A recent study conducted by researchers in India found that Lean Six Sigma process management can benefit rural hospitals.

Shreeranga Bhat of St. Joseph Engineering College in Karnataka, India, and Dr. N.A. Jnanesh of KVG College of Engineering in Karnataka, implemented LSS principles in the out-patient department of a rural Indian hospital. The implementation resulted in the reduction of patient consultation times by one-third, as well as a 97% reduction in average patient wait times and a 91% drop in queue lengths, according to the results.

The article, published Aug. 11 in The International Journal of Healthcare Technology and Management, explains how Lean Six Sigma principles were implemented to improve the efficiency and quality of service at the hospital. Using the principals also uncovered problems with staff morale, training and administration, according to a recent report.

“The successful implementation of this approach in a local rural hospital by the team was an ‘eye opener’ for management,” according to the News-Medical report, “and ultimately brought about a cultural change within the organization by involving everyone in the push towards excellence.”

The Lean Six Sigma approach combines two approaches, streamlining business processes and reducing waste. The Lean approach emphasizes cutting unnecessary steps so as to leave only those that add value to a product. In the Lean philosophy, the only way something has value is if a customer will pay for it. Everything else is eliminated from the process.

Six Sigma has much the same goal – reducing waste in processes to increase efficiency. The Six Sigma philosophy was developed for manufacturing the 1980s by Motorola. It has since been exported to companies around the world in all types of businesses.

The difference between the two approaches is the way they identify the cause of waste. Unlike Lean, Six Sigma finds inefficiency not in a lack of value added but in variation in processes. In Six Sigma, eliminating that variation leads to the reduction of waste and errors.

The two philosophies have been found to be especially successful when combined.