Looking to increase margins and cut costs in your health system’s Procure-to-Pay (P2P) processes? One often-overlooked tool to accomplish this is process mapping or creating a visual representation of organizational processes. This not only identifies costly process gaps but also identifies areas lacking accountability and communication. In healthcare systems’ P2P, commonly broken processes include:
- Extended processing time for an invoice with incorrect POs
- Delayed vendor payments
- Contract price implementation
- Returning products to suppliers
Types of Process Maps
By identifying the current and ideal states of processes, organizations can more clearly determine where to deploy resources to drive efficiencies and cut costs.
Process maps generally take one of two forms, both of which meet differing organizational objectives.
- Process Flowchart. A simple process map that visually illustrates the series of activities and their associated decision points. This format is best for viewing the structure of a process in its entirety to ensure all necessary steps, decisions, and checkpoints are present.
- Deployment Flowchart. A process map that illustrates the interactions between departments and their associated roles in relation to the process steps. A common form of deployment flowcharts is a swim lane chart. This format is best for determining whether the process steps are appropriately and efficiently assigned to each department and its team members.
Seven Steps of Process Mapping
The mapping process generally entails:
- Identifying a process – Are there processes that have been consistently problematic? Are there processes that have not been reviewed?
- Identifying the scope of process steps – Determine the depth and detail your project team will research and report.
- Plan and schedule resources – Pick key team members and develop a delivery timeline.
- Select mapping technique – Based on the project objectives, determine which mapping form best suits your needs.
- Conduct interviews – The process mapping team should meet with key participants in the process to determine what the process is, what is actually occurring, and where the inefficiencies exist.
- As-is process – Create a process map of the current state based on the teams’ research
- Analyze, Evaluate, and Sign-Off – Meet with project stakeholders to discuss the results of the project and determine the next steps for developing process efficiencies
Creating either type of process map is a time-intensive process that requires multiple departments to collaborate and provide meaningful input. Often, even though healthcare systems recognize the importance of understanding how their processes function, this interdepartmental requirement makes the project challenging to implement. Determining which department will lend resources to gather and analyze information further complicates the project.
Benefits of Process Mapping
Process mapping can be tough to implement when healthcare systems have competing priorities primarily focused on patient care. However, the benefits of taking the time and dedicating resources to improve P2P processes far outweigh the commitment. These benefits include:
- Increased visibility into organizational processes
- Break down of communication silos within and between departments
- Define your health system’s ideal state by creating baselines, documenting changes, and generating improvement initiatives
- Identify and mitigate areas of risk
- Create accountability within each department for assigned tasks
- Demonstrate processes and steps crucial to maintaining regulatory compliance
Ready to get started mapping your processes but lack the internal resources? Let TAG help! Allow our 30 years of healthcare-specific experience to analyze your processes, create your ideal state, and implement any necessary solutions to process gaps. Contact us to learn more today.