Attachment D -- Emails to Schedule Interviews

EMAIL TO SCHEDULE IN-PERSON INTERVIEWS:

Dear [Insert Name of Potential Participant]:

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has recently contracted with the American Institutes for Research (AIR), a not-for-profit research organization, to conduct case studies of the implementation of Lean/Toyota Product System (TPS) in various healthcare setting. We have selected your organization, [INSERT NAME], as one of the case study sites. As a result of your involvement with Lean/TPS, we would like to set up an interview to discuss aspects of Lean/TPS implementation in your organization and the impacts Lean/TPS has had in your organization.

This interview will take approximately 60 minutes of your time and will be conducted on-site at [INSERT NAME OF ORGANIZATION]. We would like to schedule this interview at your convenience. Please let me know the times you are available on the following dates; [INSERT DATES OF SITE VISIT]. Your participation will be used to help others in understand the necessary components of Lean/TPS implementation and the best ways to adopt Lean/TPS in their own healthcare organization.

Please note that all of your information will remain confidential and that all information provided to AHRQ as a result of this interview will be reported at the aggregate level to ensure your confidentiality. Should you have any questions or comments about this interview or the project, please do not hesitate to contact me at 202-403-5090 or kcarman@air.org.

Sincerely,

Kristin Carman, Ph.D.

Project Director
American Institutes for Research

EMAIL TO SCHEDULE TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS:

Dear [Insert Name of Potential Participant]:

Thank you for participating in an interview when we visited [INSERT NAME] last month. Your responses helped us to better understand the implementation of Lean/TPS in your organization. As a follow up, we would like to schedule three telephone interviews with you to follow-up on the progress, impacts, and sustainability of Lean/TPS.

These interviews will take approximately 30 minutes each and will be conducted over the telephone. We would like to schedule this interview at your convenience. Please let me know the times you are available on the following dates: [INSERT DATES OF TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS]. Your continued participation will help us to best understand the longer term impacts of Lean/TPS and its implementation over the course of several months.

Please note that all of your information will remain confidential and that all information provided to AHRQ as a result of this interview will be reported at the aggregate level to ensure your confidentiality. Should you have any questions or comments about this interview or the project, please do not hesitate to contact me at 202-403-5090 or kcarman@air.org.

Sincerely,

Kristin Carman, Ph.D.

Project Director
American Institutes for Research