LEAN Updates

Today, we had our first report outs from the 5 LEAN Six Sigma projects. I want to thank all the teams who pulled together to lead and develop these projects. Each one was driven by improving our quality (e.g., coordination of care, clinical outcomes, regulatory compliance, access to care, patient throughput, use of resources). This focus on quality creates more associate and physician engagement and participation. From there the improvement in financials will naturally happen but it starts with the drive to improve quality.

I enjoyed the dialogue on how hitting 97% would only get us to 2.6 sigma...and our goal is 6 sigma....97% is not good enough. These process changes are a true journey and need focus and discipline to stay on course and not get 'project creep', where you allow the project to get bigger and broader. The discipline to 'table' potential other projects is very important. This discipline and focus is one more way we will continue to build on a culture of safety and improvement.

I look forward to sharing the initial outcomes over the next few months.

Please share your Lean Six Sigma projects or process improvements you have made in your organization.