Ali Birjandi
Operational Performance Improvement, ProMedica Health System, Toledo, Ohio, USA
Lisa M. Bragg
Waterville, Ohio, USA

ISBN: 978-1-56327-392-6, August 2008, 208 pp., Soft Cover

Hidden opportunities to improve profits in the healthcare industry abound in the area of discharge planning. Based on 25 years of experience, Birjandi and Bragg show hospital administrators and directors how they can tap into new revenue using the Six Sigma DMAIC model (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control). The book includes a comprehensive case study, as well as a spreadsheet that can be used to track success. Its step-by-step implementation strategy highlights these five concepts:

• Redefine discharge planning
• Focus on the right metrics
• Use lean concepts for redesign
• Use a practical approach for improvement
• Create a culture that produces results