Six Sigma helped improve patient satisfaction through better room service at Heritage Valley Health Systems’ hospitals.

The hospital group first measured patient satisfaction in 2001, and it found that patients were particularly dissatisfied with the quality of food offered them. A subsequent polling of best-in-class hospitals found that most had implemented food service styled like hotel room service, in which patients may order from a menu at the time of their choosing. When Heritage Valley implemented room service at its hospitals, patient satisfaction soared; the hospital also reduced costs by eliminating wasted food and late deliveries.

A year after the implementation of the room service–style food service operations, lean Six Sigma was deployed to streamline the program further. The project focused on minimizing menu items that are costly, take a long time to prepare and are infrequently ordered. The organization expects to save $40,000 because of the project.

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