stevens - hca work details 20150327

Craig A. Stevens [email protected]

PROGRAM/PROJECT MANAGEMENT BACKGROUND - HIGHLY DETAILED

HCA PHYSICIAN SERVICES, Manager of Process Improvement Program and Project Manager Support to HCA Physician Services. Work performed through different groups during the almost six years of service for HCAPS: HCA Process Improvement Group, HCAPS, HCA’s Parallon Project Services, and HCA’s Shared Services Group (2009 – Present). 1. Program Manager for the PI Development Project - Developed all PI tools, Systems, and

Methods needed. We started with a clean slate and we used my previous training material, procedures, and tools as the foundation for developing the HCAPS healthcare specific program. The program included a simplification of the concepts of lean six sigma lifecycles (which we benchmarked with industry leaders on the subject.) Worked with Vanderbilt, Belmont, UT Knoxville, Nissan, and Others to compare and contrast similar systems. Built the following tools and training using the Westbrook Stevens Tool box for PI:

I. Developed the Assessment, Problem Solving, and Implementation Procedures that the PI team used when performing PI efforts in the field and from main office.

i. Created about one hundred different tools (forms, procedures, and templates) for assessing and improving processes and systems for the 800 plus practices.

II. Created the Process Improvement (and Lean Six Sigma) Introduction/Orientation Training

III. Used the Westbrook Stevens Model - The Seven Attributes of Excellent Management Training for Leaders (White Belt)

i. Building Excellent Leaders (Situational Leadership and the Westbrook Stevens Model on Empowerment)

ii. Building an Excellent Culture Using the Westbrook Stevens Model iii. Building a Culture of Service (Excellent Customer Focus Using the

Westbrook Stevens Model) iv. Excellent Teambuilding Building v. Excellence in Problem Solving (Building Core Competencies and Skills)

vi. Excellent Change Management and Continuous Improvement of Processes and Systems (Using the Westbrook Stevens Models)

vii. Excellent Performance Measure (Using the Westbrook Stevens Model of the 7 Steps to Performance Measures)

III. Tools for Practitioners of Lean Healthcare (Yellow Belt Training) viii. Yellow Belt Training for the Accounting Department (Full Yellow Belt

Training Designed for Service Departments) ix. Optimizing the Practice Management Big Rocks

1. Optimizing Phones Service 2. Minimizing No Show Rates 3. Optimizing Doctors/Patient Schedules

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4. Optimizing Patient Throughput 5. Optimizing Room Utilization

x. Optimizing Employee Engagement in Process Improvement (Using Idea Boards from various medical centers)

xi. Mastering Lean Waste Minimization using the 5S Tool xii. Improving Processes using Flow Charts

xiii. Minimizing Wasted Movement Using Spaghetti Diagrams xiv. The A3 Process Improvement Tool xv. Mastering Root Cause Analysis

xvi. And many more tools IV. Started the Green Belt Training Tools (Statistics and Systems Thinking tools)

Objectives of Project: To provide systematic and repeatable tools for the PI team to use. The secondary and possibly most important objective was to design the program so that the practice managers and other practitioners can also use it without support from the PI team. The program required the development of materials and training to use the tools.

Team Details: Two full time members and about 40 different interns and students.

Time Frame: Development took about 12 Months starting with the Westbrook Stevens models and materials as the bases. This project will be on going as systems are improved.

Results: The program was extremely popular with the practice managers and created the bases for how the HCAPS PI team provided support.

2. Developed and rolled out the Customer Service Training for Practice Managers and Staff.

Used the Westbrook Stevens workshops that I developed during the last 20 years to create the HCAPS customer service training program. We broke the training up into small 30 minutes or less modules. I taught one module at a time several times a month by WebEx. During one month we might have had as many as 300 people attend and one module might receive as many as 100 positive comments. Developed the following video training (to cone my services before I left)

I. Introduction to Customer Experience II. AIDET and Attitude Introduction

III. First Impressions Part 1 – The Science and Environment IV. First Impressions Part 2 – The Your Face and Eye Contact V. First Impressions Part 3 – Personal Grooming and Body Language

VI. First Impressions Part 4 – Interpreting Body Language VII. First Impressions Part 5 – More Interpreting Body Language

VIII. First Impressions Part 6 – Space IX. Communication Part 1 – Active Listening




X. Communication Part 2 – Dialogue and Report XI. Communication Part 3 – Phones

XII. Communication Part 4 – Phone Scripts XIII. Communication Part 5 – Collecting Information XIV. Communication Part 6 – Tone and Inflection XV. Communication Part 7 – The Written Word

XVI. Process Improvement Tool – Root Cause Part 1 – Introduction XVII. Process Improvement Tool – Root Cause Part 2 – How to Use

Objectives of Project: To provide a way to improve customer satisfaction by keeping the subject of customer service in front of the minds of all the staff.

Team Details: Me and participating practice managers.

Time Frame: Development took about 2 Months and we piloted the training for four months.

Results: The program snowballed with more people being added to the training every month. The comments were outstanding from both leadership and front line staff.

