Lean Six Sigma in a hospital
by Jaap Van Den Heuvel, Ronald J.M.M. Does, Henk De Koning
International Journal of Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage (IJSSCA), Vol. 2, No. 4, 2006

Abstract: Hospitals today face major challenges. Patients demand quality of care to be improved continuously. Health insurance companies demand the lowest possible prices. Lean Six Sigma is a programme that can help healthcare providers to achieve these (seemingly) conflicting goals. Lean Six Sigma is an integration of Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing, both quality improvement programmes originating from industry. Lean and Six Sigma are highly complementary. Six Sigma provides an integrated improvement approach that increases quality by reducing variation, defects, and costs. Lean adds tools that increases process throughput by eliminating waste. In healthcare faster means rapid access and no waiting times, while reducing defects means less complication. Increasing speed and reducing defects both lead to lower costs. Hence, Lean Six Sigma is an excellent tool to tackle present-day healthcare challenges.

Online publication date: Fri, 01-Dec-2006

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