Bubble Wrap Delivers Better Night’s Sleep

The sleep lab in Falls Church, Virginia, draws patients from miles around. To save patients a trip, staff arranged for members to pick up and drop off sleep therapy equipment at their nearest medical office building. But patients sometimes were slow to pick up supplies, which caused storage problems. At other times, supplies were incorrect, late or missing — frustrating patients and staff. After completing a Plan-Do-Study-Act project, the team bought bubble wrap envelopes and began mailing equipment and supplies to patients. Staff also centralized supply distribution and purchased technology to track deliveries. Now patients are happier — and sleeping better at night. 

Here's What Worked

• Mailing sleep therapy equipment directly to patients instead of leaving packages for them to pick up at their nearest medical office building
• Centralizing supply distribution and eliminating the use of in-house couriers for greater efficiency
• Purchasing software that enables tracking of deliveries for improved cost savings

​What can your team do to put the patients' needs at the center when you try to improve performance?