3. Managed Operations for all PI lean six-sigma support for about 800 practices. During this

time we supported many different process improvement projects (13 Practices) where the PI team drove improvements and many more where the practice managers drove the improvement efforts (based on WebEx Training and support from a distance to hundreds of Practice Managers and their Staff).

4. Project manager for the development of the first Mystery Shopping efforts (supported second effort as member of my staff lead the project) using interns to call and verify practice management appointments and phone services for the three groups of practices.

Objectives of Project: To provide a way to check the quality of phone services and appointment time for as many of the 700+ practices as possible.

Team Details: Two PI members and several interns.

Time Frame: The project happened during two summers for about 3 months.

Results: The finds drove targeted improvement efforts for the three groups and many practices involved.

5. Managed Mini-Projects and Process Flow for Business Process Improvement – the

corporate business side of HCAPS.




I. For the 700+ Practices Created Flow Charts and observation time (for systematic and repeatable comparison of processes)

i. Patient Makes Appointment ii. Patient Pre Check-in

iii. Patient Enters and Approaches Desk iv. Patient Checks In v. Front End Collections Process

vi. Encounter Form Process vii. Patient in Exam Room Process

viii. Lab Processes ix. Other Ancillary Processes x. Referrals Processes

xi. Check out Process xii. Billing Process

xiii. Charge Entry Process xiv. Incident to Billing Process

II. Supported the Improve Efforts for eSAF and 3-4 ID generation process III. Supported the Quality Group’s training for PDCA of Quality Directors IV. Practice Onboarding – reviewed and drove improvement efforts to minimize

time required to onboard new practices. V. Physician Governance Process (evaluate and approve of new procedures)

VI. Drug testing procedure for a corporate client (VW) VII. General Ledger (GL) and Decision Support System (DDS) Improvement

VIII. RSC Fees Process IX. Helped to Developed the Culture of Service Workshop X. Developed the PI Intranet Website

XI. Developed the PI SharePoint Site XII. Supported the Earlier PI efforts with the Corporate PI Group

XIII. Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) Process Flow XIV. Expense Task Force for HCAPS

i. Close Process ii. Flow for Texas Close Process

XV. HCAPS Coding Operations Plan and Repeated Coding Training in various PI tools

XVI. Managed Care Coordination Processes i. New Doctor and/or Practice Enrollment

ii. New Agreement Contract iii. New Doctor Effective Date Problem

XVII. Physician Governance Process i. Information Flow for Recommendations, Decisions, and Actions

ii. Evaluation and Approve New Procedures and Process iii. Evaluation of New Services Process




iv. Peer Review Process XVIII. HCAPS Recruiting Hospitalist Process

i. The Planning Phase Process ii. Screen Phase Process

iii. Closing Phase Process XIX. Project Plans for Anesthesiologist Credentialing and Onboarding XX. HR Central Recruitment Processes

i. Opening a Position Requisition Process ii. Candidate Selection Process for External Candidates

iii. Internal Candidates – Transfers and Promotions Within the Same Process level Process

iv. Internal Candidates – Transfers and Promotions for Changing Process level Process

v. Prior to Starting Employment for New Hires Processes vi. Adjustment Approval Guidelines Processes

1. Special Wage for Practice Based Positions – Market and Other Pay Adjustments

2. Special Wage for Central Services Positions (Primarily Brentwood Campus and HR) Upgrade/Promotions

3. Special Wage for Central Services Positions (Primarily Brentwood Campus and HR) Market and All other Pay Adjustments

XXI. HR Physician Recruiting Process i. Planning Phase Process

ii. First Contact/Initial Interest Process iii. Screening Process iv. Closing Phase Process

XXII. Physician OnBoarding Process i. Planning Phase Process

ii. First Contact/Initial Interest Process iii. Screening Process iv. Closing Phase Process

XXIII. Central Services Coding Process XXIV. FA RDS Improvement Processes/Project Plans XXV. Accounting Process Improvement

i. Automation Improvement Process/Project Plans ii. DSS Support

iii. ERP Project Support XXVI. Streamlining Corporate MOR Process

XXVII. Financial Services Customer Service Initiative XXVIII. AP Process Flow Improvements

i. Indexing Process




ii. Invoice Processing iii. Mailroom and Scanning Process iv. Vendor Maintenance Process v. Refund Processing

vi. Physician Payment Processing vii. Mail Processing

viii. Income Guarantee Processing ix. 1099 Processing x. Daily Transacting Reconciliation Processes

xi. Property Lease Payments Processes xii. COID Start Up Processes

xiii. Manual Check/AP Processing xiv. CER Process

6. Developed and Taught the Accounting department’s Lean Six-Sigma yellow belt

certification. 7. Tracked all HCAPS Corporate projects for the C-Suite executives and Division

Managers, supported/mentored the executives of HCA Physician Services (HCAPS) in Change/Project Management processes and systems. Acted as a liaison/mentor to all the senior level managers.


stevens - hca work details 20150327

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