An agile organization
Together for the Patient
In 2016 we started with a new work method in our organization: Together for the Patient The guiding principle for this method is: what can we do better for our patients? Multidisciplinary cooperation and ongoing improvement are central here. We do this with the help of daily and weekly starts. Ideas to improve care or our way of working, are tested directly in our daily jobs. And we measure the effects thereof. In this way we sustainably increase the satisfaction of patients and employees, the quality and safety of our care, and our productivity. In 2021 we completed the program Together for the Patient, and the management and development of this work method became anchored in a single department of the Strategy and Policy directorate. Working together in a multidisciplinary way is now common practice throughout UMC Utrecht. We keep looking to see what we can do better, and build further on the foundation that has been laid for multidisciplinary cooperation. So far until 2021, we have collected and discussed more than 15,000 ideas for improvements and completed, and thousands of bigger and smaller improvements were taken through.
Management standardization
At UMC Utrecht we want to provide the best possible service to our patients, healthcare professionals, researchers and students. We therefore standardize our way of working wherever we can. This ensures efficiency, fewer risks, and optimal results.
At UMC Utrecht we want to provide the best possible service to our patients, healthcare professionals, researchers and students
In 2021, we succeeded in centralizing the procurement, management and maintenance of medical devices. This includes a total of over 5,000 medical devices in 35 departments within six divisions. This centralization enables us to work more efficiently, and to control maintenance more effectively, in line with the covenant for health technology.
In 2021 we furthermore completed the standardization of information supply for management purposes at UMC Utrecht. With good management information and recognizable KPIs (key performance indicators), all departments can now be managed in a comparable and recognizable way, so that employees who switch from one department to another can work in an identical and seamless manner. In addition, processes in support service departments, such as staff & organization, project control, and marketing & communication, were optimized and standardized in 2021. Likewise in 2021 we standardized our cell phone system to ensure that all colleagues - those who are working at UMC Utrecht as well as those working from home - can be reached. At the end of 2021, we started to split up and change the coordination of care duties and facilitating tasks like cleaning, feeding and logistics in care units. This enables us better to ensure service continuity in care departments, and allows medical professionals to focus on their care duties (with more hands per bed).
OGSM
At UMC Utrecht we translate strategy, goals and KPIs into concrete plans for each department. Since 2020, we have been doing this according to OGSM methodology (objectives, goals, strategies and measures). Hereby each department can translate our Connecting Worlds strategy into a year plan on a single A4 sheet. With the OGSM methodology, UMC Utrecht can focus more on collective goals, and each department can contribute to it in a tangible and effective manner.