Lean Six Sigma In Healthcare About the Author

Breakthrough Results. Better Outcomes. Charles Mount, CAPT, USN (Ret.) is the director of healthcare services for NOVACES. He oversees
the company’s Lean Six Sigma programs to improve patient care, safety and satisfaction, which
simultaneously generate more profitable business outcomes. His deep and abiding experience at
With all the recent articles, papers and conferences on Lean, Six Sigma, Theory of Constraints and
all levels of healthcare comes from 38 years in the U.S. Navy where he was dedicated to advancing
other management methodologies, a prevailing question we may be asking ourselves is, “What
patient care at military hospitals around the world. For example, he coordinated the
impact will these methodologies have on healthcare?” The answer may lie in who “we” are.
implementation of Total Quality Management for 5,000 employees at the U.S. Navy’s largest
medical center in San Diego. In addition to his expertise in healthcare and education, as a
First and foremost, healthcare and any improvements in healthcare are about the patient – always
Commanding Officer he conducted strategic planning sessions for a variety of organizations with
has been and always will be. Patients drive the entire healthcare system and without patients, the
emphasis on development of mission, vision, and values. Over the years, he has written about
system will cease to exist. Everyone has been a patient, is a patient, or will be a patient at some Charles Mount,
Director of Healthcare Services managing change in healthcare for a variety of publications. He is both a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
point in their lives. So, that is the crux of today’s healthcare system – it revolves around us – or “we”,
and a graduate of the Institute for Federal Health Care Executives. He holds a B.Sc. degree in
the patients.
Nursing from the University of Washington and a M.Ed. from the University of San Diego. WHITEPAPER: PERSPECTIVES ON LEAN SIX SIGMA IN HEALTHCARE
This whitepaper is a discussion of the challenges healthcare organizations are facing as regulatory
and government agencies – and we, the patient – are accepting nothing less than the highest
quality healthcare. Now more than ever, hospitals are faced with the imperative to reduce costs
and reduce waste – while improving patient outcomes.
Who We Are
NOVACES is a leading provider of continuous process improvement (CPI) consulting and training
We, The Patient
LEAN SIX SIGMA IMPROVES PATIENT CARE QUALITY AND BUSINESS PERFORMANCE
services to the healthcare sector. By leveraging over two decades of applied research experience,
Unless today’s healthcare organizations move beyond legacy quality improvement methods,
we are capable of delivering today’s most effective methods for generating breakthroughs in
maneuvering through stricter accreditation requirements and Medicare’s changing policies will
operational capabilities and financial performance. Employing our SystemCPISM methodology,
become even more difficult – and potentially costly.
the experts at NOVACES provide an integrated framework to deploy and manage a process
improvement program that incorporates Constraints Management tools to achieve faster and
NOVACES is the premier implementer of Lean Six Sigma and Continuous Process Improvement
better return on investment. For more information about process excellence solutions for
(CPI) solutions in the healthcare sector. We leverage today’s most effective process improvement
healthcare, visit www.novaces.com or call 1.877.577.6888.
methods to help hospitals achieve high-impact breakthroughs in operational and clinical
excellence – while also boosting financial performance.

LEAN SIX SIGMA

Simplify Processes Reduce Variation
Eliminate Waste Eliminate Errors
Increase Speed Sustain the Gains

CONSTRAINT MANAGEMENT
Manage Constraints
Focus on the System
Maximize Throughput

SystemCPISM, our strategic approach to Lean Six Sigma, effectively addresses many of the complex
challenges faced by healthcare providers, including issues related to:

For more information about our clients’
impressive results and to see if your organization
is ready for SystemCPI, please contact:
Kevin Farley
National Healthcare Account Executive
732.383.6011 or kfarley@novaces.com
 Administrative Cost Controls
 Clinical & Operational Excellence
 Billing and Collection Cash Flow
 Improving Core Quality Measures
 Patient and Visitor Safety
 Customer Satisfaction
 Patient Throughput and Discharge
 Health Information Management
 Pharmacy, Laboratory and
Technology Workflow
CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS: POYDRAS CENTER 650 POYDRAS STREET #2320 NEW ORLEANS, LA 70130
NORTHEAST U.S.: 116 CHESTNUT STREET #303 RED BANK, NJ 07701

1.877.577.6888 www.novaces.com Copyright © 2010 NOVACES, LLC. All rights reserved.

