The sprawling healthcare sector in the United States is incredibly complex. This complicated landscape includes diverse groups of healthcare providers, patients, and insurance providers and plans. All of these individuals and organizations operate within an environmental rife with unstandardized pricing, evolving medical advancements, competing technologies, and ever-growing demands for documentation and data analysis.<\/p>\n
The result is the most expensive<\/a> \u2014 and one of the most inefficient \u2014 healthcare systems in the world. Approximately 30% of healthcare spending<\/a> is wasteful, with administrative complexity alone racking up almost $266 billion each year. <\/p>\n These inefficiencies can have a devastating effect on individuals and populations. Expensive healthcare costs may be less of a concern if it resulted in better outcomes, however, the U.S. does not have significantly better health outcomes than similarly developed countries. In fact, the U.S. performs in the bottom half<\/A> of comparable countries in the areas of life expectancy, infant mortality, unmanaged asthma, unmanaged diabetes and safety during childbirth.<\/p>\n The issues present in the healthcare sector are, frankly, overwhelming. But, the future of healthcare administration and delivery is not hopeless. Healthcare professionals are increasingly looking to Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodology<\/a> as a source of significant improvement. Implementing processes based on LSS approaches can help healthcare systems institute not just a culture of continuous improvement but also the means to truly achieve it.<\/p>\n \u201cContinuous improvement\u201d<\/a> is more than just a corporate buzzword or project management jargon. The continuous process improvement model is a comprehensive approach to identifying problems in processes, products or services. It helps teams identify inefficiencies and frequent errors and provides a framework for actionable, manageable changes.<\/p>\n Continuous improvement uses an incremental approach, meaning it focuses on ongoing efforts to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and quality through manageable changes. This method also relies on regularly measuring and evaluating opportunities for further improvement. Instituting regular review and many smaller changes over time can add up to significant results and prevent the process failures or collapses that all-encompassing overhauls can cause.<\/p>\n You need an effective framework to guide efforts when implementing continuous improvement. Lean Six Sigma is an effective choice that is popular across a range of industries, from manufacturing to finance and banking. It\u2019s increasingly being applied to healthcare systems as an actionable way to improve care delivery, support better patient outcomes and reduce costs. These goals are especially critical as the sector increasingly moves toward a value-based care model<\/a> that provides incentives for high-value care and penalizes providers who fall short.<\/p>\n Lean Six Sigma is a combination of the Lean<\/a> and Six Sigma methodologies. Lean focuses on eliminating waste to save time, space, materials and money. This methodology focuses on eight categories of waste<\/a>, which are described according to the acronym \u201cdowntime\u201d:<\/p>\n Once these areas of waste have been identified, Six Sigma principles can be used to improve processes. The most common of these is the DMAIC method:<\/p>\n Lean Six Sigma provides unique tools and principles that guide the improvement process, making problem-solving more manageable by breaking it down into discrete steps. This is especially helpful in healthcare due to its many variables and complexities. Lean Six Sigma also supports employee engagement and innovation<\/a>; this kind of process improvement requires employees\u2019 input and places significant value on their experiences in order to identify organizational or clinical areas that need attention. <\/p>\n There are vast opportunities for improvement in healthcare, from clearing administrative roadblocks to improving the delivery of care and patient outcomes. These are just a few examples of where healthcare systems can incorporate Lean Six Sigma to gain insights into where processes might be getting bogged down or redundant tasks are creating waste.<\/p>\n Paperwork and documentation for insurance claims, billing and reimbursement are notoriously labor-intensive<\/a>. Applying Lean Six Sigma tools can reduce errors and delays by identifying bottlenecks, finding areas where paperwork can be minimized, exploring where technologies can speed up or automate redundant tasks and so on. As a whole, Lean Six Sigma reduces costs by avoiding errors and delays, and it also saves employees time that they can then spend on higher-value tasks, increasing their productivity.<\/p>\n Seeing what supplies are used most and least often can support better inventory management<\/a>. Avoiding over-ordering or implementing \u201cjust-in-time\u201d inventory<\/a> helps to prevent waste, as medications and other items are less likely to go unused and expire. It also makes it easier to keep supply areas organized and accessible, shaving off the time it takes for healthcare workers to acquire what they need. There may be further opportunities to streamline the supply chain<\/a>, preventing unnecessary transportation and storage.