This book provides a detailed description of how to apply Lean Six Sigma in the health care industry, with a special emphasis on process improvement and operations management in hospitals. The book begins with a description of the Enterprise Performance Excellence (EPE) improvement methodology developed by the author that links several methodologies including systems thinking, theory of constraints, Lean and Six Sigma to provide an enterprise-wide prioritization and value-chain view of health care. The EPE methodology helps to improve flow at the macro or value-chain level, and then identifies Lean Six Sigma detailed improvements that can further improve processes within the value-chain. The book also provides real-world health care applications of the EPE and Lean Six Sigma methodologies that showed significant results on throughput, capacity, operational and financial performance. The Enterprise Performance Excellence methodology is described, and also the Six Sigma DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control) problem solving approach which is used to solve problems for health care processes as they are applied to real world cases. The case studies include a wide variety of processes and problems including: emergency department throughput improvement; operating room turnaround; operating room organization; CT imaging diagnostic test reduction in an emergency department; linen process improvement; implementing sepsis protocols in an emergency department; critical success factors of an enterprise performance excellence program.

This book presents the theory of integrating implification and it provides a profound evidence based study of Buurtzorg Nederland. The case itself, forming the building block of the theory, has received tremendous interest in the Netherlands and abroad. This is the first international book on Buurtzorg Nederland and the first one departing from a management multidisciplinary perspective. The book demonstrates theory building by using the Grounded Theory Methodology as a way to contribute to management theory. Integrating simplification gives room for context specific implementation of organizational innovation to different industries.

The most difficult part of making decisions in the health care field on all levels (national, regional, institutional, patient) is linked to the very complexity of the system itself, to the intrinsic uncertainty involved and its dynamic nature. This requires not only the ability to analyze and interpret a large amount of information but also arrange it so that it becomes a cognitive base for appropriate decision-making. Moreover, decisions in the health care field are subjected to many challenges and constraints: fast change and uncertain outcomes, aging population, increasing citizen expectations, equity considerations and limited resources. Operations research, statistical and economic-related quantitative methods supply these decisions making tools and methodology. The contributed book presents a collection of applications to concrete situations detailing the problem area, the methodology employed, the implementation and results. Each topic addressed in the book will be structured in such a way that an interdisciplinary and wide audience will be able to use the materials presented. As an example the book chapters will address health policies issues, planning health services, epidemiology and disease modelling, home-care modelling, logistics in health care, capacity planning, quality and appropriateness.

This book explores a rapidly growing area of discussion in the health care industry, disruptive behavior in medical providers. The presence of disruptive behavior adversely impacts the providers of all disciplines: paraprofessional personnel, nurses, physicians and administrators. But more importantly, there may be a greater detrimental effect on quality and patient safety. This has led to mandated regulatory requirements that assist healthcare institutions in developing programs to address the problem. The book presents an evidence-based analysis of the disruptive provider behavior that defines the incidence, demographics, and profile of the behavior; discusses the specialties and work locations predisposed, as well as the interface with residents and nurses. The importance of patient safety, economic, and legal issues are addressed by a comprehensive, management strategy to effect positive, sustainable culture change in healthcare.

This practical, concise book will help every medical manager survive and thrive in the increasingly challenging world of healthcare. It offers a hands-on introduction to the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviour required to succeed in a modern healthcare setting. Focussing on common issues and challenges, the authors examine organisational structures and strategies for productive relationship-building, goal-setting and quality maintenance. This edition updates every chapter, while three new chapters focus on encouraging innovation, how to lead and manage in difficult circumstances, and the major developments in the professionalization of medical management and leadership.