 We, The Patient How Lean Six Sigma was Leveraged
There was a time when we accepted healthcare just as it was provided to us – without question. to Improve Billing At Kent Hospital As part of the improvement activities for the outpatient billing process, an RIW team examined
Whether we were treated as a patient at a rural community hospital, a specialty outpatient clinic, the root causes of defects for the two steps with the highest defect rate. During the investigation,
a physician’s office or a large teaching medical center – the truth is, we accepted healthcare as it Lean Six Sigma uses a data-driven approach to identify and fix root causes of problems and the team developed the cause-effect diagram shown in Figure 3 to study reasons for registration
was. Whatever laboratory tests were ordered, medications prescribed or treatments scheduled – ensure corrective actions are sustained. The following case study shows how LSS was applied to desk errors, incomplete data entry and medical records errors. Next, the team collected data to
we rarely questioned our providers. We knew the system wasn’t perfect; however, we accepted a hospital’s patient billing process to achieve dramatic improvements. confirm which root causes occurred most frequently. Solutions to prevent those causes were
the notion and trusted that the healthcare provided to us was the best that it could be. implemented and controls (procedures for responding) were developed in the event that a
Kent Hospital, a 120-bed hospital serving the Aegean region of Turkey, decided to implement defect does occur in the future.
Fast forward to today. We, that patient, no longer blindly accept our healthcare in its present Lean Six Sigma as a major initiative after becoming one of the first Turkish hospitals to receive
condition. It often takes too long to get access to care, wait times for test results seem Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation.
interminable, we’re afraid of getting an infection in the hospital, our discharge process seems
laborious and the hospital bills and insurance statements are confusing. Out of necessity and in Hospitals focus on using Lean tools to streamline processes; Kent Hospital focused on patient
our own best interests, our knowledge about healthcare and ownership of our care plans both billing separated into inpatient and outpatient processes. A Lean tool called a Value Stream
have grown markedly over the past several years. Analysis (VSA) enabled Kent to map their billing processes and analyze performance. A one-week
“The projects we conducted with Rapid Improvement Workshop (RIW) followed the VSA in order to drill down into specific problem
We now want to choose when, where, and how we receive care. Just as we’ve evolved as patients, Novaces showed how Lean Six areas. Kent management estimated that the hospital was experiencing a twenty day payment
we want to be assured that the healthcare system is continuously improving in order to meet our delay for 13% of patient bills. In addition, they were unable to recover payments from 1% of all
Sigma enables us to have visibility
increasing expectations. patients due to missing or incorrect documentation.
into our processes, understand our
systems and be more competitive.” An eight-person VSA team further examined the billing process and implemented improvements
Figure 3
Who is Listening to Us? - Baris T.
to reduce errors, improve cycle times and increase on-time payments. During the VSA, the team
Cause-effect diagram for defective
physically walked the process, measured the distance traveled by staff, counted the number of transactions at the registraton desk
After years of incremental improvement, most easy fixes to the healthcare system have already Kent Hospital Director
hand-offs and collected data on defects at each step.
been made. What we see now is the need for dramatic and major changes in healthcare with After the VSA and RIW improvements were implemented, data were collected again to assess
lasting results that include increased patient satisfaction, increased provider satisfaction, better performance of the new process – summarized in Table 1. In addition to Kent’s improvements in
The process maps shown in Figure 1 depict the complexity of the current inpatient billing process
“Lean is the continuous patient outcomes and improved resource efficiencies. Regulatory agencies and
and the newly designed, improved process. healthcare service quality, just two weeks of process improvement activities produced an
government-sponsored healthcare systems are listening to us and mandating change.
pursuit of eliminating Before After
estimated financial benefit of $84,740 per year.
12,233 Feet Travel 8,272 Feet Travel
waste, or non-value added Since the early 1950s, The Joint Commission has been a major driving force for improvement in
Steps Steps
Flow Time (mins)
Outpatient Billing Process
Cycle Time (mins) # Stations # Handoffs

