Lean Six Sigma in Healthcare: Combating the Military's Escalating Pharmacy Costs
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Authors
Apte, Uday
Kang, Keebom
Subjects
Lean, Six Sigma
Healthcare costs, pharmacy operations, pharmaceuticals, Lean Six Sigma (LSS), DoD Medical Treatment Facilities (MTF)
Healthcare costs, pharmacy operations, pharmaceuticals, Lean Six Sigma (LSS), DoD Medical Treatment Facilities (MTF)
Advisors
Date of Issue
2009-04-01
Date
01-Apr-09
Publisher
Language
Abstract
Healthcare costs throughout the United States are on the rise, drawing increased scrutiny from government officials and Congress. The cost of pharmacy operations and pharmaceuticals is growing at a rate that is alarmingly higher than that of the total cost of military healthcare itself. Recent congressional legislation has essentially given the Department of Defense the ultimatum to cut costs for beneficiaries wherever possible, or risk having benefits arbitrarily cut by Congress. In the face of this possibility, cutting costs through better business practices must be explored, particularly within the area of pharmacy operations. This project explores the potential cost savings that can be realized by implementing Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodology in the pharmacy operations of the DoD Medical Treatment Facilities (MTF). This research proves that implementing Lean Six Sigma methodology will improve military pharmacy operations, often at little cost, while realizing significant savings and increased customer satisfaction.
Type
Technical Report
Description
Sponsored Report (for Acquisition Research Program)
Series/Report No
Department
Human Resources
NPS Faculty
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
NPS-HR-09-016
Sponsors
Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research Program
Funder
Format
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.