Quality is an important factor when it comes to any product or service. Quality control is essential to building a successful business that delivers service that meet or exceed our client's expectations.

Six Sigma methodology – DMAIC

Employing Six Sigma tools in healthcare does not only help to improve quality but helps to solve healthcare problems. The DMAIC approach – define, measure, analyse, improve and control – is a structured problem-solving technique widely popular in business.

Define

First of all, the identity of patients, as well as their needs and wants, will be clearly defined. In the same vein, the objectives of the process and its capabilities also require accurate definition.

Measure

Moreover, the performance of healthcare, based on the improvements, need to be measured. Changes or improvements can be measured by the level of patient satisfaction, service cost, the rate of clinical excellence and so on.

However, data and information collected for measurement should be clear and concise.

Analyse

Furthermore, Six Sigma tools should be used to analyse data collected for measurement to ensure efficiency. The analysis stage may involve complex statistical techniques to zero in on the actual cause of a quality issue.

Improve

During the Improve stage, the entire approach to patient care may need to undergo several changes and modifications. To track progress, effective monitoring of the performance of these improvements is an essential component of this stage.

Control

This stage consolidates the gains from previous stages. It may involve the introduction of new policies, protocols, etc, to ensure that care is provided at the high that has been achieved throughout the DMAIC processes.

FMEA in Six Sigma healthcare management

FMEA (failure mode and effects analysis) is a proactive tool embedded within the Six Sigma method of quality improvement. It enables errors to be detected and prevented before they occur. Moreover, the primary goal of Six Sigma in healthcare management is to prevent defects that could be injurious to patients, their families as well as employees.

DFSS in Six Sigma healthcare management

Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) is a Six Sigma tool used to design a product or service from scratch. The most popular design for this method is DMADV (Define, Measure, Analyse, Design, Verify).

Like all Six Sigma projects, this approach also requires that the customer requirements are well defined. The needs of the customers and the competitors should be measured and determined. The process options should be analysed and designed in detail to meet the customer’s needs. Finally, the performance of the design and its ability to meet the needs of customers must be verified.

Although Six Sigma is a very tedious strategy to implement in healthcare, the benefits far outweigh the risks.

Six Sigma is an effective tool that can help healthcare organizations rely on valid data that may help prevent managers from using personal judgement to make decisions. Thus, Six Sigma in healthcare management will reduce incorrect solutions. It reduces the cost incurred based on false guidance while ensuring accurate decision-making.

Also, Six Sigma encourages teamwork in an organization. Hence, it gives employees a sense of belonging. It makes them active rather than passive and motivates them to help the organization achieve its goals.

Furthermore, Six Sigma in healthcare helps organizations to understand the salient characteristics of patient services that have a high impact on patient satisfaction and loyalty. By so doing, patient’s satisfaction will increase and so will referrals, recommendations and profits.

Moreover, a number successful implementation of Six Sigma in healthcare examples exist to confirm the effectiveness of Six Sigma in health. By embracing Six Sigma methods, many hospitals have saved or made millions of dollars in profits.

Feronia implements six-sigma methodologies to improve the quality and enhance our customer experience. Please contact us to explore our solutions.