the healthcare system. Its surveyors look for clear evidence that meaningful data is being Value Added Steps: 8 Value Added Steps: 7
steps, from a process.” collected in hospitals and analyzed for key processes and that improvements are being made
Non-Value Added: 14
Non-Value Added Required: 21
Non-Value Added: 0
Non-Value Added Required: 12
Current State 17,251 5,803 13 19

based upon the data. They want to see that leadership is involved in all aspects of an institution’s Future State 8,458 2,093 7 11

improvement initiatives and that the voice of the patient is being heard and acted upon. In Difference (51%) (64%) (46%) (42%)

addition to The Joint Commission, state and local level health departments survey hospitals, Inpatient Billing Process

often asking questions in response to patient or family complaints. Both The Joint Commission Current State 12,233 2,464 26 42

and the local health officials put pressure on healthcare facilities to significantly improve their Future State 8,272 2,069 12 14
Table 1
services. Difference (32%) (16%) (54%) (67%)
Data Process Improvement
Figure 1
Current and Future State
Additionally, in the first decade of the 21st Century, Medicare has announced it will stop paying Inpatient Process Maps
for what the agency defines as preventable hospital complications or readmissions. Extra costs
Summing Up the Patient Perspective
incurred for a variety of hospital mistakes such as treatment for hospital-acquired infections soon Additionally, the team used handoff mapping to reduce excessive handoffs in the inpatient
Now more than ever, healthcare facilities are faced with the imperative to reduce costs while
will need to be absorbed by the healthcare facility. billing process and therefore reduce delays and errors. The before and after maps shown in Figure
delivering increasingly better patient care. And we, the patients, want to know that a hospital is
2 illustrate a 67% reduction in billing process handoffs.
continuously working to improve its services. By borrowing best practices in Lean Six Sigma
Consequently, maneuvering through stricter accreditation requirements and Medicare’s
processes from the corporate world, healthcare organizations will be well-positioned to utilize
changing reimbursement policies will be more and more difficult for every hospital – and costly –
patient feedback to produce exceptional business results while still ensuring the delivery of the
without a framework for producing systematic improvements.
highest-quality and compassionate care.

