Upcoming Events

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Past Appearances

Risk Assessments in the ISO 9001:2015 Standard
American Society for Quality - Section 1204
December 7, 2017  |  Racine, WI

Driving Improvement with your Healthcare Data Analytics
American Society for Quality - Section 1217
October 10, 2017 |  Madison, WI

Risk Assessments in the ISO 9001:2015 Standard
American Society for Quality, Section 1217
June 13, 2017 |  Madison, WI

Advanced Analytics with Microsoft Excel & Access
Wisconsin Health Information Management Association  Annual Conference
May 10, 2017 | La Crosse, WI

Advanced Analytics Using Microsoft Excel
Wisconsin Health Information Management Association -   Fall Conference
September 23, 2016 |  Wisconsin Dells, WI

Improving Patient Satisfaction with Minitab
Minitab Insights 2016
September 13, 2016  |  Philadelphia, PA

Excelling at Excel with Pivot Tables
Wisconsin Health Information Management Association  Annual Conference
May 4, 2016 | Elkhart Lake, WI

Data Analytics: The Power of Pivot Tables
Wisconsin Health Information Management Association    Fall Conference
September 11, 2015 | Green Bay, WI

Simplified Project Management
American Society for Quality - Selection 1218
April 27, 2015 | Stevens Point, WI

Project Selection when the Fruit is not on the Ground
American Society for Quality - Section 1218
October 27, 2014 | Wisconsin Rapids, WI

Practical Prioritizing and Action Planning
Wisconsin Health Information Management Association Fall Conference
September 12, 2014 | Eau Claire, WI
In this first half of this session, attendees will discussed a proven method to prioritize overwhelming workloads, handle “drop in” work, and focus energy on what really matters.  The second portion, the group walked through the use of a simple planning tool that will help organize and execute high priority projects.  

Lean Six Sigma Introduction to City of Wisconsin Rapids Employees & Rollout of Rapid Improvement Program
June 27, 2013 | City of Wisconsin Rapids

Explaining the concepts of Lean Six Sigma and process improvement after City of Wisconsin Rapids Mayor Zach Vruwink's introduction of the city's new Rapid Improvement initiative.  Recorded at McMillan Memorial Library on June 27, 2013.  
(Mayor Vruwink at 0:08, Christopher Spranger at 10:33)

Explaining Lean Six Sigma:  An interview with Tom Loucks
May 30, 2013 | River Cities Community Access' Community Connections

Discussing Lean Six Sigma applications in health care and the public sector.  (Christopher Spranger at 0:29, Stevens Point Mayor Andrew Halverson at 4:10)

Lean Six Sigma in Healthcare:  Using Lean Six Sigma Methods to Improve HCAHPS Scores

American Society for Quality Section 1217 Dinner Meeting
January 7, 2013 | Fitchburg, WI
In May 2011, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid released the final rule for what is known as the Hospital Inpatient Value Based Purchasing program. As of October 2012, under this rule, a portion of Medicare payments became tied to quality of care and patient satisfaction metrics, rather than entirely based on the volume of patients treated. This change represents a dramatic shift in the healthcare industry with a significant amount of money at stake with some hospitals having more than a million dollars at risk each year.

The presentation outlined how to use the Lean Six Sigma process to make data driven improvements to patient satisfaction and HCAHPS scores.

Lean Sigma Applications in Healthcare

Lean Six Sigma Program at Riverview Hospital
December 29, 2012 | WFHR Morning Magazine

Topics of Discussion:  Improving the efficiency of the hospital laboratory, improving the pre-surgical process, collaborating with independent clinics, patient education process for elective surgeries, process mapping, cross functional teams, engaging employees in the improvement process, improving the process for detecting a heart attack, Lean Six Sigma at the city government in Wisconsin Rapids.

Listen Now! (Starts at 1:20, Ends at 21:00)

Lean Sigma Applications in Healthcare

Lean Six Sigma Program at Riverview Hospital
May 10, 2012 | WFHR Morning Magazine

Topics of Discussion: Purpose of a Lean Six Sigma Program, Lean strategy, Six Sigma strategy, how process variation causes inefficiency, fostering a culture of improvement, reducing wait times, specific improvement project examples.

Listen Now! (Starts at 1:51, Ends at 23:00)

Data Analytics & Data Analysis for Health Information Management

Wisconsin Health Information Management Association Annual Conference
May 4, 2012 | Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
Utilizing data to understand a situation is an extremely effective way to enable fact‐based decisions to be made.  The trouble is data are often portrayed in a format that misses the mark; there is not much relevance, data are grouped in strange ways, or they are presented in charts that leave observers more confused than enlightened.  The objectives of this deep dive session are to discuss examples and attributes of Health Information data "gone wrong” and demonstrate a process to follow that will help you and your team transform data into meaningful analysis.

Develop Strategic, Efficient Business Processes to Grow your Bottom Line

Lunch-N-Learn, Co-Presented with Dale Arendt from The Arendt Group
October 27, 2011 | The Ridges - Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin

Topic Focus:
·       Strategies to increase profits without increasing staff.
·       Successfully identifying bottlenecks within your organization.
·       Increase efficiencies for long-term impact to the bottom line.
·       Reduce the amount of “re-work” that your organization does.
·       Minimize delays and late deliveries of product.

Lean Six Sigma Applications in Healthcare

Lean Six Sigma Program at Riverview Hospital
October 6, 2011 | WFHR Morning Magazine

Topics of Discussion:  Lean Six Sigma, making processes more efficient for the customers, finding value, eliminating waste, simplifying processes, patient flow, cross training, Lean Six Sigma applicability in multiple industries, creating a culture of improvement, engaging employees in improvement, building trust, practical example of Lean Six Sigma.

Listen Now! (Starts at 00:25, Ends at 21:20)

How to Perform a Stakeholder Analysis

Wisconsin Health Information Management Association Fall Conference
September 16, 2011 | Green Lake, Wisconsin

This session demonstrated how to effectively identify stakeholders and determine their roles through use of a planning tool known as a Work Breakdown Structure; demonstrating how to break a large, complex endeavor into manageable pieces, making it easy to determine who needs to be involved and at what level.  In the second half of the session, attendees experienced a chance to practice using this planning tool by applying it to current issues in the world of Health Information Management.