Lean Six Sigma Applied to Healthcare
By Harry Rever
Abstract
Is there an industry, perhaps other than "government", that could use process improvement more than the healthcare industry?
The healthcare industry is full of complex and obviously important processes. Patient care, surgery, hospital stays, insurance, billing and IT systems support are just a few of the numerous processes that need to be addressed and improved in hospitals throughout the country and the world.
What the healthcare industry needs is a massive injection of process improvement. What the healthcare industry needs is the appropriate application of Lean Six Sigma!
What is Lean Six Sigma?
Lean Six Sigma is a process improvement methodology that has been around for years. It’s an approach to management which focuses on making decisions based on facts, data, and process understanding. Taking the emotion out of decision making and replacing it with a focus on the customer, measurement of the process, and root cause analysis are key aspects of Lean Six Sigma.
About the Author:
Harry Rever is IIL’s Director of Six Sigma. He is a dynamic presenter and practitioner of Six Sigma and Project Management with an innate ability to teach the concepts of quality improvement in an understandable and more importantly, applicable manner. With over twenty-five years as a project manager, process improvement consultant and trainer, Harry has numerous examples of what works (and what doesn’t) when managing projects and applying statistical process improvement concepts.
