HIGH RELIABILITY ORGANIZATION (HRO) CONSULTATIONS
Patient safety is of paramount importance in healthcare. Much of J P Systems health informatics work aims at designing more robust controls for patient safety. J P Systems supported an HRO initiative for the VHA.
HROs need to operate in complex, high-hazard domains for extended periods without serious accidents or catastrophic failures. Furthermore, the concept of high reliability is attractive for health care, due to the complexity of operations. Specifically, where there is significant risk, potentially catastrophic consequences can occur in healthcare. Sometimes people interpret high reliability as meaning effective standardization of health care processes. But the principles of high reliability go beyond standardization. A HRO is better described as a condition of persistent mindfulness within an organization. HROs cultivate resilience by relentlessly prioritizing safety over other performance pressures. [Source ahrq.gov]
High Reliability Organization (HRO) Consultations:
JPSys assessed implementation effectiveness, provided project management and consultation support across 18 pilot VAMCs. We advised and supported system wide cultural transformation, delivered leadership training to 194 VISNs and VAMC leaders. Additionally, we generated systemwide leadership practices to empower and support front line clinical teams. Trainings focused on implementing a 'just culture' which prioritizes "shared accountability, leadership engagement, and values-based supportive architecture."
Furthermore, trainings also highlighted the critical development of frontline clinical teams to include field clinicians and informaticists. Our informaticists standardized the VHA health factors and clinical reminders. We completed this leadership training project during the COVID-19 response. This enabled the VHA leadership to move forward with their implementation plan that was developed prior to the pandemic. JPSys advised on the "Site-Specific Assessments and Planning" portion of the High Reliability Organization (HRO) implementation. Specifically, these sites were being piloted in three VISNs with the intention of being distributed across the enterprise. We developed outreach strategies and advised on the HRO communication strategy and campaigns that were tailored to the implementation during the transition to a virtual environment during the onslaught of COVID-19.
