Lean Six Sigma in Healthcare
What is Lean Six Sigma?
Lean Six Sigma is no thing of the past. It wasn’t just implemented for assembly lines. It can still be applied in today’s health care. Lean Six Sigma is a method to find the best possible outcome for a company. “Lean” drives out waste and promotes work standardization and flow. “Six Sigma” focuses on reducing process variation and enhancing process control. Together, some of the main goals that health care companies strive for with using Lean Six Sigma is to: eliminate flaws, improve patient safety, save money, and improve overall quality of health care.
Eliminate Flaws and Improve Patient Safety
Eliminating flaws and improving patient safety work hand-in-hand to do exactly what it was set out to fulfill. While some may think that removing steps in a procedure may create a negative effect on the result, with the use of DMAIC in health care it can change it in a positive way.
- (D)efine the problem
- (M)easure process performance
- (A)nalyze the problem to determine the cause
- (I)mprove process performance by addressing the problem
- (C)ontrol the improved process and future performance
Save Money
When you hear “saving money” it’s always a good thing, and you’d be right! Everyone always wants to find a way to cut something out of their budget, that won’t affect them and save them money. Some people may argue that saving money can lead to complications and mistakes along the way, but by using Lean Six Sigma’s methodology, that’s not the case. Being able to find ways to save money in health care but also being able make the work place more efficient is exactly what they’re trying to accomplish. There are many potential benefits to save money:
- Increase Revenue
- Decreased costs
- Increased Customer Satisfaction
- Employee Transformation
- Competitive Advantage
Improve Overall Quality
By being able to apply all of these methods to the health care field, patients will be able to feel that the workers are being more efficient and that they actually care about them and their not just a checklist on their daily to-do list. Making sure the work place is running smoother is something that patients notice and that personally makes them more comfortable going to their health care provider.
Bringing it Full Circle
Lean Six Sigma is implemented in health care to not only save companies money and to increase positive outcomes. Companies implement it because research shows that it positively impacts employees and patients. It is bettering them by either making their work place feel more effective and efficient or a place where the patients can feel safe. Lean Six Sigma is a great method that I would recommend to all health care professions.
Sources:
(n.d.). Retrieved July 21, 2020, from https://www.villanovau.com/resources/six-sigma/ways-to-save-company-money-lean-six-sigma/
The Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) Process. (n.d.). Retrieved July 21, 2020, from https://asq.org/quality-resources/dmaic
Essaybot — Free Essay Writing Service: Essay Typer & Format. (n.d.). Retrieved July 21, 2020, from https://www.essaybot.com/main?article_id=4176170
What is Six Sigma? (n.d.). Retrieved July 21, 2020, from https://asq.org/quality-resources/six-sigma
