Hospital Pharmacy Decreased Policy Development Time By 50% With Kure
PROJECT SUMMARY
Problem: Pharmacy staff spent 4 hours developing a single policy, exceeding their goal of 2 hours. With many policies to create, this slowed progress to become operational.
To tackle the delays, they turned to Kure, the AI-powered process improvement platform, and created a smarter, smoother, and faster development process that took 2 hours, building momentum toward becoming operational.
The Problem
When it comes to healthcare, clear and timely policies are the backbone of safe and effective patient care. Whether it’s pharmacy procedures or compliance guidelines, hospitals rely on solid policies to keep operations running smoothly. At a hospital in Newman, Georgia, the dispensary team was working hard to become a fully operational pharmacy—but the time it took to develop each policy was slowing them down.
The dispensary team had a goal: complete each policy in just 2 hours. But in reality, each one was taking about 4 hours from start to finish. That’s double the time, and with multiple policies to write and revise, the delays were piling up fast.
The review process alone could stretch up to 90 minutes, while making revisions added another 30 to 90 minutes. Final approvals could take up to 45 more. These bottlenecks slowed the entire effort to become a fully functional pharmacy and risked missing important compliance deadlines.
That’s when a team of skilled professionals, led by a project leader enrolled in GLSS Lean Six Sigma Green Belt training, stepped in to lead the charge. They used Kure’s AI-driven workflow, which follows the proven DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) approach. Kure helped them stay focused, uncover root causes, and move forward quickly with data-backed improvements—all while cutting improvement project time by up to three times less than normal.
The Root Causes
With Kure guiding the way, the team began digging into why policy development was taking so long. Here’s what they discovered:
Getting agreement from all the experts often meant long back-and-forth discussions and repeated changes.
Every policy needed to be carefully tested to meet strict rules, which added time.
Some policies were written based on assumptions, which didn’t always match the actual compliance requirements.
Subject matter experts weren’t always involved early, causing delays and late-stage revisions.
Handoffs between team members were unclear, requiring extra time to catch up and clarify the next steps.
The team used Kure’s 5 Whys tool to dig below the surface and uncover the root causes of policy delays.
The Solutions
Once the roadblocks were clear, the team used Kure to identify and prioritize smart, doable solutions. Here’s what they put in place:
Standard handoff documents made transitions between team members quicker and easier to follow.
Cross-functional workshops were added to improve communication and teamwork across roles.
Subject matter experts were brought in early, so key input came upfront, not after the fact.
A requirements template was created to kick off each policy with clear expectations and reduce confusion later.
Each solution was simple—but together, they completely transformed how policies were developed.
With the root causes identified, Kure helped the team brainstorm and evaluate possible fixes. The Solution Selection screen made it easy to compare ideas and prioritize the most effective improvements.
The Results
The changes worked! Policy development time dropped from 4 hours to just 2—a 50% reduction. The new process was more structured, easier to follow, and far more efficient. Handoffs became smoother, edits were fewer, and everyone was on the same page from the start.
With less time spent reworking documents and more time focused on doing things right the first time, the dispensary team made fast progress toward becoming a fully operational pharmacy.
After making changes, the team used Kure’s Verification screen to confirm their improvements worked.
Conclusion
This project shows how powerful the right tools can be. Kure’s AI-driven platform gave the team everything they needed to solve the problem quickly and confidently. From smart templates to expert guidance and real-time analysis, Kure helped turn a frustrating process into a smooth, reliable system.
By improving communication, organizing workflows, and simplifying policy development, the team didn’t just hit their target—they set themselves up for long-term success. Now, the hospital is better prepared to meet compliance goals, deliver quality care, and keep moving forward with confidence.
Want to finish your next improvement project up to three times faster? Let Kure guide the way.
*We value our clients’ confidentiality. While we’ve changed their names, the results are real.
