Downloads

RSS

By Scott Fuller, director of workflow engineering, FormFast

An automated workflow is an excellent tool to help enforce hospital policies. The rules used to create the "flow" of workflow should shadow the appropriate hospital policy. For example, think about a paper form used to requisition supplies for a department. This form should be filled out each time you need to order something either from central supply or an outside vendor. It requires routing various copies to include; the triplicate form, either by fax or interoffice mail, to various people for approval and eventually order fulfillment. However, this paper-based process is time consuming, inefficient, and easily abandoned when someone is in a rush. Add to that all the times that the form "disappears" somewhere in the process and you have to resend the faint "pink copy" of the form via fax machine in a frantic attempt to jump start the requisition process again. No wonder people find "work-arounds" when they are in a hurry — sending an unsigned form directly to a lunch buddy that works in Purchasing, for example. Yet, these "workarounds" circumvent hospital policy as it pertains to the requisition process and easily lead to increased costs.

An automated requisition workflow, first and foremost, makes this process efficient and holds each person involved accountable. Accountability comes from the initial requester always being able to see at whose work queue the requisition is currently sitting. Imagine — no more "I never got a copy of requisition, can you please resubmit it to your director?" Because of the automated requisition workflow's efficiency and accountability, the desire (or need) to side-step the system is significantly reduced. However, the real policy enforcer are the rules used to set up the workflow. The rules dictate how the electronic version of the form gets routed and conditions of the routing process. For example, if the requisition totals over $5000, it will only route to purchasing after administrative approval — if in fact that is the hospitals policy. "Work-arounds" aren't possible because the workflow rules that govern the process won't allow it.