Figure 2
Current and Future State
Inpatient Handoff Maps

1.877.577.6888 www.novaces.com
 We, The Patient How Lean Six Sigma was Leveraged
There was a time when we accepted healthcare just as it was provided to us – without question. to Improve Billing At Kent Hospital As part of the improvement activities for the outpatient billing process, an RIW team examined
Whether we were treated as a patient at a rural community hospital, a specialty outpatient clinic, the root causes of defects for the two steps with the highest defect rate. During the investigation,
a physician’s office or a large teaching medical center – the truth is, we accepted healthcare as it Lean Six Sigma uses a data-driven approach to identify and fix root causes of problems and the team developed the cause-effect diagram shown in Figure 3 to study reasons for registration
was. Whatever laboratory tests were ordered, medications prescribed or treatments scheduled – ensure corrective actions are sustained. The following case study shows how LSS was applied to desk errors, incomplete data entry and medical records errors. Next, the team collected data to
we rarely questioned our providers. We knew the system wasn’t perfect; however, we accepted a hospital’s patient billing process to achieve dramatic improvements. confirm which root causes occurred most frequently. Solutions to prevent those causes were
the notion and trusted that the healthcare provided to us was the best that it could be. implemented and controls (procedures for responding) were developed in the event that a
Kent Hospital, a 120-bed hospital serving the Aegean region of Turkey, decided to implement defect does occur in the future.
Fast forward to today. We, that patient, no longer blindly accept our healthcare in its present Lean Six Sigma as a major initiative after becoming one of the first Turkish hospitals to receive
condition. It often takes too long to get access to care, wait times for test results seem Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation.
interminable, we’re afraid of getting an infection in the hospital, our discharge process seems
laborious and the hospital bills and insurance statements are confusing. Out of necessity and in Hospitals focus on using Lean tools to streamline processes; Kent Hospital focused on patient
our own best interests, our knowledge about healthcare and ownership of our care plans both billing separated into inpatient and outpatient processes. A Lean tool called a Value Stream
have grown markedly over the past several years. Analysis (VSA) enabled Kent to map their billing processes and analyze performance. A one-week
“The projects we conducted with Rapid Improvement Workshop (RIW) followed the VSA in order to drill down into specific problem
We now want to choose when, where, and how we receive care. Just as we’ve evolved as patients, Novaces showed how Lean Six areas. Kent management estimated that the hospital was experiencing a twenty day payment
we want to be assured that the healthcare system is continuously improving in order to meet our delay for 13% of patient bills. In addition, they were unable to recover payments from 1% of all
Sigma enables us to have visibility
increasing expectations. patients due to missing or incorrect documentation.
into our processes, understand our
systems and be more competitive.” An eight-person VSA team further examined the billing process and implemented improvements
Figure 3
Who is Listening to Us? - Baris T.
to reduce errors, improve cycle times and increase on-time payments. During the VSA, the team
Cause-effect diagram for defective
physically walked the process, measured the distance traveled by staff, counted the number of transactions at the registraton desk
After years of incremental improvement, most easy fixes to the healthcare system have already Kent Hospital Director
hand-offs and collected data on defects at each step.
been made. What we see now is the need for dramatic and major changes in healthcare with After the VSA and RIW improvements were implemented, data were collected again to assess
lasting results that include increased patient satisfaction, increased provider satisfaction, better performance of the new process – summarized in Table 1. In addition to Kent’s improvements in
The process maps shown in Figure 1 depict the complexity of the current inpatient billing process
“Lean is the continuous patient outcomes and improved resource efficiencies. Regulatory agencies and
and the newly designed, improved process. healthcare service quality, just two weeks of process improvement activities produced an
government-sponsored healthcare systems are listening to us and mandating change.
pursuit of eliminating Before After
estimated financial benefit of $84,740 per year.
12,233 Feet Travel 8,272 Feet Travel
waste, or non-value added Since the early 1950s, The Joint Commission has been a major driving force for improvement in
Steps Steps
Flow Time (mins)
Outpatient Billing Process
Cycle Time (mins) # Stations # Handoffs

the healthcare system. Its surveyors look for clear evidence that meaningful data is being Value Added Steps: 8 Value Added Steps: 7
steps, from a process.” collected in hospitals and analyzed for key processes and that improvements are being made
Non-Value Added: 14
Non-Value Added Required: 21
Non-Value Added: 0
Non-Value Added Required: 12
Current State 17,251 5,803 13 19

based upon the data. They want to see that leadership is involved in all aspects of an institution’s Future State 8,458 2,093 7 11

improvement initiatives and that the voice of the patient is being heard and acted upon. In Difference (51%) (64%) (46%) (42%)

addition to The Joint Commission, state and local level health departments survey hospitals, Inpatient Billing Process

often asking questions in response to patient or family complaints. Both The Joint Commission Current State 12,233 2,464 26 42

