Ohana Pacific HealthKanban for Patient Admission

Ohana Pacific Health is the largest post-acute healthcare provider in the state of Hawaii, on a mission to care for Hawaii’s Kupuna (elderly). Having struggled to process patient admissions effectively with spreadsheets, they turned to the highly visual Kanban Tool system for better process transparency and reliability.

Read our interview with Brent Honjiyo, holding the position of Director, Information Technology at the organization, to learn about his inspiring experience of transitioning patient admittance with Kanban Tool.

---

Please, tell us what our work is about.

Ohana Pacific Health is the largest post-acute healthcare provider in the state of Hawaii, with facilities on all the islands. Our mission is to care for Hawaii’s Kupuna (elderly) by prioritizing their health and well-being.

What kind of processes do you manage using Kanban Tool?

Our Admissions Department is the primary user of Kanban Tool boards. Other departments, such as Human Resources and smaller teams within each facility, also have their own boards to manage and track their respective workflows.

Could you describe your workflow?

The Admissions Team follows a straightforward process, but due to the high volume of patients, Kanban Tool is critical for keeping operations efficient. The workflow begins with assessing the financial and clinical needs of the patient. If we determine that we can provide adequate care, the patient's card is assigned to a designated facility on the board. Once the card reaches the facility step, the administrative staff at that facility review the patient's information and decide whether they are a fit for care. If approved, the patient is contacted and admitted to the facility, and the card is moved to the final step, where it is archived for historical purposes.

What does your board look like?

The board is simple, with 14 steps divided into three phases: Evaluation Phase, Admission Phase, and Completed Phase. Depending on the facility, a board can process up to 1,000 cards per month. Each card is color-coded according to the facility’s preference and titled with the patient’s full name and priority, which is indicated by a number.

What adjustments did you make in order to improve your workflow?

Since Kanban Tool is highly visual, we needed to adjust how we coordinated and communicated. We did this by assigning specific roles and responsibilities to team members working with the tool. For example, one group is responsible for creating the patient’s card, another for populating the card with standard information, and the remaining teams move the card forward, making necessary updates and assignments. Thanks to Kanban Tool’s ease of use, these tasks are now done efficiently and accurately with minimal effort.

What features or integrations do you value most in Kanban Tool and why?

The integration with Google Drive is invaluable, as it allows us to store key documents for each patient. Without this feature, the process would be significantly slower. Team members can easily access documents attached to a card, saving valuable time. It’s all about maximizing time to review and approve new patients.

What are the most important benefits of using Kanban Tool for you and your team?

I vividly remember back in 2014 when the Admissions Team struggled with inefficiencies. At that time, team members used Excel spreadsheets, which would often become corrupted due to improper saving, and two team members would sometimes duplicate efforts because they weren’t aware of each other working on the same patient. Kanban Tool completely solved these issues! Team members can now see in real-time who is working on which patient, eliminating duplication of effort. Additionally, patient information is organized and easily accessible on the board, replacing the unreliable spreadsheet system we had before.