Optimizing Urgent Care Flow with 3D Simulation Modeling

Traditional tools to understand process flow include Spaghetti Diagrams, Detailed Process Maps, Value Stream Maps, and many more, however, these tools fail to show a true holistic picture of the process. Each individual tool gives a glimpse of one perspective of the process. The Process Improvement Team at Cook Children’s utilizes these tools on a regular basis as well as provides classes to teach interested Cook Children’s Employees. When the need for a more powerful tool arises, the Team utilizes virtual 3D simulation to construct and execute process models that help analyze the current state of the process and also help identify opportunities for improvements.

The attendees will be encouraged to incorporate simulation tools in their Process Improvement toolbox.

The attendees will be able to explain that a simulation tool is essentially a Level 3 Process Map with a combination of real-world process randomness / unpredictability to better show how a process functions in the real world.

Author

Mr. Rahim Akbar (BSIE, LSSGB) has a background in Industrial Engineering and is a Process Improvement Specialist at Cook Children’s Health Care System in Fort Worth, TX. He has 10 years of professional experience in OPEX / Process Improvement in various industries such as Food Manufacturing, Airline, Aerospace Manufacturing, and Health Care. Rahim has a passion for Industrial Engineering and after having worked at several industries, he wants to expand his knowledge of Operational Excellence in the Medical Field along with effectively utilizing Industrial Engineering tools in Health Care.