Lean Six Sigma for Hospitals: Simple Steps to Fast, Affordable, and Flawless Healthcare

DESCRIPTION

Lean Six Sigma for Hospitals: Simple Steps to Fast, Affordable, Flawless Healthcare explains how to use tested Lean Six Sigma methods and tools to rapidly improve hospital operations and quality of care and reduce costs. These proven strategies follow the patient from the front door of the hospital or emergency room all the way through discharge, examining key aspects of patient flow and quality. The trail of billing and collections is also followed to discover and eliminate cash flow leaks. This practical guide emphasizes both the clinical and operational sides to reduce the "three demons of quality"--delay, defects, and deviation. Real-world case studies from major hospitals illustrate successful implementations of Lean Six Sigma.

Coverage Includes:

• Achieving a faster, better hospital in five days--emergency department, door-to-balloon time, operating room, medical imaging, lab, nursing unit, clinical staff, pharmacy, order accuracy, diagnosis, ICU
• Lean for accelerated patient flow
• Reducing medical errors with Six Sigma
• Creating a more profitable hospital in five days by reducing denied, rejected, and appealed claims
• Six Sigma for hospitals
• Excel power tools for Lean Six Sigma
• Identifying improvement projects through data mining and analysis
• Sustaining improvement using control charts
• Laser-focused process innovation
• Statistical tools for Lean Six Sigma
• Implementing Lean Six Sigma

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1. Simple Steps to a Faster Hospital
Chapter 2. Lean for Accelerated Patient Flow
Chapter 3. Simple Steps to a Better Hospital
Chapter 4. Reducing Defects with Six Sigma
Chapter 5. Simple Steps to a Cheaper (More Profitable) Hospital
Chapter 6. Six Sigma for Hospitals
Chapter 7. Excel Power Tools for Lean Six Sigma
Chapter 8. Is There an Improvement Project in My Data
Chapter 9. Sustaining Improvement
Chapter 10. Laser-Focused Process Innovation
Chapter 11. Statistical Tools for Lean Six Sigma
Chapter 12. Implementing Lean Six Sigma in Hospitals
Bibliography
Index

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Jay Arthur, The KnowWare Man, works with companies that want to fire up their profits using Lean Six Sigma. He is the author of Lean Six Sigma Demystified and the QI Macros SPC software for Excel. The QI Macros is used by over 3,000 hospitals to meet the accreditation needs of the Joint Commission. Jay has worked with Tenet Healthcare, Kindred Healthcare, Centura Healthcare, and Christus Healthcare on projects to improve patient flow and to reduce clinical and operational errors. Besides consulting with healthcare companies, Jay has been researching what works and what doesn't work in healthcare for over a decade. He will backup his writing with examples and case studies from all aspects of healthcare.