Operations improvement and reengineering at Ohio State University Medical Center.

Rising costs and increasing competition have forced hospitals to respond to the needs of their customers. At Ohio State University Medical Center, operations improvement and reengineering are being used to redesign processes and to position the medical center competitively in today's changing environment. An operations improvement team identified business processes with the greatest opportunity for positive impact based on the goals of the medical center. Next, these areas were prioritized and teams appointed to begin the reengineering process. Reengineering methods focused on specific outcomes, including improved patient satisfaction, reduced cost, and improved clinical and service quality. Throughout the process, the goals and successes of reengineering were communicated to the organization and community.