Translating the realities of healthcare reform and healthcare costs into competitive hospital practice is the goal of this accessible, jargon-free guide. Taking its cue from Michael Porter's highly-regarded business strategies, it offers a sound framework for hospitals looking to develop efficient, patient-centered service delivery, identifying keys to clinical, administrative, and marketing success. The book organizes business and clinical priorities where they intersect so that physicians throughout healthcare systems can understand their role in building and sustaining innovation, and leverage their strengths and system resources toward meeting patient needs. In addition, chapters review eight core strategic tools, describe possibilities for their implementation, and provide in-depth findings on Porter's methods as used in a diverse group of hospitals across Lebanon. Included in the coverage: * Porter's strategies in health care: cost leadership versus differentiation strategy * Sources of competitive advantage * How to prepare an organization for innovation * Strategic framework in a hospital setting * Application of Porter's strategies in Lebanese hospitals * Correlation between type of strategy and performance A well-designed blueprint for enhancing patient satisfaction and system cost-effectiveness, Strategic Thinking in a Hospital Setting is aimed at both frontline physicians in practice and those assuming administrative positions in healthcare facilities and in hospital settings in particular.

A growing, aging population; the rise to epidemic proportions of various chronic diseases; competing, often overlapping medical technologies; and of course, skyrocketing costs compounded by waste and inefficiency - these are just a few of the multifarious challenges currently facing healthcare delivery. An unexpected source of solutions is being imported from the manufacturing sector: lean thinking. Lean Principles for Healthcare presents a conceptual framework, management principles, and practical tools for professionals tasked with designing and implementing modern, streamlined healthcare systems or overhauling faulty ones. Focusing on core components such as knowledge management, e-health, patient-centeredness, and collaborative care, chapters illustrate lean concepts in action across specialties (as diverse as nursing, urology, and emergency care) and around the globe. Extended case examples show health systems responding to consumer needs and provider realities with equal efficiency and effectiveness, and improved quality and patient outcomes. Further, contributors tackle the gamut of technological, medical, cultural, and business issues, among them: Initiatives of service-oriented architecture towards performance improvement Adapted lean thinking for emergency departments Lean thinking in dementia care through smart assistive technology Supporting preventive healthcare with persuasive services Value stream mapping for lean healthcare A technology mediated solution to reduce healthcare disparities Geared toward both how lean ideas can be carried out and how they are being used successfully in the real world, Lean Principles for Healthcare not only brings expert knowledge to healthcare managers and health services researchers but to all who have an interest in superior healthcare delivery.

This book provides a principled approach to classification using the available data in a model which combines information from the social network and the healthcare models. It presents studies from leading researchers and practitioners focusing on the current challenges, directions, trends and opportunities associated with healthcare delivery systems and their supporting wireless and mobile health technologies. mHealth Ecosystems and Social Networks in Healthcare is divided into two parts. Part I covers the area of mHealth Ecosystems. Chapters include topics on adoption of cloud based mHealth services, the socio-economic impact of mHealth, as well as self-management of health and disease. In Part II, Social Networks in Healthcare are highlighted. Chapters cover social media and patient support, virtual knowledge sharing and knowledge management and also web-based applications in health care. Ultimately this book is an excellent source of comprehensive knowledge and literature on the topics of mobile health ecosystems and social networks in healthcare.

Fortress NHS A Philosophical Review of the National Health Service David Seedhouse University of Auckland, New Zealand and University of Liverpool, UK There are many books on the politics, history and sociology of the NHS which argue that all is not well. These books discuss the enormous complexity of the health service, assess the power of different professions and individuals and address apparently insurmountable administration difficulties. Most conclude by suggesting improvements to the various processes of the NHS, but leave its philosophy intact and unexamined. Fortress NHS takes a different path and reflects deeply upon the purpose of the health service. What inspires the NHS? What is its philosophy? What are its fundamental principles? Why are they so important? And do they hold up to careful scrutiny? This ingenious book tackles each of these questions and in so doing examines the strength of the philosophical foundations of the NHS. Fortress NHS is the sixth in a series of books from David Seedhouse, each of which applies philosophical analysis to the everyday problems of health service policy and practice. They are designed to be of interest to all those interested in health care including medical and health care professionals, health service economists and managers, social scientists, health service researchers, nurses and the informed lay person. Read together, the series constitutes a unique investigation into health care provision and offers numerous concrete proposals for philosophically justified reform. Also by David SeedhousePractical Medical Ethics David Seedhouse and Lisetta LovettMay 1992Liberating Medicine David SeedhouseMarch 1991Changing Ideas in Health CareDavid Seedhouse and Alan CribbJune 1989Ethics: The Heart of Health Care David SeedhouseJuly 1988Health: The Foundations for Achievement David SeedhouseSeptember 1986

