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Project Charter Part 1

Project Charter Information

Project Name: Provider Inbox Management Optimization (PIMO): Creating the Optimal Inbox
Project Site: Adelante Healthcare – Adult and Family Medicine

Contact at Site:

• Name with credentials: Robert Babyar, MD, Chief Medical Officer
• Organizational Email: robert.babyar@adelantehealthcare.org
• Phone Number: 877-809-5092

Preceptor:

• Name with credentials: Adita Flagg
• Email: adita.flagg@adelantehealthcare.org
• Phone Number: 877-809-5092

Executive Sponsor:

• Title: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Adelante Healthcare
• Role: The CEO is responsible for the overall productivity and operation of the company and is instrumental in providing fiscal, political, and networking support.

Gap Analysis

A January 2023 report from analysts revealed that 75% of patient messages were not reviewed or addressed within the first three days. This issue was identified by the Quality Department during an investigation into patient complaints about delayed responses. Currently, no response time policy, procedure, or guideline exists to guide clinical staff. This gap, initially identified in May 2022, highlights challenges such as time constraints, duplication of efforts, and inadequate delegation. A root cause analysis was conducted, and the findings are illustrated in a Fishbone diagram (Appendix A). After discussing the issue with the executive sponsor, a quality improvement project was approved to address the gap. The desired state involves implementing an evidence-based response time policy to improve patient-provider communication and reduce delays.

The Joint Commission’s 2023 National Patient Safety Goals emphasize improving communication among caregivers. Organizations focusing on optimizing provider inbox management can mitigate issues like information overload, which is a significant contributor to job dissatisfaction and provider burnout (Murphy et al., 2019). Research by Lieu et al. (2019) and North et al. (2018) supports that implementing response time policies can result in timely patient communication and reduce patient calls. The PIMO project aligns with these objectives by addressing this critical practice gap.

Evidence to Support the Need

Evidence-based interventions demonstrate that implementing response time policies can improve clinical efficiency, patient engagement, and timely messaging. Studies by Steitz et al. (2019) and Hefner et al. (2019) highlight the necessity of policy improvements and staff training. Furthermore, Reynolds et al. (2021) emphasize the importance of virtual interactions and contextualized advice within patient portals. These findings align with Huang et al. (2022), who identify opportunities for optimizing inbox messaging systems to balance workloads and enhance efficiency.

To achieve this, the PIMO project will implement a response time policy, provide staff training, and upgrade the patient portal system. This initiative aims to improve patient safety, reduce treatment delays, and increase satisfaction.

PICOT Question

For staff and providers (P), how does the implementation of a patient-provider response time policy (I) to respond to portal messages, compared to the current state (C), affect response times (O) over a two-month period (T)?

Project Aim
The PIMO project aims to improve patient-provider response times to achieve or exceed time measures outlined in the response time policy and reduce delays in care.

Stakeholders