and the local health officials put pressure on healthcare facilities to significantly improve their Future State 8,272 2,069 12 14
Table 1
services. Difference (32%) (16%) (54%) (67%)
Data Process Improvement
Figure 1
Current and Future State
Additionally, in the first decade of the 21st Century, Medicare has announced it will stop paying Inpatient Process Maps
for what the agency defines as preventable hospital complications or readmissions. Extra costs
Summing Up the Patient Perspective
incurred for a variety of hospital mistakes such as treatment for hospital-acquired infections soon Additionally, the team used handoff mapping to reduce excessive handoffs in the inpatient
Now more than ever, healthcare facilities are faced with the imperative to reduce costs while
will need to be absorbed by the healthcare facility. billing process and therefore reduce delays and errors. The before and after maps shown in Figure
delivering increasingly better patient care. And we, the patients, want to know that a hospital is
2 illustrate a 67% reduction in billing process handoffs.
continuously working to improve its services. By borrowing best practices in Lean Six Sigma
Consequently, maneuvering through stricter accreditation requirements and Medicare’s
processes from the corporate world, healthcare organizations will be well-positioned to utilize
changing reimbursement policies will be more and more difficult for every hospital – and costly –
patient feedback to produce exceptional business results while still ensuring the delivery of the
without a framework for producing systematic improvements.
highest-quality and compassionate care.

Figure 2
Current and Future State
Inpatient Handoff Maps

1.877.577.6888 www.novaces.com
 We, The Patient How Lean Six Sigma was Leveraged
There was a time when we accepted healthcare just as it was provided to us – without question. to Improve Billing At Kent Hospital As part of the improvement activities for the outpatient billing process, an RIW team examined
Whether we were treated as a patient at a rural community hospital, a specialty outpatient clinic, the root causes of defects for the two steps with the highest defect rate. During the investigation,
a physician’s office or a large teaching medical center – the truth is, we accepted healthcare as it Lean Six Sigma uses a data-driven approach to identify and fix root causes of problems and the team developed the cause-effect diagram shown in Figure 3 to study reasons for registration
was. Whatever laboratory tests were ordered, medications prescribed or treatments scheduled – ensure corrective actions are sustained. The following case study shows how LSS was applied to desk errors, incomplete data entry and medical records errors. Next, the team collected data to
we rarely questioned our providers. We knew the system wasn’t perfect; however, we accepted a hospital’s patient billing process to achieve dramatic improvements. confirm which root causes occurred most frequently. Solutions to prevent those causes were
the notion and trusted that the healthcare provided to us was the best that it could be. implemented and controls (procedures for responding) were developed in the event that a
Kent Hospital, a 120-bed hospital serving the Aegean region of Turkey, decided to implement defect does occur in the future.
Fast forward to today. We, that patient, no longer blindly accept our healthcare in its present Lean Six Sigma as a major initiative after becoming one of the first Turkish hospitals to receive
condition. It often takes too long to get access to care, wait times for test results seem Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation.
interminable, we’re afraid of getting an infection in the hospital, our discharge process seems
laborious and the hospital bills and insurance statements are confusing. Out of necessity and in Hospitals focus on using Lean tools to streamline processes; Kent Hospital focused on patient
our own best interests, our knowledge about healthcare and ownership of our care plans both billing separated into inpatient and outpatient processes. A Lean tool called a Value Stream
have grown markedly over the past several years. Analysis (VSA) enabled Kent to map their billing processes and analyze performance. A one-week
“The projects we conducted with Rapid Improvement Workshop (RIW) followed the VSA in order to drill down into specific problem
We now want to choose when, where, and how we receive care. Just as we’ve evolved as patients, Novaces showed how Lean Six areas. Kent management estimated that the hospital was experiencing a twenty day payment
we want to be assured that the healthcare system is continuously improving in order to meet our delay for 13% of patient bills. In addition, they were unable to recover payments from 1% of all
Sigma enables us to have visibility
increasing expectations. patients due to missing or incorrect documentation.
into our processes, understand our
systems and be more competitive.” An eight-person VSA team further examined the billing process and implemented improvements
Figure 3
Who is Listening to Us? - Baris T.
to reduce errors, improve cycle times and increase on-time payments. During the VSA, the team
Cause-effect diagram for defective
physically walked the process, measured the distance traveled by staff, counted the number of transactions at the registraton desk
After years of incremental improvement, most easy fixes to the healthcare system have already Kent Hospital Director
hand-offs and collected data on defects at each step.
been made. What we see now is the need for dramatic and major changes in healthcare with After the VSA and RIW improvements were implemented, data were collected again to assess
lasting results that include increased patient satisfaction, increased provider satisfaction, better performance of the new process – summarized in Table 1. In addition to Kent’s improvements in
The process maps shown in Figure 1 depict the complexity of the current inpatient billing process
“Lean is the continuous patient outcomes and improved resource efficiencies. Regulatory agencies and
and the newly designed, improved process. healthcare service quality, just two weeks of process improvement activities produced an
government-sponsored healthcare systems are listening to us and mandating change.
pursuit of eliminating Before After
estimated financial benefit of $84,740 per year.
12,233 Feet Travel 8,272 Feet Travel
waste, or non-value added Since the early 1950s, The Joint Commission has been a major driving force for improvement in
Steps Steps
Flow Time (mins)
Outpatient Billing Process
Cycle Time (mins) # Stations # Handoffs