Within the international discussion on the structure of healthcare systems, managed care is an increasingly important topic. Over more than twenty years managed care approaches have fundamentally influenced healthcare systems in terms of patient orientation, efficiency, and quality. Experts assume that up to 20% of healthcare expenses can be saved by applying high-quality managed care approaches. By using suitable organisational forms and management principles, not only can costs be reduced, but the quality of medical service provision can be augmented. Managed care is therefore much more than a cost-cutting strategy. The goal of this book is to offer a systematic overview of the organisational forms and management instruments implemented in managed care. Advocates consider managed care to be a logical and necessary developmental step in modern healthcare systems. An increase in quality and at the same time a reduction of costs is not seen as contradictory but rather as consistent. Therefore, managed care is a response to changed challenges in the provision of healthcare.

This book examines the design of two care pathways to establish how key principles associated with systems thinking, quality improvement, and supply chain management can improve the design of these services. 'Lean' has typically been the prominent approach when improving the design of healthcare systems and is often selected by healthcare professionals to standardize and improve the delivery of care. Previous literature shows there has been varying success in the application of 'Lean', the author presents a study which examines the benefits of introducing 'Agile' as an alternative and complementary approach. Improving Healthcare Operations explores when 'Lean' and 'Agile' are most applicable, and instances where a hybrid approach can be employed. Including empirical qualitative data collected from two care pathways, it intends to provide organizations with an alternative in order to produce the level and quality of care that is expected by patients.

This book describes the Sustainable High Quality Healthcare (SustHealth) project, which had the goal of developing an original multidisciplinary evaluation tool that can be applied to assess and improve hospitals’ overall sustainability. The comprehensive nature of the appraisal offered by this tool exceeds the scope of most current rating systems, which typically permit a thorough evaluation of relevant environmental factors when designing a new building but fail to consider social and economic impacts of the design phase or the performance of the hospital’s operational structure in these fields. The multidisciplinary evaluation system was developed, from its very inception through to its testing, by following a scientific experimental method in which a global perspective was constantly maintained, as opposed to a focus only on specific technical issues. Application of the SustHealth rating tool to a currently functioning hospital, or one under design, will identify weaknesses and guide users to potential low-cost short-term solutions and longer-term strategies for improvement.

This textbook has been created to support the journey from emerging registered healthcare professional through to becoming a competent frontline care setting manager. It considers the seminal theories and research into leadership and management and places them firmly into the healthcare context providing the reader with thorough and robust guidance in the application of the knowledge base in the subject area. Key features: Integration of theory and practice using Action Points and case studies throughout Includes perspectives from a wide range of healthcare settings and professional groups Each chapter includes 'Guidance on good practice' showing what high-quality care and effective change looks like Written by a vastly experienced author, practitioner and educator, this latest book from Neil Gopee is essential reading for nursing, health and social care students taking modules on leadership, management and transition to practice in their final year. It is also ideal for newly qualified professionals or those moving into band 5 or 6 roles with managerial responsibilities.

