Recently, healthcare organizations have begun to appreciate the impact of the Environmental Services department on patient satisfaction. Cleanliness as perceived from the patient and family’s perspective is a major factor affecting overall patient satisfaction. With national attention on hospital-acquired infections, the important role of EVS departments in preventing the spread of potentially harmful bacteria has become significant. The Destination 10 Process is designed to move EVS departments from Good to Best.

When the D/10 process is already being employed in the food service department it makes sense to also utilize D/10 in EVS to take advantage of economies of scale. Utilizing D/10 in both Food Service and EVS creates an alignment of management and staff across these two important service provider departments with the common goal of providing optimum customer service.

DESTINATION 10 FOR EVS

DESTINATION 10 (D/10) is a performance improvement process used by Environmental Service teams to enable them to reach the highest levels of excellence within a short period of time.

WHAT DOES DESTINATION 10 IMPACT?

Destination 10 impacts all areas of an Environmental Services department including, but not limited to:

• Leadership
• Supervisory Development
• Engaged Team Culture
• Best Practices for positive HCAHPS results
• Infection Control
• Patient & Customer Service
• Financial Management

THE DESTINATION 10 PROCESS

• DM&A Coaches are on site for 40 to 45 days over a period of one year.
• The EVS Director or Manager receives a full set of licensed Destination 10 manuals presented in separate 3-ring binders.
• The Environmental Services Academy modules are implemented.
• Follow-up visits are scheduled.
• Once implemented, the process is intended to last indefinitely.

WHAT TOOLS COME WITH THE DESTINATION 10 PROCESS?

• Destination 10 “Tool Box”
• Catalytic Leadership Academy
• Customer Service Academy
• EVS Excellence Academy
• Monitors & Benchmarks
• Inservice Training
   

1. With EVS playing such a fundamental role in customer satisfaction and revenue, what are your recent results on the HCAHPS measurement question “room and bathroom always clean?” If those answers are not at the 80th percentile or BETTER, do you have a concrete plan to determine the obstacles and how they may be overcome?
2. Do you have productivity measurement tools in place, such as FTE/cleanable square feet, or some other external benchmark based on patient days? Where do you stand? Is your staff cleaning 8-10,000 net square feet per FTE? Are you doing appropriate full daily cleaning of operating rooms? REMEMBER – adding labor is not a magic wand! Additional staff without high-level training, observation and motivation will increase only one thing….cost.
3. Have you done a complete assessment of equipment? Often facilities have equipment which is out of service, missing parts, etc. Other times, impediments such as broken cart doors can lead to safety hazards.
4. Do you have a thorough understanding of the appropriate ways to segregate and manage waste streams, so as to manage cost and ensure compliance with the numerous federal and local regulations?
5. Are you utilizing standardization of products, thereby minimizing cost?
6. Are your room inspection processes rigorous? Think of the HCAHPS philosophy…”IT’S CLEAN or IT ISN’T!”
7. Do your staff members faithfully follow an engagement dialogue, and does the management team verify this?
8. Does your EVS leadership make rounding on patients, staff and nurses second nature? Are you willing to ask the really tough questions and listen? Equally important, do you document rounds and tie them to action plans for employees and units which are recurring challenges?
9. Are you interested in an alternative to struggling as a self-operator or locking your organization into an expensive, multi-year contract with a Contractor that brings with it cultural disruption and philosophical conflict?
10. Are you ready to consider DESTINATION 10 as a training solution that will change your departmental culture and get you where you and your boss need to be?