SUMMARY - APPLYING LEAN SIX SIGMA METHODOLOGIES TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY - Article Example

Moreover, certain methods like rapid cycle test to determine if the baseline of data collected is in accordance to the implementation of efficient clinic visits. Inclusive of the time-study, no- show data and physician-patient familiarity data were used during this study. The results of the study after their analysis showed that massive implication of workflow processes in internal medicine residency clinics can be a disaster if there is no arrangement that has been scheduled to curb difficulties in health care and disease management.

When the Institute of Medicine came up with a report, To Err Is Human, in 1999, concerns on the quality of health care have emerged. The Institute of Medicine also came up with another report, Crossing the Quality Chasm, recommending that the quality of health care should be an issue patient encounter on federal regulations as per the overarching framework of patient to the government. When Berwick was presenting his finding he suggested that due to wide areas of quality growth towards health care, the idea should not deviate from the real issue of patient interests and experiences towards attaining good health care.

Literature reviews on this topic show the importance of major improvements required by the patients; for instance renowned author Atlas explained how patient’s mutual relation with their physician can influence the quality of medical care delivered. The presentation showed that this relationship between patient- physicians is of greater importance towards delivering quality health care than their personality’s backgrounds. Another author, Street RL also went further suggesting that the patient’s details sharing with the physician shows a strong bond of trust between the care providers and hence leads to patients following the instructions prescribed to them on treatment.

A revelation also came up that most strong patient-physician relationship are as a result of past experiences and other historic mutual encounters over a period time (Atlas SJ, 2009). Joshi also suggested that a further related cultural identity among the patients and their provider can have great impacts towards results of disease management mostly in less populated areas with high occurrence of chronic diseases for example diabetes (Joshi R, 2010). This research, the Kline Internal Medicine Throughput Initiative (Kim TI), showed that the risk of a disease getting to its advanced stage is as a result the patient not presenting him or herself for checkups.

Furthermore, another cause of no-show rates was said to be the long waiting time in the clinics that contributed to long medical services. Hence, a “Lean Six Sigma” methodology was adopted to determine the hindrance of efficiency and enduring health care in internal medical clinics with an aim of increasing the number of patients availing themselves for appointments and their adherence to treatment prescriptions and disease management procedures. This ensures efficient and effective utilization of scarce health resources and personnel available per a given population.

Methods In October 2008, KimIT team from Harrisburg Hospital Internal Medicine Residency program was formed to focus on the factors affecting the adherence of physicians’ treatment prescription plan using data from visits portrayed by patients for checkups in clinics. Their first role was to design a clear