Six Sigma in Health Care: We’re Leaving Money On the Table
All the talk of health care reform has resulted in many hospitals turning to lean Six Sigma to help improve efficiency and aid in cost cutting.
When Animation Meets Simulation
As moviegoers, we have all seen a wide range of animation—from early Disney features, such as “Snow White,” to Japanese anime, and Pixar’s “Toy Story,” to an assortment of recent blockbusters that seamlessly integrate animation with real actors.
Takt Time for Apple's App Store and for Health Care
A couple of Sundays ago, I read this New York Times article about Apple's "App Store" for the iPhone and iPod Touch (I've been a p
Lean Approach Helps Children’s Hospital Increase Patient Satisfaction
In 2008, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta saw more than 170,000 patients across all three of its three emergency departments.
Service Quality: How to Sell Air!
The New Yorker magazine featured a cartoon showing a discussion between a salesman and his sales manager. The despondent salesman asked, “I know you’re always telling us to sell the sizzle and not the steak, Mr.
Analyzing Data Saves Millions for County Tax Payers
A $1 billion annual budget may sound ample, but a few years ago, the costs of services ranging from law enforcement to cleaning county buildings had squeezed the government of Erie County, New York, to its limit.
Review: Comparing Quality of Care at HospitalCompare.com
“You can put your clothes back on,” the doctor says as he walks out. Before you know it, he’s back and you’re still hopping around the cold floor, aiming for your pant leg and with your sweater on backward.
Verifying the Effectiveness of Corrective Action
When I first got into quality, I really hated verifying the effectiveness of actions taken to correct a problem. After all, I was young and inexperienced. All of the people whose actions I was verifying were older, wiser, and more experienced than I was.
