International Journal of Research Foundation of Hospital and Healthcare Administration

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VOLUME 6 , ISSUE 2 ( July-December, 2018 ) > List of Articles

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Evaluation and Impact Assessment of Application of Lean Six Sigma in Healthcare Service

Meeta M Ruparel

Keywords : Green hospitals, Lean six sigma in healthcare/hospitals, Mistake-proofing in hospitals/healthcare, Patient safety in healthcare, Performance excellence in hospital services, Quality management in hospitals

Citation Information : Ruparel MM. Evaluation and Impact Assessment of Application of Lean Six Sigma in Healthcare Service. Int J Res Foundation Hosp Healthc Adm 2018; 6 (2):74-79.

DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10035-1095

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Published Online: 01-03-2018

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2018; The Author(s).


Abstract

Purpose: In the current competitive scenario, the demanding corporate strategies and the ever-rising branding world many a healthcare set-ups strive to implement the best and stand out as a benchmark. There have been many attempts to improve quality in healthcare, but most have been unsustainable. Internationally many healthcare organizations have already benefited from lean six sigma (LSS) strategies. The research aimed to deploy LSS methodologies in hospital systems to evaluate and assess the healthcare service delivery process performance on important performance criteria; namely efficiency, patient safety, care pathway, productivity, standard compliances, patient satisfaction, and employee satisfaction and further evaluate their retrospective cost Impact. Methodology: Observation/case study (CS) techniques were used on site of stratified segment sample identified from exploratory research of only hospitals/units where LSS was allowed to be implemented; to study and analyze LSS deployment project results. A focus group feedback Pre and Post project deployment was also taken from process owners Findings: It was statistically evident that the application of LSS methodologies significantly improves the hospital/healthcare service delivery process performance. It was observed that in an LSS deployed process project, with an improvement even in one measurable indicator that was critical to the quality of the process performance resulted in improvement of a mix of Impact Factors, which in turn resulted in its retrospective cost Impact Originality value: The primary research was structured around the study of efficient utilization of the key resources like care time, physicians’ time, manpower, material, space and equipment and management arrangements with practical project deployments of LSS methodologies. The study further addressed the problem of high incidences of adverse and sentinel events and its reductions with appropriate LSS applications in real situations.


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