It seems like more and more healthcare companies are turning to Six Sigma.
Andrew Hillig of iSixSigma Blogosphere, a Lean Six Sigma specialist for Covenant Healthcare in Milwaukee is already running a very interesting blog on applying Lean Six Sigma to healthcare. Another healthcare company has turned to Six Sigma for excellent operations to better serve its customers.
Decatur Memorial Hospital recently announced that its team has used a Six Sigma approach to analyze the hospital’s medication-use process, and then looked for automation approaches to help streamline the process.
The team identified 132 steps in the hospital’s patient drug-delivery system; 42 were eliminated through subsequent automation projects. In addition, the hospital reduced the time it takes to dispense and administer drugs to patients from 186 minutes to 104 minutes.
Ron Wolschlag, director of the hospital’s pharmacy, said, “Medication errors have dropped 70 percent, with very few of the more serious med errors. Our nurses are much happier with the new system because it makes them much more efficient and gives them more time for patient care.”
I’m big on healthcare and this development will definitely boost patients’ confidence in hospitals. After all, how many times have we heard of stories about wrong medication administered on patients? I hope that other healthcare companies also see the advantage of Lean or Six Sigma to their operations.
*Photo credit: MorgueFile.com