the healthcare system. Its surveyors look for clear evidence that meaningful data is being Value Added Steps: 8 Value Added Steps: 7
steps, from a process.” collected in hospitals and analyzed for key processes and that improvements are being made
Non-Value Added: 14
Non-Value Added Required: 21
Non-Value Added: 0
Non-Value Added Required: 12
Current State 17,251 5,803 13 19

based upon the data. They want to see that leadership is involved in all aspects of an institution’s Future State 8,458 2,093 7 11

improvement initiatives and that the voice of the patient is being heard and acted upon. In Difference (51%) (64%) (46%) (42%)

addition to The Joint Commission, state and local level health departments survey hospitals, Inpatient Billing Process

often asking questions in response to patient or family complaints. Both The Joint Commission Current State 12,233 2,464 26 42

and the local health officials put pressure on healthcare facilities to significantly improve their Future State 8,272 2,069 12 14
Table 1
services. Difference (32%) (16%) (54%) (67%)
Data Process Improvement
Figure 1
Current and Future State
Additionally, in the first decade of the 21st Century, Medicare has announced it will stop paying Inpatient Process Maps
for what the agency defines as preventable hospital complications or readmissions. Extra costs
Summing Up the Patient Perspective
incurred for a variety of hospital mistakes such as treatment for hospital-acquired infections soon Additionally, the team used handoff mapping to reduce excessive handoffs in the inpatient
Now more than ever, healthcare facilities are faced with the imperative to reduce costs while
will need to be absorbed by the healthcare facility. billing process and therefore reduce delays and errors. The before and after maps shown in Figure
delivering increasingly better patient care. And we, the patients, want to know that a hospital is
2 illustrate a 67% reduction in billing process handoffs.
continuously working to improve its services. By borrowing best practices in Lean Six Sigma
Consequently, maneuvering through stricter accreditation requirements and Medicare’s
processes from the corporate world, healthcare organizations will be well-positioned to utilize
changing reimbursement policies will be more and more difficult for every hospital – and costly –
patient feedback to produce exceptional business results while still ensuring the delivery of the
without a framework for producing systematic improvements.
highest-quality and compassionate care.

