Topic / Company

Healing Healthcare

Industry Study

Today more than ever, hospitals struggle with the challenges of making healthcare safe, effective, patient-centric, timely, efficient and equitable, along with the pressure of keeping up with advancing technologies and rising costs. As healthcare attempts to heal itself, many institutions are applying the science of Six Sigma as part of the treatment. Download

Clinical Outcomes

Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center

At Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center (PSJMC), a Six Sigma team addressed a poor compliance rate of surgical infection prevention. The result is increased compliance and an increase in the number of patients able to discontinue antibiotics within 24 hours of surgery. Download

Patient Throughput

North Shore University Hospital

North Shore University Hospital in New York was struggling to meet high demand in the radiology department. Patient flow and length of stay required throughput optimization of the hospital’s two CT scanners. A Lean Six Sigma team addressed the problem using a Kaizen event. Download

Lab Turnaround Time

Health Canada

The Drug Analysis Service (DAS) of Health Canada analyzes suspected illegal drugs seized by Canadian police forces. Since 2005, both the costs and backlog associated with analysis have been increasing. A Lean Six Sigma team succeeded in reducing the backlog and the drug analysis cycle time. Download

Outpatient Scheduling

Radia, Inc.

Radia Inc., a large radiology and vascular surgery practice, wanted to improve efficiencies at one center. A Six Sigma project at the center led to a 50 percent improvement in the number of on-time MRI scans, and created the potential for more than $1.4 million in annualized incremental revenue. Download

Pharmaceutical Development

Merck

In the intensely competitive pharmaceuticals industry, being the first to bring a new vaccine or medicine to market is optimal. Merck & Co. Inc. applies Six Sigma  across the business to revitalize drug development and accelerate the process of going from test tube to pharmacy. Download

Medical Parts and Equipment

Medical Equipment Company

A global medical equipment company was receiving complaints from customers about the slow delivery of replacement parts. The time to deliver parts was failing to meet the customers’ expectations – often by days. A Six Sigma project team was formed to improve the delivery cycle time. Download

Customer Satisfaction

McKesson

McKesson Corporation is the largest and oldest healthcare services company in the United States. When McKesson deployed Six Sigma in 1998, it was sitting at a distant third in the healthcare services industry in terms of market share and customer satisfaction. Now it is at the top, in part because of its Six Sigma process improvement program. Download

Sustainable Deployment

GE Healthcare

At GE Healthcare, a $14 billion unit of General Electric Company with more than 42,500 employees, Six Sigma is alive and well. But it is a very different Six Sigma than the one former GE chairman and CEO Jack Welch championed in the 1990s. Download

Member Loyalty

Vytra Health Plans

Vytra Health Plans has approximately 200,000 members. Retaining members is a major business priority, as about half of Vytra’s members can elect to go to another insurance provider. Six Sigma helps Vytra quantify and improve member loyalty. Download