Innovating Lean Six Sigma: A Strategic Guide to Deploying the World's Most Effective Business Improvement Process

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The Healthcare Frontier

Making Progress Despite the Challenges

WITH RANDY BOYD

Given all the pressures on healthcare organizations, it’s not surprising that many healthcare practitioners are looking to Lean Six Sigma to help address industry challenges. Is this a good strategy? Some think that using improvement disciplines in healthcare is almost impossible because healthcare is simply too different—patients are not widgets, every situation is unique, the relationships between the many players are too complex, and so on.

Admittedly, there are obvious differences between healthcare and most other sectors—primarily because the lives and welfare ...