The Well-Referred Dentist is a comprehensive guideline that helps dentists finally have the practice of their dreams. In The Well-Referred Dentist, Dr. Bita Saleh addresses the missing factor that is essential to patient compliance in all stages of dental treatment by identifying and resolving the patient's "triad" of obstacles - their fears, anxieties, and limiting beliefs. As a highly-skilled and dedicated dentist for 30 years, Dr. Saleh has discovered an effective process to alleviate the triad of obstacles experienced by patients. Now, she shares her step-by-step program to show dentists how to: Quickly recognize the hidden signs of fear, anxiety, and limiting beliefs Discuss this sensitive topic with patients so they can reach a mutual resolution Resolve their patient's triad of obstacles in the most time-efficient manner Help patients requiring urgent care reduce their fears and anxieties by 35% in 4 minutes Create a customized plan for each patient that identifies and resolves the root cause of their issues Create an easy-to-follow maintenance protocol

Recent research in health decision making has shown that many patients, even those with a college education, have difficulties grasping a host of numerical concepts, including percentages and probabilities. Yet, basic numeracy and graph literacy are essential for understanding information relevant to making decisions about health, such as the incidence and prevalence of different diseases, risk reductions from medical screenings and treatments, and risk increases from side effects of treatments and unhealthy behaviors. Patients who have problems understanding such numerical concepts are often prone to errors in risk perception and medical choices. Importantly, informed medical decision making, heavily reinforced these days by the legal requirement for informed consent, depends critically on communication of quantitative medical information. Meeting the challenge of effectively communicating medical information to patients with different levels of numeracy and graph literacy has become more important than ever. Transparent Communication of Health Risks describes a series of cross-cultural studies investigating how people in countries with different medical and educational systems understand numerical and graphical information, what they know about existing medical treatments and screenings, which presentation formats help them better understand the relevant information, and how they use the data to make medical decisions. Focusing on the careful measurement of necessary knowledge and skills, the book also includes validated numeracy and graph literacy scales in English, Spanish, and German. Some of the topics covered in the book are: numeracy and graph literacy for health; measuring risk comprehension in educated samples; communicating information about medical treatment and screening; reducing the effect of framed messages about health; the effect of individual differences on shared decision making; and transparent health information in the media. Transparent Communication of Health Risks emphasizes the importance and value of working toward the development of tailored risk communication interventions and clarifies the tasks ahead for health psychologists, public health professionals, pharmaceutical and medical education companies, medical physicists, and nurses.

This text provides physicians with the basic business skills in order for them to become involved in the financial aspect of their practices. The text will help the physician decide what kind of practice they would like to join (i.e. private practice, small group practice, solo practice, hospital employment, large group practice, academic medicine, or institutional\government practice) as well as understand the basics of contracting, restrictive covenants and how to navigate the road to partnership. Additional topics covered include, monthly balance sheets, productivity, overhead costs and profits, trend analysis and benchmarking. Finally, the book provides advice on advisors that doctors will need to help with the business of their professional and personal lives. These include accountants, bankers, lawyers, insurance agents and other financial advisors. The Complete Business Guide for a Successful Medical Practice provides a roadmap for physicians to be not only good clinical doctors but also good businessmen and businesswomen. It will help doctors make a difference in the lives of their patients as well as sound financial decisions for their practice.

The present book aims to assist and guide medical doctors in any specialty to manage his/her own clinic or office, allowing a higher and better development of its team/staff and providing tools for a high quality service to patients and customers. It is devoted to be the background for any medical doctor's success in personal career, serving as a foundation for professional growth. In last instance, Medical Office Management is intended to be a practical manual for easy day to day application in medical clinics.

