Paper details:
How might health care administration leaders use process analysis tools to promote positive outcomes in health services organizations? As a current or
future health care administration leader, your ability to apply process analysis tools within the right context will be useful for ensuring effective operations in
your health services organization.
For this Assignment, review the resources for this week that are specific to supply, demand, equilibrium, break-even analysis, and quality improvement
initiatives. Be sure to review the Pay for Performance and CMS Quality Initiative in your course text.
Using Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word, complete problems 1 through 9 on pages 156–158 in the Ross textbook. Show all work. Submit both your Excel
and Word files for grading.
To find the excel tables and information for the assignment go to the textbook website:
www.josseybass.com/go/ross
Once there, scroll down below where you can purchase the book and look for the For Students section.
Click on Companion Sites
Under the Student Resources, click on Visit Companion Site
In the pull down menu options, select Browse by Chapter
Select Chapter 4
Click on Excel Files for End-of-Chapter Problems
A list of several files for various chapters should open — select the chapter required.
Excel document attached. Process analysis chapter with 9 problems page 156-158
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. Explain the diff erences among data, information, and knowledge.
2. Identify which process analysis tools are best for identifying the potential causes of a problem and briefly explain how each identifi es causes.
3. What is the purpose of each of the four types of check sheets discussed in the chapter?
4. What are the fi ve most commonly cited major causes of problems? Include at least two subcauses for each major cause.
5. Describe the major types of relationship between the x and y variables that an analyst may
observe using a scatter diagram.
6. Prepare a cause and eff ect diagram to explain why a patient may fall and sustain injury.
PROBLEMS
1. Using the Ch04Problems.xls fi le and the States tab, create a Pareto chart showing the top
10 states with the longest lengths of stay and the average length of stay for the remaining
40 states. Your chart should contain eleven columns. Is there any commonality among the
states with long lengths of stay?
2. Using the Ch04Problems.xls fi le and the DRG143 tab, create a histogram of length of stay.
Your histogram should contain seven columns. What is the mean and the standard deviation for length of stay? Assume that we suspect there may be quality issues in hospitals with
extremely high or low lengths of stay, and we decide to examine institutions that have a
length of stay more than or less than two standard deviations from the mean. Which hospitals should be reviewed?
3. Using the Ch04Problems.xls fi le and the States tab, create a scatter chart examining the
relationship between total discharges and total patient days. Describe the relationship
between these two variables.
4. Using the Ch04Problems.xls fi le and the DRG143 tab, create a scatter chart examining
the relationship between number of cases and length of stay. Describe the relationship
between these two variables.
5. Using the Ch04Problems.xls fi le and the Patient Falls tab, create two stratifi cation charts
examining: (a) the relationship between patient falls and shift, and (b) between patient falls
and patient age. If you were in charge of reducing patient falls, where should your eff orts
be concentrated for maximum eff ectiveness?
6. You are the manager of the patient transport department at a hospital, and recently the
radiology department has voiced a concern over the late arrival of patients for their radiology tests. You have pulled the transport log for the last week to investigate (Ch04Problems.
xls fi le, Transport Log tab). Prepare two check sheets: (a) prepare a process distribution check
sheet to document how late arrivals have been and (b) prepare a defect factor check sheet to
determine if late arrivals are due to any particular transport employee. Discuss your fi ndings.
Process Distribution Check Sheet
Minutes Late
Number of
Occurrences Total
1–5 min
6–10 min
11–15 min
16–20 min
21–25 min
26+ min
Defect Factor Check Sheet
Transporter
Number of
Occurrences Total
A
B
C
D
E
7. Ten projects are being considered by the QM team. Based on team member preferences
(below), if a single vote is held, project D will be selected. The chair wants to consider team
member preferences beyond simply their fi rst choice. Use a multivoting process and assign
three points to each member ’s fi rst choice, two points to the second, and one point to the
third. After the fi rst vote, options that receive fewer than three points should be eliminated
and the remaining options revoted. In subsequent rounds, two points will be given to the
fi rst choice and one point to the second. Continue to eliminate low vote tallying options
until all but two options have been eliminated. On the fi nal vote each team member will get
a single vote worth one point. Which option will be selected?
QM Team Preferences
Jacob D, I, B, C, A, F, E, J, H, G
Isabella A, C, E, F, G, J, D, H, I, B
Ethan H, G, E, D, B, I, J, A, C, F
Emma D, I, F, A, E, G, B, C, H, J
Olivia B, G, A, J, H, C, F, E, I, D
8. Given the preferences of the four team members below, tally the rankings of projects A
through H using a Q-sort process and prepare a list of projects from the most favored to the
least favored project. Which two projects should be pursued?
Choice Deion Malcolm Charity Sue
First G A C F
Second F D B D
Third D H G A
Fourth E G F E
Fifth A C H G
Sixth C B A H
Seventh B F E B
Eighth H E D C
9. Using the Ch04Problems.xls fi le and the Patient Falls tab, create a run chart examining falls
per week. Have patient falls been reduced over this 13-week period?