CPI cuts building costs at children's hospital

Seattle Children's Hospital's soon-to-open Bellevue Clinic and Surgery Center.

Continuous Performance Improvement (CPI) is expected to reap big savings for Seattle Children's Hospital's master expansion plans. Early estimates indicate the footprint will be reduced by 25 percent, resulting in millions of dollars in savings. The addition eventually will house 192 private rooms for oncology, critical care and medical acute care patients.

CPI techniques have been used in manufacturing for some time, especially in the auto industry, to improve overall quality and reduce waste. "The aims for Seattle Children's are to provide a more efficient design, lower costs and improve patient safety and satisfaction, says Todd Johnson, the hospital's vice president of facilities. "To accomplish this we've spent a lot of time collecting data about our current processes, measuring travel distances and calculating the time it takes to do particular processes so improvements can be made."

"CPI has already been used in the design and construction of our [Bellevue Clinic and Surgery Center], saving nearly $20 million and trimming the footprint from 100,000 square feet to 75,000," says Patrick Hagan, president and chief operating officer, Seattle Children's Hospital.