Advantages Of Lean Six Sigma Healthcare Measures for Quality Management

Most organizations have a goal of improving quality in their operations. There are two popular methodologies that managers have used to help them and their teams to achieve their goals. These are Lean and the Six Sigma methods.

When the Lean and Six Sigma methods are combined people usually speak of them as one. Lean Six Sigma quality management techniques help teams when they are aiming for more efficient operations. Lean Six Sigma healthcare measures can help you to achieve these goals of quality and customer satisfaction.

Lean hospitals improve patient safety and employees who work in systems that utilize these measures are usually more satisfied. No one who is in healthcare does it for the money alone. People who administer care to children, the elderly and people with special requirements often want to ensure that those they care for get the best treatment possible.

“We have seen significant improvements in our clinic efficiency,and patient and staff satisfaction.”

It is hard to deliver quality care in an environment that is not properly organized. Nurses and doctors want to know that they have the equipment and nutrition that they need and that tools are being managed in the best way possible. When materials and equipment are not available at the times when they are needed and are not functioning, it hampers professionals.

People are also restricted when they cannot access the right medications or supplements for their patients. This may be caused by a lack of proper funding to pay for prescriptions.

It may also be due to glitches in the delivery system. For example, those who are responsible for taking stock may not do so efficiently and that results in unexpected shortages.

Lean methods prevent some of this from happening. It gives organizations the freedom to have the best of both worlds. That is, they can both save money and give their patients the type of care that they require. These methodologies have an additional benefit. Since they improve efficiency they reduce the risk of patient errors.

By reducing patient errors they make hospitals and other facilities such as clinics safer for patients. There is less of a chance that information will be misinterpreted or that facts which are needed will not be available to the professionals who need them. Six Sigma improvements in safety also boost the profitability of the groups that use them.

The fact is, inefficient organizations often waste money. When machines that can help with diagnosis or care are left unused because they need a simple part, it results in lost opportunities. Six Sigma methods increase the level of accountability that is present in teams, so that some members do not shirk their responsibilities.

This type of framework is based on data and results so team members have to prove that they are meeting their objectives. Data also has to support the decisions which are being made. Measurable results make a big difference.

Quality improvement tools are often available in businesses in different sectors. However, these tools are not always put in the hands of the people who can really make them have the most impact on the place where they work. With Lean, front line staff who engage with patients regularly can make changes that they see as necessary without lots of bureaucracy.