At Houston Methodist Clear Lake, the Performance Excellence team ensures sustainability in several ways. First is our daily management system, known as unit huddles. These huddles allow teams to monitor daily issues and implement countermeasures and corrective actions to address root causes. The Performance Excellence team audits these huddles daily to confirm alignment with system best practices.

Another way we maintain consistency is through Kaizen event implementation and monitoring. For example, our recent Bedside Mobility Assessment Tool (BMAT) Kaizen event on the 3 Medical Unit focused on improving patient mobility and safety by streamlining the BMAT process. Staff worked together to identify inefficiencies, standardize documentation and improve communication across shifts. As with all Kaizen events, standard work was created and integrated into onboarding and daily workflows, providing a baseline for predictable, effective processes. Process owners track key metrics — such as BMAT compliance and patient mobility outcomes — and present progress to the Executive Leadership Team at 30/60/90/180/360-day milestones until goals are consistently met or significant improvement is sustained.

Change is never easy. Without proper change management and ongoing process monitoring, efforts can fade as people revert to familiar routines. Through these strategies, we ensure Houston Methodist continues leading medicine, operates as one team and delivers the best possible care to every patient who enters our doors.