This past April we enlisted the services of the SMi Group. Based upon the recommendations from their evaluation, the following operational improvements have been implemented:
• Recruitment – hired 3 FTE RNs, 2 part time and one per diem surgery techs; hired managers of Sterile Processing and Endoscopy/Outpatient Surgery/Pre-Testing; implemented expedited hiring process with administrative oversight
• Perioperative Throughput – reinstated Surgery Executive Committee with formal charter and specific responsibilities; provided for incremental ancillary support to facilitate turnover; established weekend priority surgery transportation support; enhanced OR Scheduler – Surgeon Office communications
• Materials Management – conduct daily huddles among PeriOp Director, SP Manager, Mat Man, OR Materials Coordinator to ensure supply availability; designated technician to ascertain case carts complete in advance; updated preference cards for top ten surgeons and surgeons; reviewed PAR levels for all surgical supply items.

We were blessed to have you to work with us improve our CVOR instrument availability, processing, and management.

We had a very close working relationship with the SMI Group during the reconstruction of our Sterile processing department. SMI Group provided expertise and insight into best practices and ways to improve our processes. They helped guide the fifteen month redesign and reconfiguration of the entire department. They were able to help us remain at full capacity while the entire department was taken completely apart and then reconstructed. SMI Group was an invaluable asset, and I would highly recommend their services.

I have utilized the services of SMI Group on several occasions and for different purposes and have been pleased with the results every time. Several times they have provided interim leadership over multiple months due to open positions and the results have included improved quality outcomes and staff engagement. The confidence I felt as the CNO knowing that such knowledgeable, skilled colleagues were partnering to lead the surgical services and sterile processing areas was appreciated. In addition, we have engaged SMI Group to complete assessments regarding regulatory compliance, staffing, structure, flow and engagement. Each time, they delivered a thorough, high quality assessment with implementation plan that was cost-effective and then spent time mentoring new leaders to be able to carry the plan forward. I would not hesitate to call SMI Group for future needs should they arise.

Surgery Management Improvement Group was the backbone in getting our surgical departments back on track. SMI provided expertise in regulatory preparedness, leader on-boarding and right-sizing our position control. Their guidance was instrumental in getting us to where we are today.

We developed a great collaborative partnership with the SMI Group. Their attention to detail and analytic approach improved St. Peter's Surgical Suites efficiency, productivity and overall operations. Thus providing a work environment with many happy customers.

I cannot thank you enough for your dedication to the improvement of our CSP department. You discovered a tremendous amount of work to be done and without pause developed a reasonable plan to address all the issues identified. You had my confidence from our first meeting, and you did not fail me!

We are all smiles here. Your team accomplished much more than we expected. The interim manager's knowledge and level of experience were perfect for our needs- he was complimentary and giving but very frank with staff- just the type of leader we needed. He was able to get our team members to think about the patient and program and less about themselves. Our sterile processing program is in a completely different place now than when the engagement started-you solidified our program. It is amazing what was accomplished in 3 months. We are highly satisfied...off the chart satisfaction with this engagement.

Just spoke to a prospective client interested in working with you. I gave her the reference you deserved, which is a wholehearted endorsement. My key comments: Your folks were hands on; I met with you many times while you were in scrubs; You were able to re-establish credibility of the SPD department through holding both SPD and OR accountable; Your folks knew the business because many were OR/SPD managers; and, you very capably established staffing and revised our processes.

SMIG has provided us with one of the most thorough, yet easy to understand improvement plans I have ever seen from any consulting group throughout my 17 year career in healthcare. From a comprehensive interview process with staff, physicians, and administration & critical data analysis to actual on-site involvement monitoring our total patient, staff and physician experience, SMIG engages at every level to understand how we work, thus providing us with a very useable tool to improve our efficiency, better utilize our resources and most importantly, improve the quality of our patient care experience.

Things are going well in surgery. Complaints from the surgeons are relatively nonexistent. It (the consulting engagement and implementation) was worth every cent we spent.

At Delnor, we have a reputation for excellence and are known to achieve the highest results in patient care quality and satisfaction. In order to maintain that reputation, we are constantly seeking ways to get better. That's why we contacted the Surgery Management Improvement Group for help with our Surgical Services. Through their expert facilitation, we were able to implement process and communication improvements that really made a difference. We achieved improvements in case turnaround time, cost per case and more. Probably the biggest win was our increased collaboration between our surgical services and our physicians. Through their facilitation, we have a more structured and collegial process to make decisions for now and for the future. The SMG staff were always available, and we really appreciated being assigned a single lead coach. That relationship really helped with expertise and trust. Anyone wanting to achieve those improvements that we all know are there, but just out of reach, will be satisfied with a SMIG consultation.