<\/p>\n Providers may also be able to increase patient volume and satisfaction by identifying and addressing factors that could help reduce patient wait times<\/a>. For example, simpler and streamlined patient registration and discharge can speed up turnover without sacrificing quality of care. <\/p>\n Healthcare systems and networks can also explore the varying demand for different services and facilities. By investing the most into the most used areas of care, they can reduce costs in other areas and ensure that patients have access to the care they truly need.<\/p>\n Research has shown<\/a> that about 400,000 patients in hospitals experience \u201cpreventable harm\u201d and that around 200,000 patient deaths are caused by medical errors every year. <\/p>\n Healthcare systems can reduce these failures by collecting data regarding surgery procedures, hygiene protocols and medication administration to see where errors occur most often. Improved processes, better equipment and other adjustments can result in fewer surgical errors, hospital infections and medication mistakes. Improvements in these areas not only prevent unnecessary hospital readmission and reduce the need for additional treatment, but also save people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n Care coordination across multiple providers, something that is especially critical when a patient has one or more chronic or complex conditions, is another example of where providers can explore ways to reduce inefficiencies. Improved communication and monitoring can minimize redundant or unnecessary tests or procedures, prevent conflicting medication prescriptions and help patients better understand their treatment plan.<\/p>\n As healthcare leaders face increasing pressure to be more cost-efficient and deliver higher quality care while hitting their revenue goals, they are looking for individuals who are able to identify areas for continuous improvement and implement successful solutions. <\/p>\n Getting certified in the Lean Six Sigma methodology<\/a> gives you the tools and expertise to oversee and assist with a wide variety of process improvement projects. If you are interested in solving some of healthcare\u2019s most pressing challenges, helping organizations provide better, more efficient care and positioning yourself as a leader who brings results, Lean Six Sigma can get you there.<\/p>\n Healthcare professionals can gain a competitive advantage by completing a high-quality Lean Six Sigma certification program<\/a> that provides real-world skills and training. Many leadership roles in the healthcare industry can benefit from a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification<\/a> or Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification<\/a>. Green Belt holders are well-versed in LSS methodologies and can oversee some projects, or assist Six Sigma Black Belt holders<\/a>, who are qualified to manage high-level projects. <\/p>\n At Purdue University, we also offer unique online Lean Principles<\/a> and Green Belt Refresher<\/a> course options. The Lean Principles course provides learners with a personalized toolkit for implementing Lean methodologies into their organizations, while the Green Belt Refresher prepares those with Green Belt certification to take the Black Belt course.<\/p>\n Purdue University offers comprehensive, instructor-led<\/a> online Lean Six Sigma (LSS) certificate programs designed for working professionals with varying levels of Lean Six Sigma experience. The online Lean Six Sigma certificate courses prepare professionals to satisfy the immense demand for Lean expertise, skills and certification.<\/p>\n Purdue offers the following courses 100% online:<\/p>\n Download a brochure<\/a> to learn more about Purdue University\u2019s online Lean Six Sigma programs, or get registered today<\/a>.<\/p>\n Purdue University offers comprehensive online Lean Six Sigma (LSS) certificate programs<\/a> designed for working professionals with varying levels of Lean Six Sigma experience. The online Lean Six Sigma certificate courses prepare professionals to satisfy the immense demand for Lean expertise, skills and certification. <\/p>\n Purdue offers the following courses 100% online:<\/p>\n To learn more about Purdue University’s online Lean Six Sigma Training and Certification program<\/strong> and
\nThe Case for Continuous Improvement With Lean Six Sigma<\/h2>\n
\nLean Six Sigma Principles and Methodologies<\/h2>\n
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\nLSS Applications in Healthcare<\/h2>\n
Administration<\/h3>\n
Patient Care<\/h3>\n
\nLean Six Sigma Certification for Healthcare Success<\/h2>\n
\nAbout Purdue\u2019s Online Lean Six Sigma (LSS) Certificate Programs<\/h2>\n
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About Purdue’s Online Lean Six Sigma (LSS) Certificate Program<\/h2>\n
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