Moving From Good to Best in Healthcare: Embracing Accounting in Improvements

To improve the bottom line in healthcare organizations, leaders have embraced several techniques, including Lean Six Sigma, benchmarking and the Toyota Production System. But recent research has shown that employing these methods on their own is not enough to aggressively manage costs and throughput...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Healthcare executive 2008-05, Vol.23 (3), p.9
Main Authors: Caldwell, Chip, Stuenkel, Kurt M
Format: Magazinearticle
Language:English
Subjects:
Accountability
Benchmarks
Costs
Decision making
Health care industry
Lean manufacturing
Length of stay
Managers
Physical fitness
Six Sigma
Strategic management
Success
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:To improve the bottom line in healthcare organizations, leaders have embraced several techniques, including Lean Six Sigma, benchmarking and the Toyota Production System. But recent research has shown that employing these methods on their own is not enough to aggressively manage costs and throughput. Healthcare leaders have searched for the right strategies to move their organizations forward by using key metrics. Leaders have looked to other organizations for important benchmarks to strive toward within their own institutions. According to the Good To Best Healthcare studies, the key factor in becoming a Quantum Improver is adding an accountability structure into the equation. Accountability has to start at the top. Leaders who train staff in methodologies and then set them loose on an organization will not achieve the success necessary to accomplish true change. Managers must bring something to the table and should have learned new tools and speak the language of Lean Six Sigma.
ISSN:0883-5381