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.
High reliability organizations are organizations that operate in complex, high-hazard domains for extended periods without serious accidents or catastrophic failures. The concept of high reliability is attractive for health care, due to the complexity of operations and the risk of significant and even potentially catastrophic consequences when failures occur in health care. Sometimes people interpret high reliability as meaning effective standardization of health care processes. However, the principles of high reliability go beyond standardization; high reliability is better described as a condition of persistent mindfulness within an organization. High reliability organizations cultivate resilience by relentlessly prioritizing safety over other performance pressures. Managing the Unexpected: psnet.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 systemwide cultural transformation, delivered leadership training to 194 VISN and VAMC leaders and generated systemwide leadership practices to empower and support front line teams. Trainings are focused on implementing a 'just culture' which prioritizes shared accountability, leadership engagement, and values-based supportive architecture.
Trainings also highlight the critical development of frontline teams to include field clinicians and informaticists who standardize VHA health factors and clinical reminders. We completed leadership training during the COVID-19 response, enabling the VHA 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, which is currently 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.
