LAICO's Consultancy Process

About

Since 1993, LAICO has been working with eye hospitals across the world guiding them through a structure process with clearly defined goals. The process includes on-site visits by an Aravind team, workshops to develop strategies and action planning followed by intense skills development training as needed to achieve the goals set.

Engagement Process

  • Assessment Visit and Gap Analysis
  • Exposure Visit to Aravind
  • Goal setting
  • Guided Strategic Planning
  • Implementation Support
  • Follow-up and Monitoring

Objectives

  • To reinforce the vision of the hospital staff through appropriate exposure and interaction (both clinical and management), and by facilitating the development of strategies to achieve the new vision.
  • To help put in place efficient and cost effective system to do high volume, high quality surgeries at low cost and in a sustainable manner based on the experience gained from the Aravind Model.
  • To streamline the clinical and management protocols thereby strengthening the clinical care.
  • To redefine the systems and procedures in Administrative and Support service areas.
  • To assist in the implementation of strategies developed during the Management Development Workshop at LAICO.

Capacity building is an ongoing process and has long-term impact on organizational efficiency and effectiveness. This process when internalized helps to improve performance through efficient use of available resources, stimulate forward thinking, solve major organizational growth problems, mobilize required resources and become financially viable.

Close working support and involvement of a team from LAICO and Aravind Eye Hospital will help develop and implement systems and procedures, both in clinical and non- clinical areas that will strengthen the capacity of hospitals to offer cost effective, good quality and sustainable eye care services.

Our consulting Process

Assessment

Consultants from LAICO-Aravind Eye Care System will visit the hospital to understand the socio-cultural and economic context, leadership structure and operations. Short-term suggestions for performance improvement will be offered, though the focus of the visit will be on understanding the long-term capacity needs, constraints, training needs, and
quality standards.

Strategic Planning Workshop at LAICO

A core team from the hospital (ideally comprising of a management board member, a senior ophthalmologist, a senior administrative staff and a senior paramedic) will be invited for a week long capacity building workshop at LAICO, Madurai. The focus of the workshop will be to expose the team to various service delivery models that have worked for other eye hospitals. The team will be guided through a structure process to recognize the magnitude of unmet eye care needs in the community, their own potential and set goals for the hospital. The goals will guide coming up with specific strategies broken down to action plans.

Off-site Monitoring, Follow-up and Support

The team visiting Aravind will be responsible for dissemination across their hospital and leading the implementation of the action plan and other ideas that they learned from the
eight day workshop.

LAICO consultants will be available through e-mail and phone to provide implementation support and to help think through any challenges faced. Such mentoring support will include training for specific skill development, provision hospital management and other software, etc.

The hospitals is required to regularly send a simple report (using a pre-designed format) on a few metrics. This report will help the LAICO consultant track the hospitals progress and suggest changes.

On-site Follow-up

Depending on the need and what is agreed upon, a follow-up visit to provide on-site support could take place between 3 months to 1 year from the date of the workshop at
LAICO. The consultant team will visit the hospital for a period of two to three days to provide support in needed areas. This could include standardization of systems and
procedures and integrating them into the work process in consultation with the hospital team. Engaging the broader hospital team is likely to have yielded new ideas and some
of them may be to replace improve upon some strategies developed at the workshop. In some instances the LAICO/Aravind Team may be requested to train some key staff on job.
On the whole the follow-up visit is to help the hospital in its implementation of the strategies and strengthen operational areas as needed.

Exit process/Disengagement

The performance monitoring based on reports and interaction by LAICO will continue for about two years after the last visit. Following that further engagement will be based on requests from the hospital.

In order to get the most out of this process:

  • The senior management of the organization a should have clear understanding of this change process and should provide proactive support to the transformation
  • The senior management and staff will need to spare time for interacting with LAICO team, for meetings, attending workshops and training at LAICO
  • The organization should not only be willing but drive the agreed upon changes and make available required resources
  • The organization’s leadership should be deeply engaged and commitment to service improvement – both quality and volumes.

Proven Process

LAICO has led 317 hospitals through this change process. An impact study done on a sample of 40 hospitals showed that the hospitals have doubled their output after undergoing this process. Their cost recovery went up from 30-40% to close to breakeven point. Organizations were able to reach their optimum capacity through well-developed systems and procedures and have become sustainable.