Ancillary services in the health care industry: is Six Sigma reasonable?

• Published in: Quality management in health care Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 53 - 63
• Main Authors: Johnstone, Peter A S, Hendrickson, Julie A W, Dernbach, Allison J, Secord, Ann R, Parker, John C, Favata, Michael A, Puckett, Michael L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Ovid Technologies 01-01-2003
• Subjects: Ancillary Services, Hospital - organization & administration; Ancillary Services, Hospital - standards; Automation; Blood banks; California; Data Collection; Efficiency, Organizational; Fatalities; Health administration; Health care industry; Health facilities; Health services; Hospital Information Systems; Hospitals, Military - organization & administration; Hospitals, Military - standards; Humans; Medical errors; Medical Errors - prevention & control; Medical Errors - statistics & numerical data; Medical laboratories; Oncology; Optimization; Pharmacy; Process Assessment (Health Care); Process controls; Quality control; Quality improvement; Radiation; Six Sigma; Statistical analysis; Studies; Total Quality Management - methods; California; United States > US
• ISSN: 1063-8628; 1550-5154
• DOI: 10.1097/00019514-200301000-00009

Within the naval medical center construct, the disparate disciplines encompassed within ancillary services lend themselves to formal quality analysis and process improvement. This analysis uses the Six Sigma approach. Error rates were investigated and calculated for various processes within ancillary services at Naval Medical Center, San Diego. These were translated into the common metric of defects per million opportunities (DPMO). DPMO rates vary between 21.5 and 420,000. These correspond to Sigma values from 1.7 to approaching 6. Rates vary with biological complexity of the system and the degree of automation available. Some ancillary services translate well into a Six Sigma schema. Systems with high potential patient risk if performed poorly and those amenable to second checking and computer oversight may be candidates for such optimization. This should be undertaken in a local environment conducive to individual error reporting, and in a corporate environment with the will and funding to support the transition.