Intermountain Healthcare Case Study

This case study examines the variability and waste processes identified in Intermountain Healthcare and how they were addressed through business process reengineering. It discusses the issues in cardiovascular, women and newborn, pneumonia, primary care, and intensive care units, and the interventions implemented to improve efficiency and patient care. The study concludes that the changes made in Intermountain Healthcare were a result of business process reengineering.

Running head: INTERMOUNTAIN HEALTHCARE CASE STUDY
Intermountain Healthcare Case Study
Name of the Student
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Q1. What were the variability and waste processes that were identified initially?
Answer:
Intermountain healthcare was a non profit healthcare organisation, providing
healthcare services to the Utah and south-eastern Idaho residents. The healthcare facility
faced some efficiency related issues especially in cardiovascular, Women and new born,
Pneumonia, primary care and Intensive care unit. From the clinical audit report it was found
that with the increasing number of community-acquired pneumonia cases, the requirement of
hospitalisation is increasing (Bohmer, Richard and Amy 2002). In primary care unit it was
found that the patients of asthma, diabetes were not getting enough planning to reshape their
lifestyle properly. In ICU the severe increment of Hyperglycaemic episodes were found,
because of poor expertise on care giving. During the transformation process within the
general to ICU, patients who are suffering from cardiovascular blockage often experience
cardiopulmonary arrest at increases the risk factors exponentially. The number of
Cardiopulmonary arrest cases was increasing rapidly while the women and newborn related
diseases were increasing nationally.
Question 2: How were they addressed?
Answer:
The responsible healthcare professionals of Intermountain healthcare decreases the
time required for the admission of the pneumonia patient to effectively medicate the patients.
A urgent medical team was built to provide the clinical support to the caregivers, so that that
can comprehensively follow the CPM guidelines. A set of equations were made based on the
paper protocol to allow the insulin control system be provided through the computerised
measures. A rapid response team was built to allow clinicians to response within 24 hours of

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initial reporting (Bohmer, Richard and Amy 2002). To address the increasing number of
women and newborns related health issues the obstetrical development team was developed
with a set of well structured guidelines in order to guide the general physicians as well as the
patients regarding the effective labor induction. The objective of this team was to not
mandating how various facilities should implement the guidelines, rather their purpose was to
provide adequate support.
Question 3: Were the activities in Intermountain BPR or BPI?
Answer:
In this case study of Intermountain healthcare, the change undertaken by the
organisation was BPR or the business process reengineering. The business process
reengineering is a system that allows a organisation to change their methodology of operation
to improve the outcome (Musa and Othman 2016). In this case of Intermountain healthcare,
the organisation has changed the entire patient handing and care giving methodologies
through altering the operational flow for cardiovascular, Women and new born, Pneumonia,
primary care and Intensive care unit. Hence, the changes in operational flow and the
intervention of new rapid action teams and educator groups clearly portrays that the changes
are BPR or the business process reengineering.

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Reference:
Bohmer, Richard M.J., and Amy C. 2002. Edmondson, and Laura Feldman. "Intermountain
Health Care." Harvard Business School Case. 603-066,. (Revised March 2013.)
Musa, M.A. and Othman, M.S., 2016. Business Process Reengineering in Healthcare:
literature review on the methodologies and approaches. Review of European Studies, 8(1),
pp.20-34.