Six Sigma for Healthcare Programs from Six Sigma.us

We have delivered programs to Healthcare service providers with great success from eight different locations across the US.

From 2004-2006 one organization of Healthcare Belts closed a projects with over 2 Million of Annual Savings.

3-Day Healthcare Jumpstart Rx©

Six Sigma.us offers a very unique 3-day Jumpstart Rx© course that is tailored to the Healthcare environment.  While much of the Lean Six Sigma methodologies are applicable to any process improvement program, there are certain unique qualities of the Healthcare environment that require a full understanding of what providers are currently facing.  The complex nature of the service delivery and outcomes, supply chain, and reimbursement interactions necessitate a focused program.

This 3-day course builds on the proven Lean Six Sigma training that has made Six Sigma.US a proven and highly sought after resource for many industries.  The DMAIC program typically consists of the following topics, tools and techniques:

Lean Six Sigma Introduction Lean Six Sigma Project Definition Project Selection Process Lean Six Sigma Deployment Process Mapping Input Prioritization Tools Failure Mode Effect Analysis Minitab 14.2 Introduction

Measurement Systems Capability Analysis Sample Size Selection Statistical Process Control Process Control Plan Project Plan & Deliverable Project Reviews Homework

However, to make this Jumpstart Rx© course appealing to Healthcare providers, the content and case examples are customized for this distinctive audience.  The group is allowed to select case examples that of interest and applicable to THEIR class.  Previous case studies have focused on the following:

   Bed Capacity Improvement

One of the most important resources in the hospital environment is the “bed.”  This critical resource gets demands from just about every department in the hospital including surgery, the ER, and the ICU.  If patients are not allowed to “flow” through these critical resources, the result is that every process feeding the beds become backed-up, which in turn reduces the amount of patient services that can be administered.  The gridlock that arises strains all elements of the provider’s resources (people, time and money) and can impact directly the quality, timeliness, and effectiveness of the service.  Such factors can be measured in terms of satisfaction or patient outcomes.  By breaking down the overall delivery process into smaller, subsystem activities, the Lean Six Sigma practitioner can bring to the surface those areas that constrain the system during peak demand.

          Emergency Department Capacity Improvement

One area that a hospital experiences unpredictable demand is that of Emergency Department (ED) arrivals.  For a hospital, this is a major source of entry into the provider system that requires further demand on the services.  It can also represent lost revenue if patients cannot be admitted and must be turned away.  The goal for the hospital’s ED might include increasing patient throughput from the department into the subsequent care areas, increasing staff productivity, and ensuring all arriving patients can be serviced.  The outcome for the patient is increased overall satisfaction.

          Other Improvement Areas

Other case studies have focused on other key areas of a hospital, including Cardiology Services, Supply Chain Optimization, Perioperative Services, and Intensive Care Units.  Using the students’ input, one or several of the topics become part of the training material.  Review the Six Sigma.us website for example of actual projects and outcomes from previous studentsWith the increased demands of the Healthcare provider, finding time to take off-site training is a difficult balancing act.  Six Sigma.us understands this, which is why the 3-day Jumpstart Rx program was developed.  Carefully linking the well established Lean Six Sigma techniques with the unique attributes of the Healthcare environment is “just what the Doctor ordered.” 

Contact Six Sigma.us for further information. If you are interested in the full Green Belt please feel free to join one of our full length Green Belt programs.

Jumpstart Rx©		Location	Cost	Code
3 Days Rx	Week 1 16-Jan-07	San Francisco	$1450	RXSF-1	Register

The San Franciso program location is the Hilton Garden Inn San Franciso Airport North. Please call directly to make your room reservations.

Hilton Garden Inn San Francisco Airport North

670 Gateway Blvd, South San Francisco, California, United States 94080 Tel: +1-650-872-1515  Fax: +1-650-872-1064 web link

Full Six Sigma Course Schedule.

"We are making excellent progress, $15 million total to date since projects began to go live in April-May 2001, projecting 14-15 million this year alone. Cultural transformation is occurring as the successes mount." Jeff Burnich Mount Carmel Health

Project Examples from one of our Medical Laboratory Clients

Belt	Project(s)	Dates of Completion*	Cost Savings Savings
Black	Reducing Blood Wastage	May-04	$213,290.00
Black	STAT Troponin	June-04	$88,000.00
Black	NAT TAT	September-04	$463,000.00
Yellow	MCHC Repeats	October-04	$7,800.00
Black	Decreasing QA Occurrence Report TAT	January-05	$23,000.00
Black	Improving donor collection errors	January-05	$150,000.00
Green	Use Health Care Provider Number	January-05	$78,000.00
Green	Reducing Confirmatory Testing TAT	June-05	$22,000.00
Black	Anatomic Pathology Tracking System	July-05	$273,600.00
Green	Reduction of Specimen Submission Errors	July-05
Green	PAP SMEAR TAT	July-05
Black	TAT for Quant HCG	July-05	$30,000.00
Black	Reducing civilian platelet purchases	September-05
Black	RAST Testing	October-05
Green	Reduction of Commericial Reference Laboratory Costs/Contracts	October-05	$200,000.00
Black	Reducing FFP Breakage	October-05	$88,000.00
Black	Reduceing Blood Contam Rate	December-05	$55,000.00
Green	Supply Ordering Issues	June-July 2005	$4,100.00
Black	Reducing TAT of Troponin Testing	July-04	$88,000.00
Black	Decrease Red Blood Cell Purchases	Aug-2005	$300,000.00
Green	APTT Turn-around Time	December-05	$50,000.00