Achieving High Reliability with People, Processes, and Technology.

High reliability as a corporate value in healthcare can be achieved by meeting the "Quadruple Aim" of improving population health, reducing per capita costs, enhancing the patient experience, and improving provider wellness. This drive starts with the board of trustees, CEO, and other senior leaders who ingrain high reliability throughout the organization. At WellStar Health System, the board developed an ambitious goal to become a top-decile health system in safety and quality metrics. To achieve this goal, WellStar has embarked on a journey toward high reliability and has committed to Lean management practices consistent with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's definition of a high-reliability organization (HRO): one that is committed to the prevention of failure, early identification and mitigation of failure, and redesign of processes based on identifiable failures. In the end, a successful HRO can provide safe, effective, patient- and family-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable care through a convergence of people, processes, and technology.

From skepticism to engagement.

WellStar Kennestone Hospital's patient flow improvement initiative is a case study in engaging physicians in a collaborative effort that benefits both the physicians and the hospital. Kennestone's success was in large part due to the active participation of physician leaders on the committee charged with leading the project. The initiative provides a lesson for hospitals looking to collaborate with physicians in meeting reform's mandate for the highest-quality care delivered with the highest level of efficiency at the lowest possible cost.