1. As Diane’s new assistant, you need to flowchart this process.

Explain how the process might be improved once you have completed the chart.

The Arnold Palmer Hospital (APH) in Orlando, Florida, is one of the busiest and most respected hospitals for the medical treatment of children and women in the U.S. Since its opening on golfing legend Arnold Palmer’s birthday September 10, 1989, more than 1.6 million children and women have passed through its doors. It is the fourth-busiest labor and delivery hospital in the U.S. and one of the largest neonatal intensive care units in the Southeast. APH ranks in the top 10% of hospitals nationwide in patient satisfaction.
“Part of the reason for APH’s success,” says Executive Director Kathy Swanson, “is our continuous improvement process. Our goal is 100% patient satisfaction. But getting there means constantly examining and reexamining everything we do, from patient flow, to cleanliness, to layout space, to a work-friendly environment, to speed of medication delivery from the pharmacy to a patient.
Continuous improvement is a huge and never-ending task.”