After graduating from Tripoli, Libya in 1990, Dr Benamer came to the United Kingdom in 1991 to further his training in medicine. He obtained the MRCP in 1994 and trained in neurology in Glasgow. He obtained a PhD and CCST in 2000 and was appointed a consultant neurologist in Wolverhampton and Birmingham the same year. He has been the lead neurologist in New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton since 2006. Dr Benamer is a general neurologist with special interest in movement disorders. Dr Benamer is honorary clinical senior lecturer in Birmingham University and has an interest in medical education, in which he obtained a postgraduate certificate from Keele University in 2007. He has published more than 35 papers and two books. He is currently a senior editor of the Libyan Journal of Medicine. He was also an examiner of the MRCP Diploma from 2005 to 2009. Dr Benamer's publications relevant to the subject of the book: 1. Benamer HT. 2007. Neurological disorders in Libya: an overview. Neuroepidemiology 29:143-9 2. Benamer HT. 2008. The ancestry of LRRK2 Gly2019Ser parkinsonism. Lancet neurology 7:769-70; author reply 70-1 3. Benamer HT, de Silva R, Siddiqui KA, Grosset DG. 2008. Parkinson's disease in Arabs: a systematic review. Movement disorders: official journal of the Movement Disorder Society 23:1205-10 4. Benamer HT, Ahmed ES, Al-Din AS, Grosset DG. 2009. Frequency and clinical patterns of multiple sclerosis in Arab countries: a systematic review. Journal of the neurological sciences 278:1-4 5. Benamer HT, Grosset D. 2009. Stroke in Arab countries: a systematic literature review. Journal of the neurological sciences 284:18-23 6. Benamer HT, Grosset DG. 2009. A systematic review of the epidemiology of epilepsy in Arab countries. Epilepsia 50:2301-4 7. Benamer HT, Shakir RA. 2009. The neurology map of the Arab world. Journal of the neurological sciences 285:10-2 8. Benamer HT. 2010. Neurology expertise and postgraduate training programmes in the Arab world: a survey. European neurology 64:313-8 9. Benamer HT, de Silva R. 2010. LRRK2 G2019S in the North African population: a review. European neurology 63:321-5 10. Benamer HT, Deleu D, Grosset D. 2010. Epidemiology of headache in Arab countries. The journal of headache and pain 11:1-3 11. Benamer HT. 2011. More epidemiological studies of neurological disorders are needed in the Arab countries. Neuroepidemiology 36:70.

Over the years, medical informatics has matured into a true scientific discipline. Fundamental and applied aspects are now taught in various fields of health, including medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing and public health. Medical informatics is also often included in the curricula of many other disciplines, including the life sciences, engineering and economics. Medical informatics is a complex and rapidly changing discipline. Relatively few books have been published on the subject, and they rapidly become obsolete. This book is the fruit of a collaborative effort between authors teaching medical informatics in France and others who are conducting research in this field. In addition, an international perspective was pursued, as reflected in the inclusion of various developments and actions in both the USA and Europe. This book is divided into 18 chapters, all of which include learning objectives, recommendations for further reading, exercises and bibliographic references.

Operations research tools are ideally suited to providing solutions and insights for the many problems health policy-maker's face. Indeed, a growing body of literature on health policy analysis, based on operations research methods, has emerged to address the problems mentioned above and several others. The research in this field is often multi-disciplinary, being conducted by teams that include not only operations researchers but also clinicians, economists and policy analysts. The research is also often very applied, focusing on a specific question driven by a decision-maker and many times yielding a tool to assist in future decisions. The goal of this volume was to bring together a group of papers by leading experts that could showcase the current state of the field of operations research applied to health-care policy. There are 18 chapters that illustrate the breadth of this field. The chapters use a variety of techniques, including classical operations research tools, such as optimization, queuing theory, and discrete event simulation, as well as statistics, epidemic models and decision-analytic models. The book spans the field and includes work that ranges from highly conceptual to highly applied. An example of the former is the chapter by Kimmel and Schackman on building policy models, and an example of the latter is the chapter by Coyle and colleagues on developing a Markov model for use by an organization in Ontario that makes recommendations about the funding of new drugs. The book also includes a mix of review chapters, such as the chapter by Hutton on public health response to influenza outbreaks, and original research, such as the paper by Blake and colleagues analyzing a decision by Canadian Blood Services to consolidate services. This volume could provide an excellent introduction to the field of operations research applied to health-care policy, and it could also serve as an introduction to new areas for researchers already familiar with the topic. The book is divided into six sections. The first section contains two chapters that describe several different applications of operations research in health policy and provide an excellent overview of the field. Sections 2 to 4 present policy models in three focused areas. Section 5 contains two chapters on conceptualizing and building policy models. The book concludes in Section 6 with two chapters describing work that was done with policy-makers and presenting insights gained from working directly with policy-makers.

