Question

Describe how Six Sigma first developed and evolved over time. When did it enter the health care field and what has the impact been since then?

response in 200 words

Answer 1

Six Sigma & Healthcare

Six Sigma (6σ) is a set of techniques and tools for process improvement. It was introduced by American engineer Bill Smith while working at Motorola in 1986. A six sigma process is one in which 99.99966% of all opportunities to produce some feature of a part are statistically expected to be free of defects. Six Sigma is a set of management techniques designed to improve business processes by considerably reducing the odds of defects.

While the Six Sigma method is a relatively new and revolutionary process, which keeps on expanding on a worldwide scale as we speak, the methodology used to define it can be traced back to the eighteenth century. Simply put, Six Sigma is not a self-contained method, but rather a complete and diverse blending of quality management practices and techniques over the years.

In October 2001, an article appearing in Managed Healthcare Executive announced the arrival of Six Sigma methodologies in the healthcare sector

Lean Six Sigma focuses on eliminating defects. In healthcare, a defect can be the difference between life and death. Use Lean Six Sigma to improve patient safety by eliminating life-threatening errors. The goal of Six Sigma in healthcare is broad and includes reducing the inventory of equipment that brings extra costs, altering the process of healthcare delivery in order to make more efficient and refining reimbursements.