Figure 2
Current and Future State
Inpatient Handoff Maps

1.877.577.6888 www.novaces.com
 Lean Six Sigma In Healthcare About the Author
Breakthrough Results. Better Outcomes. Charles Mount, CAPT, USN (Ret.) is the director of healthcare services for NOVACES. He oversees
the company’s Lean Six Sigma programs to improve patient care, safety and satisfaction, which
simultaneously generate more profitable business outcomes. His deep and abiding experience at
With all the recent articles, papers and conferences on Lean, Six Sigma, Theory of Constraints and
all levels of healthcare comes from 38 years in the U.S. Navy where he was dedicated to advancing
other management methodologies, a prevailing question we may be asking ourselves is, “What
patient care at military hospitals around the world. For example, he coordinated the
impact will these methodologies have on healthcare?” The answer may lie in who “we” are.
implementation of Total Quality Management for 5,000 employees at the U.S. Navy’s largest
medical center in San Diego. In addition to his expertise in healthcare and education, as a
First and foremost, healthcare and any improvements in healthcare are about the patient – always
Commanding Officer he conducted strategic planning sessions for a variety of organizations with
has been and always will be. Patients drive the entire healthcare system and without patients, the
emphasis on development of mission, vision, and values. Over the years, he has written about
system will cease to exist. Everyone has been a patient, is a patient, or will be a patient at some Charles Mount,
Director of Healthcare Services managing change in healthcare for a variety of publications. He is both a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
point in their lives. So, that is the crux of today’s healthcare system – it revolves around us – or “we”,
and a graduate of the Institute for Federal Health Care Executives. He holds a B.Sc. degree in
the patients.
Nursing from the University of Washington and a M.Ed. from the University of San Diego. WHITEPAPER: PERSPECTIVES ON LEAN SIX SIGMA IN HEALTHCARE
This whitepaper is a discussion of the challenges healthcare organizations are facing as regulatory
and government agencies – and we, the patient – are accepting nothing less than the highest
quality healthcare. Now more than ever, hospitals are faced with the imperative to reduce costs
and reduce waste – while improving patient outcomes.
Who We Are
NOVACES is a leading provider of continuous process improvement (CPI) consulting and training
We, The Patient
LEAN SIX SIGMA IMPROVES PATIENT CARE QUALITY AND BUSINESS PERFORMANCE
services to the healthcare sector. By leveraging over two decades of applied research experience,
Unless today’s healthcare organizations move beyond legacy quality improvement methods,
we are capable of delivering today’s most effective methods for generating breakthroughs in
maneuvering through stricter accreditation requirements and Medicare’s changing policies will
operational capabilities and financial performance. Employing our SystemCPISM methodology,
become even more difficult – and potentially costly.
the experts at NOVACES provide an integrated framework to deploy and manage a process
improvement program that incorporates Constraints Management tools to achieve faster and
NOVACES is the premier implementer of Lean Six Sigma and Continuous Process Improvement
better return on investment. For more information about process excellence solutions for
(CPI) solutions in the healthcare sector. We leverage today’s most effective process improvement
healthcare, visit www.novaces.com or call 1.877.577.6888.
methods to help hospitals achieve high-impact breakthroughs in operational and clinical
excellence – while also boosting financial performance.

LEAN SIX SIGMA

Simplify Processes Reduce Variation
Eliminate Waste Eliminate Errors
Increase Speed Sustain the Gains

CONSTRAINT MANAGEMENT
Manage Constraints
Focus on the System
Maximize Throughput

SystemCPISM, our strategic approach to Lean Six Sigma, effectively addresses many of the complex
challenges faced by healthcare providers, including issues related to:

For more information about our clients’
impressive results and to see if your organization
is ready for SystemCPI, please contact:
Kevin Farley
National Healthcare Account Executive
732.383.6011 or kfarley@novaces.com
 Administrative Cost Controls
 Clinical & Operational Excellence
 Billing and Collection Cash Flow
 Improving Core Quality Measures
 Patient and Visitor Safety
 Customer Satisfaction
 Patient Throughput and Discharge
 Health Information Management
 Pharmacy, Laboratory and
Technology Workflow
CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS: POYDRAS CENTER 650 POYDRAS STREET #2320 NEW ORLEANS, LA 70130
NORTHEAST U.S.: 116 CHESTNUT STREET #303 RED BANK, NJ 07701

1.877.577.6888 www.novaces.com Copyright © 2010 NOVACES, LLC. All rights reserved.

