Productivity and performance improvement in the medical records department of a hospital

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodology was applied to a medical records department (MRD) of a hospital in India to reduce the Turn-Around-Time (TAT) of medical records preparation process and thus to improve the productivity and performance of the department. Design/methodology/approach – The research reported in this paper is based on a case study carried out using LSS approach and in improving the medical records preparation process. Findings – The root causes for the problem were identified and validated through data-based analysis from LSS tool box, at different stages in the project. As a result of this project, the TAT was reduced from average 19 minutes to eight minutes and the standard deviation was reduced by one-tenth, which was a remarkable achievement for department under study. This was resulted in the reduction in the work-in-process inventory of medical records from 40 units to 0 at the end of the day. Project in-turn reduced the staffing level from the earlier level of six to a current level of four. Research limitations/implications – The paper is based on a single case study executed in IP-MRD of a single hospital and hence there is limitation in generalizing the specific results from the study. But the approach adopted and the learning from this study can be generalized. Originality/value – This paper will be helpful for those professionals who are interested in implementing LSS to healthcare organization to improve the productivity and performance.