Improving Registration Times in the Outpatient Registration Department, Essay Example

According to the report from the outside consulting agency, the registration process for outpatients at ABC Hospital takes 25 minutes, which is 10 minutes longer than the industry standard of 25 minutes. Unfortunately this information is provided without much context; the only additional information about the registrars included in the report is that the registrars are “competent.” Based on the assumption that this is accurate, and the registrars are competent, it is safe to conclude that other factors are at the root of the problem. In order to make the registration process more efficient, it will be necessary to look for systemic problems and aspects of the larger organizational culture that may be contributing to the problem. Finding ways of motivating the registrars will require a multi-pronged approach.

The report indicates that the previous supervisor of the outpatient registration department was in the position for 15 years. This information provides some insight into the larger issues in the department, as it may indicate that the problems there have developed slowly, over time, as both the supervisor and the registrars became familiar and comfortable with each other. The supervisor was in the position for many years, and the registrars are competent, so the underlying issue is not a dysfunctional environment, but simply one in which the supervisor and the registrars are not motivated to perform their jobs more quickly and efficiently. It will be the responsibility of the new supervisor to cultivate a positive relationship with the registrars from the outset, and to implement motivational strategies that will utilize the strengths and skills of the registrars in order to increase speed and efficiency in the department.

As the new supervisor of the Outpatient Registration department, my first step would be to meet with the registrars to introduce myself, and to adopt a servant leadership approach to motivating them. I would acknowledge that my background in working in a smaller organization prior to taking this position has given me some skills and knowledge that will be helpful, while also making it clear that I wish to learn from the registrars themselves about their responsibilities, how their department functions, and what they feel can be done to make improvements. By incorporating ideas and suggestions from the registrars it will be possible to develop an improvement strategy that is based on the conditions as they exist. This will also afford me the opportunity to cultivate a strong working relationship with the registrars, and will help them become engaged and invested in the process of improving the department’s efficiency.

Once a strategy has been identified, the implementation of that strategy will incorporate a pacesetting leadership style.  The overall goal is to speed up registration times, so it will be necessary to establish a specific pace for registrars to begin meeting the industry-standard time of 15 minutes.  The practical steps for making these improvements will be taken directly from the registrars themselves, and their competency and commitment to the organization and to the new strategy will provide intrinsic motivation for meeting the new goals. A number of extrinsic motivational strategies will also be helpful in this situation. Patient satisfaction surveys can help provide feedback, which can be sued both to make improvements and to reward positive behavior among the registrars.  A “FUN” (focused, unpredictable, novel) strategy will be used to provide rewards and incentives for registrars who meet goals and otherwise make improvements in the department.  Such rewards will be tailored to the specific interests of the department and the individual registrars. By combing the appropriate leadership styles and motivational strategies, the registrars will be invested in implementing and maintaining positive changes in the Outpatient Registration department.