This text provides a comprehensive review of the ethical issues involved with the development, evaluation, and introduction of new treatments of gastrointestinal diseases. How several landmark surgical innovations were developed are described to show the challenges faced, and the ethical dilemmas these innovators dealt with. The challenges of dealing with regulatory issues, and how to work with industry partners, and investors when working on a new therapy is described. Once a new technology has been brought to the market, standards need to be developed regarding the training, credentialing and adoption of the new technology. There are insufficient standards of how to balance the desire to provide patients the latest therapy with the obligation that patients receive informed consent about the new technology, and the relationship that the physician may have had with product development. The book describes the national perspective of paying for new technology, and provides one insurance company's approach to the introduction of innovative therapy. The Sages Manual Ethics of Surgical Innovation will be a resource for surgeons, researchers and health policy personnel to understand the ethical issues related to the development, introduction and adoption of innovative therapies for gastrointestinal diseases. Although the context for discussion is the application of innovation to gastrointestinal disease, the ethical issues are applicable to any discussion of innovative medical or procedural therapies.

This book is one of the first to comprehensively summarise the latest thinking and research in the rapidly evolving field of quality management in intensive care. Quality indicators and outcome measures are discussed with a practical focus on patient-centred, evidence-based implementation for safer and more effective clinical practice. Chapters on topics such as teambuilding, patient satisfaction, mortality and morbidity, and electronic management systems are organised into three sections, covering quality management at the scale of the individual patient, the intensive care unit, and the national and international level. Written by a team of over forty international experts in the specialty, with editors who have been heavily involved for many years with the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine, the book reflects commonly accepted goals and guidelines for best practice, and will be valuable for practitioners worldwide. The ideal one-stop resource for intensive care physicians as well as ICU and hospital managers.

The world's problems are indeed world problems: social and environmental crises, global trade and politics, and major epidemics are making public health a pressing global concern. From this constantly changing scenario, global health diplomacy has evolved, at the intersection of public health, international relations, law, economics, and management-a new discipline with transformative potential. Global Health Diplomacy situates this concept firmly within the human rights dialogue and provides a solid framework for understanding global health issues and their negotiation. This up-to-the-minute guide sets out defining principles and the current agenda of the field, and examines key relationships such as between trade and health diplomacy, and between global health and environmental issues. The processes of global governance are detailed as the UN, WHO, and other multinational actors work to address health inequalities among the world's peoples. And to ensure maximum usefulness, the text includes plentiful examples, discussion questions, reading lists, and a glossary. Featured topics include: The legal basis of global health agreements and negotiations. Global public goods as a foundation for global health diplomacy. Global health: a human security perspective. Health issues and foreign policy at the UN. National strategies for global health. South-south cooperation and other new models of development. A volume of immediate utility with a potent vision for the future, Global Health Diplomacy is an essential text for public health experts and diplomats as well as schools of public health and international affairs.

This is the first book to offer a comprehensive yet concise overview of the challenges and opportunities presented by the use of big data in healthcare. The respective chapters address a range of aspects: from health management to patient safety; from the human factor perspective to ethical and economic considerations, and many more. By providing a historical background on the use of big data, and critically analyzing current approaches together with issues and challenges related to their applications, the book not only sheds light on the problems entailed by big data, but also paves the way for possible solutions and future research directions. Accordingly, it offers an insightful reference guide for health information technology professionals, healthcare managers, healthcare practitioners, and patients alike, aiding them in their decision-making processes; and for students and researchers whose work involves data science-related research issues in healthcare.