With changing time, we have gradually realized that the role and requirement for Lean Six Sigma methodologies in the healthcare industry is technically irreplaceable and inevitable too. Sadly enough almost 30 to 50% of procedural work that goes on in the healthcare sector can be counted as wasted work. What’s more, the healthcare sector experiences the maximum of what we call slow progress of the complex processes. In short, you can consider that the majority of the healthcare processes have remained the same over the last 4 to 5 decades.
On the other hand, the healthcare costs are increasing day by day as more people are finding it increasingly tough to afford healthcare treatments.
How Lean Six Sigma is applicable to the healthcare industry?
- Identify patient population and their value
- Mapping of value stream
- Get rid of waste
- Respond to what patients consider as important or valuable
- Pursuance to perfection
In relation to the healthcare sector, Lean Six Sigma not only provides tried and tested tools but it also helps in the identification of areas that need improvement. Enhancements in healthcare services can also help to cut down on the number of patients that come back to hospitals for readmission.
Areas where Lean Six Sigma methodologies can be used:
- Discharge and follow up: Improvements in this field can help to decrease the number of patients coming back for re-admission. Making the emergency department a positive experience can help to build trust easily. What’s more, patients having a positive experience with outpatient care services are more likely to use other services in the hospital.
Lean Six Sigma basically entails the methods that help to manage processes in any organization. Lean is primarily intended to enhance efficiency and eliminate specific types of wasteful processes as this deploys both time and resources but doesn’t add any value on the whole.
So Six Sigma is basically a business management systematization or approach that focuses on improving the quality and efficiency of any and every operating procedure. On the whole, Six Sigma attempts to make processes simple and precise. As a result, the application of Lean Six Sigma strategies helps to improve healthcare quality and reduces the chances of readmission of people to hospitals.
EZsigma group is one of the trusted companies specializing in the application of Lean Six Sigma methodologies across industries and training people for the same.