 Lean Six Sigma In Healthcare About the Author
Breakthrough Results. Better Outcomes. Charles Mount, CAPT, USN (Ret.) is the director of healthcare services for NOVACES. He oversees
the company’s Lean Six Sigma programs to improve patient care, safety and satisfaction, which
simultaneously generate more profitable business outcomes. His deep and abiding experience at
With all the recent articles, papers and conferences on Lean, Six Sigma, Theory of Constraints and
all levels of healthcare comes from 38 years in the U.S. Navy where he was dedicated to advancing
other management methodologies, a prevailing question we may be asking ourselves is, “What
patient care at military hospitals around the world. For example, he coordinated the
impact will these methodologies have on healthcare?” The answer may lie in who “we” are.
implementation of Total Quality Management for 5,000 employees at the U.S. Navy’s largest
medical center in San Diego. In addition to his expertise in healthcare and education, as a
First and foremost, healthcare and any improvements in healthcare are about the patient – always
Commanding Officer he conducted strategic planning sessions for a variety of organizations with
has been and always will be. Patients drive the entire healthcare system and without patients, the
emphasis on development of mission, vision, and values. Over the years, he has written about
system will cease to exist. Everyone has been a patient, is a patient, or will be a patient at some Charles Mount,
Director of Healthcare Services managing change in healthcare for a variety of publications. He is both a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
point in their lives. So, that is the crux of today’s healthcare system – it revolves around us – or “we”,
and a graduate of the Institute for Federal Health Care Executives. He holds a B.Sc. degree in
the patients.
Nursing from the University of Washington and a M.Ed. from the University of San Diego. WHITEPAPER: PERSPECTIVES ON LEAN SIX SIGMA IN HEALTHCARE
This whitepaper is a discussion of the challenges healthcare organizations are facing as regulatory
and government agencies – and we, the patient – are accepting nothing less than the highest
quality healthcare. Now more than ever, hospitals are faced with the imperative to reduce costs
and reduce waste – while improving patient outcomes.
Who We Are
NOVACES is a leading provider of continuous process improvement (CPI) consulting and training
We, The Patient
LEAN SIX SIGMA IMPROVES PATIENT CARE QUALITY AND BUSINESS PERFORMANCE
services to the healthcare sector. By leveraging over two decades of applied research experience,
Unless today’s healthcare organizations move beyond legacy quality improvement methods,
we are capable of delivering today’s most effective methods for generating breakthroughs in
maneuvering through stricter accreditation requirements and Medicare’s changing policies will
operational capabilities and financial performance. Employing our SystemCPISM methodology,
become even more difficult – and potentially costly.
the experts at NOVACES provide an integrated framework to deploy and manage a process
improvement program that incorporates Constraints Management tools to achieve faster and
NOVACES is the premier implementer of Lean Six Sigma and Continuous Process Improvement
better return on investment. For more information about process excellence solutions for
(CPI) solutions in the healthcare sector. We leverage today’s most effective process improvement
healthcare, visit www.novaces.com or call 1.877.577.6888.
methods to help hospitals achieve high-impact breakthroughs in operational and clinical
excellence – while also boosting financial performance.

LEAN SIX SIGMA

Simplify Processes Reduce Variation
Eliminate Waste Eliminate Errors
Increase Speed Sustain the Gains

CONSTRAINT MANAGEMENT
Manage Constraints
Focus on the System
Maximize Throughput

SystemCPISM, our strategic approach to Lean Six Sigma, effectively addresses many of the complex
challenges faced by healthcare providers, including issues related to:

For more information about our clients’
impressive results and to see if your organization
is ready for SystemCPI, please contact:
Kevin Farley
National Healthcare Account Executive
732.383.6011 or kfarley@novaces.com
 Administrative Cost Controls
 Clinical & Operational Excellence
 Billing and Collection Cash Flow
 Improving Core Quality Measures
 Patient and Visitor Safety
 Customer Satisfaction
 Patient Throughput and Discharge
 Health Information Management
 Pharmacy, Laboratory and
Technology Workflow
CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS: POYDRAS CENTER 650 POYDRAS STREET #2320 NEW ORLEANS, LA 70130
NORTHEAST U.S.: 116 CHESTNUT STREET #303 RED BANK, NJ 07701

1.877.577.6888 www.novaces.com Copyright © 2010 NOVACES, LLC. All rights reserved.