Quality Measurement Research Paper
Health care leaders in the United States strive for excellence in all areas within their organization. Hospital executives invest time and capital purchasing performance improvement tools that are capable of assuring organizational quality standards are met. The following paragraphs will summarize, evaluate and example how the following methods of quality measurement can improve organizational effectiveness: Six Sigma and Lean Methodologies.
Six Sigma
Six Sigma is a powerful process improvement tool originally developed as a business strategy and eventually the benefits of Sig Sigma were acknowledge by the health care industry. Originating as a business strategy the main focus of Six Sigma is to eliminate waste and increasing financial stability through process monitoring and improvement (Hughes, 2008)
. Also, Six Sigma is a data driven and methodical strategy that focus on eradicating defects in all processes of an organization. The data driven approach allows for analysis of statistical data to determine how well the process is performing. The goal of Six Sigma is to produce less than 3.4 defects in every million opportunities. Six Sigma recognizes a defect as anything generated outside of the customer specification. Overall, the main intent of Six Sigma is to provide end products that are defect free by improving the process through the use of process improvement strategies. In order to accomplish the goals of Six Sigma the following methods are used: DMAIC and DMADA ("Six Sigma," 2011).
The Six Sigma methodology evaluates and analyzes existing processes and develops new processes through the use of DMAIC and DMADA. DMAIC is an acronym that stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Cont...
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...d Lean Methodologies are quality measures capable of enhancing organizational effectiveness by eliminating waste, errors and defects from the current system.
References
A Brief History of Lean. (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.lean.org/WhatsLean/History.cfm
Hughes, R. G. (2008). Tools and Strategies for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2682/
Lloyd, D. H., & Holsenback, J. E. (2006). The use of Six Sigma in health care operations: Application and opportunity. AHCMJ, 2, 41-48.
Majdi, C. (n.d). Lean methodology in health care quality improvement. Retrieved from http://transitionconsultants.com/articles/19-lean-methodology-in-health-care-quality-improvement
Six Sigma for Process Improvement. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.exforsys.com/career-center/process-management/six-sigma-for-process-improvement.html
There are many people that benefit from Lean Six Sigma which include mainly customers, suppliers, employees, and also stockholders. Lean Six Sigma is a way for businesses to improve, to reduce waste and to become more successful. In the future, more and more organizations will adopt or practice some of the Lean, Six Sigma, or both in order to stay competitive in today’s market. In some cases, blending both Lean and Six Sigma can be costly and difficult; however the end result can create an organization that focuses on quality, accuracy, and speed to meet the goal which is profitability.
1) Six Sigma should not be viewed as a quality program that is commissioned to reduce defects but as a methodology that helps companies better meet the needs of their business. KM shares this goal.
Lean Six Sigma methodology incorporates number of tools which can be employed in different phases of DMAIC approach such as; 5s, PDCA (Plan, Develop, Check, Act), Project charter, Pareto chart, DMPO, Standard deviation, Root cause analysis, Failure mode effect analysis, Comparative and full factorial experiments, Process thinking, Control charts, and Scorecards. [ book]. Depending upon the type and nature of project any tools can be used in order to achieve research goal.
uses some of these. The six sigma relies on data, process, and outcomes. Per HealthIT.gov there
Barnard, W., De Feo, J. (2004). Juran Institute’s Six Sigma Breakthrough and Beyond. New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies
The Six Sigma process, developed by Motorola focuses on saving time, lower costs by improving quality, identifying the causes of defects and removing the causes of defects, and minimizing variability in manufacturing and business process (Satterlee, 2013). The acronym, DMAIC represents the Six Sigma improvement model. The steps in the DMAIC process are to define the purpose, scope and output and then define quality; measure the process and collect data; analyze the data ensuring reliability; to improve by modifying existing process or procedures; and controlling the new processes to ensure increased performance levels are maintained (Satterlee, 2013). The foundation of the Six Sigma processes is to eliminate waste and improve
* Utilize Six Sigma Lean strategies to identify and develop process improvements for the care line.
With teams trained and all processes in place, the Six Sigma expert moved on to other projects, and the responsibility for reporting to upper management was left to the team leaders. Without the help of a trained process improvement leader, some teams became confused when analyzing their progress. Others committed so much time to the process improvement project that their work suffered. The middle management leaders soon were reporting only their successes, and began to emphasize what they intended to do rather than what was actually happening. Upper management, assuming that the project was goin...
The administration and organization of health care systems, hospital networks, and other health care settings can greatly affect health outcomes, quality of care, and patient satisfaction. One of the historical challenges in the health system has been the identification and collection of meaningful data to measure an organizations progress towards the achievement of its strategic goals and the concurrent alignment of internal operating practices with this strategy (Devitt et.al Health Q. 2005). The strategic management System (SMS) aligns organizational planning and performance measurement, facilitates and appropriate balance between organizational priorities and resolving ‘local problems, and encourages behaviors that are consistent
Six Sigma encompasses the methodology of problem solving, and focuses on optimization and cultural change. Six Sigma accomplishes this goal by utilizing an extensive set of statistical and mathematical tools and a well-defined methodology that produces significant results quickly. The adaptation of this methodology leads to fundamental cultural transformation within the organization (Raisinghani, 2005).
Sitnikov, C. (2012). Six sigma as a strategic tool for companies. Young Economists Journal / Revista Tinerilor Economisti, 94-102.
Vest, J.R., & Gamm, L.D., (2009) A critical review of the research literature on Six Sigma, Lean and StuderGroup's Hardwiring Excellence in the United States: the need to demonstrate and communicate the effectiveness of transformation strategies in healthcare. Implement Sci. 2009 Jul 1;4:35.
The Six Sigma approach was designed by Motorola in 1986. The primary objective of the concept was to develop a tool for tallying the process defects and, as the result, improving business operations. The foundations of the approach are the customer needs, statistical analysis of data and facts, and timely execution. The method promises numerous benefits such as increasing performance and profitability of an organization, improving product or service quality and employee morale, decreasing costs, the growth of market share, the higher level of satisfying customer needs, etc. (Meredith & Shafer, 2013). The primary advantage
For example, total quality management (TQM) does not provide any recommend quality measure tools or methods to speed up the pace for quality improvements (Sadikoglu & Olcay, 2014). It is no longer an issue whether the health care industry should aim for quality, but rather the methods and models used to accelerate quality improvement. Therefore, it is necessary for the leadership to implement a quality improvement program and incorporate different methods and models such as the Plan-Do-Check-Act, (PDCA), Lean, and Six Sigma (Sokovic, Pavletic & Pipan, 2010). Implementing a quality improvement program will not only change the organizational culture, but it will accelerate quality improvement efforts of patients safety and health care
Understanding quality measurement is essential in improving quality. Teams need to be able to understand whether the changes being made are actually leading to improved care and improved outcomes. For data to have an impact on an improvement initiative, providers and staff must understand it, trust it, and use it. Health care organization must understand the measurement of quality provided by the Institute of Medicine (patient outcomes, patient satisfaction, compliance, efficiency, safe, timely, patient centered, and equitable. An organization cannot improve its performance if it does not know how it is performing. Measuring quality improvements is essential as it reflects the quality of care given by the providers and that by comparing performance