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Scripting a holistic Rx for process improvement at Palmetto Health imaging centers
Author(s) -
Ahire Sanjay L.,
Malhotra Manoj K.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
global business and organizational excellence
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.227
H-Index - 16
eISSN - 1932-2062
pISSN - 1932-2054
DOI - 10.1002/joe.20366
Subject(s) - scope (computer science) , active listening , process (computing) , process management , scripting language , health care , service (business) , business , operations management , computer science , engineering management , marketing , psychology , engineering , communication , economics , programming language , economic growth , operating system
Constrained by the technical nature of patient treatment, the special physician‐patient relationship, and the general lack of broader perspectives of performance improvement, the health‐care sector has generally lagged behind the manufacturing industry and other service sectors, such as banking, in the systematic application of process‐improvement approaches. This article details a systemwide project to improve Palmetto Health Richland's network of imaging centers in the Columbia, South Carolina, metropolitan area. Begun as a narrowly focused, internal process‐improvement project, it concluded with strategic decisions affecting the hospital's marketing and capacity management. The lessons from this case should alert hospital administrators and process‐improvement specialists about the critical importance of identifying the correct goals and scope of a specific project; listening to the voice of the customer, the business, the process, and the resources; encouraging fact‐based solutions through holistic and creative thinking; and using the right analytic tools to gauge and ensure real performance improvements. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.