outcomes are linked to the operations that support them.

"The OEHA approach to this transformation is unique," said Andreas Nordheider, Operational Excellence Director.  "We recognize people as the key to success, and have designed methodologies and tools to ensure that organizations and people evolve together.  The result is operational excellence."

OEHA's unique holistic approach includes guiding principles:
• All clinical outcomes are the result of a process
• Hospital operations (processes) form the foundation for all clinical work
• Effective hospital operations (processes) are critical to financial health
• Clinical & financial success demands operational excellence
• Hospitals can exercise organizational will and choose a path to becoming OpEx hospitals
• With expert mentoring, OpEx hospitals will achieve breakthrough success in numerous other areas of human endeavor using the well-honed OpEx tools

"Historically, we have relied upon clinical expertise for superior outcomes," says Dr. Tony Joseph, OEHA advisor. "In today's complex environment, we now understand that operational excellence forms the essential foundation for success – and that is exactly what the OpEx Alliance brings to hospitals."

OEHA is made up of hospital members working collaboratively together. The OpEx Alliance brings an inclusive holistic approach to operational excellence. The business paradigm of VOC (voice of the consumer) translates for hospitals as the voice of the member.

OEHA listens to its members. Many hospitals feel that their voice is lost in the crowd in today's political milieu. Clinicians, including doctors, nurses and others, have been reduced to 'providers' while executive turnover in hospital management is significant. Many who could otherwise use their expertise to transform healthcare in the 21st century are feeling disaffected. A substantial number have simply given up. Data, analytics, predictive analytics are the buzz – and many consultants claim a solution.  Yet, the competitive nature of today's marketplace renders these options largely ineffective.

OEHA believes that it all starts with people. OEHA listens and crafts strategies that get complex organizations successfully from A to B in a timely way. OEHA is collaborative and cooperative. OEHA is the only OpEx membership organization offering this approach in America.

The Operational Excellence Healthcare Alliance is based in Atlanta and is powered by Kienbaum, a highly regarded European company with 70 years of experience and offices in numerous countries around the globe.

A series of webinars on operational excellence, quality management systems, complexity costing, applied analytic strategies, and cultural transformation within the highly siloed healthcare environment are scheduled in the coming months.

Source: IHI