Question: To increase resource utilization, the hospital is considering adding a

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Question:

To increase resource utilization, the hospital is considering adding a new MRI service to the current facility and resources. MRI equipment would be installed in both X-ray labs. Patients requiring an MRI will follow the same process, but will require 20min in the lab with the lab technician. No dark room is necessary but the technician will take an additional 5 minutes to prepare the report for the doctor. What would be the maximum number of MRI patients the current process can handle in addition to the 5 patients per hour requiring the X-ray service?

The Helpful Heart Hospital has been looking at process improvement in their X-ray service. A physician refers patients to the X-ray lab. At the same time that the patient walks to the lab (which takes 9 minutes on average) the physician calls for a messenger to come get the X-ray request, which will take the messenger 18 minutes (9 minutes each way). Once the request has arrived at the lab an X-ray technician fills out a form, which takes on average 7 minutes. Once the patient arrives at the lab the receptionist collects information from the patient and prepares a claim form, which takes on average 6 minutes. The patient then undresses in a changing room, which takes on average 4 minutes. Once the patient is ready and the technician has the paperwork done, the technician takes the X-rays in an X-ray lab, which takes on average 8 minutes. The patient then puts her clothes back on, which takes 5 minutes on average, and then takes the 9-minute walk back to the physician's office. Meanwhile, a darkroom technician prepares the X-rays in a darkroom, which takes 15 minutes, and a messenger takes the X rays back to the physician's office, again taking the messenger 9 minutes each way Answer the following questions and state any additional assumptions you make:

Explanation / Answer

Case I -Process breakup

Step 1 -X ray request = 18 min, Max. output of the process = 60/18 = 3.33 per hour

Step 2- Form filling = 7 min. Max output of process = 60/7 = 8.57

Step 3 -Taking of X rays = 8 min, max output = 60/8 =7.5 per hour

Step 4- Preparation of X rays = 15 min, max output = 60/15 =4

Step 5 -X ray back to physician's office = 18 min. Max output = 60/18 = 3.33

Total time taken during the process = 56 min.

Case II - The MRI process breakup

Time added during MRI = (20-8 = 12 min)+ 5 min = 17 min.

The new process output of

Step 3 = 60/20 =3

Step 4 = 60/20 =3

If there are two X ray labs ( to which MRI is added), the total output will be equal to that of the slowest process, which are in step 3 and 4.

Collective max. output of 2 labs= 6 each

In this scenario, only one more patient can be handled with MRI besides 5 X ray patients.

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