Articles

Lean Six Sigma is becoming an integral part of the changing face of hospital pharmaceuticals. With the ever changing environment in healthcare, hospitals are changing the way pharmaceuticals are managed and dispensed. Small satellites locations are disappearing in favor of centralized locations, giving the industry the strength in leveraging clinical pharmacists’ expertise. With that process, there are more complex medical inventories, tighter regulations mandating stricter handling procedures and the demand for tighter inventory controls. This has increased the challenge for risk management in the pharmacy, demanding more well-vetted controls.

Current models vary greatly in control processes that occur from the loading dock to the patient. The commonality occurs in a goal oriented optimized workflow, preventing overlaps in process, doubling handling of process and maximizing safety. Understanding and standardizing the order, delivery and administration of the process allows for significant opportunity for reductions. In order to achieve this, healthcare designers are using Lean Six Sigma strategies, which are proving effective. In the pharmaceutical setting, there are significant amounts of data being tracked to support in-depth analysis.

Using a strategy that combines the intelligence of automated systems and the analytical process of Lean Six Sigma, healthcare pharmacies are on the road to enjoying greater performance, higher efficiencies and greater patient safety. With the demand of higher patient safety and satisfaction, pharmacies are rising to the challenge through Lean Six Sigma methodologies.

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