Under the knife: a national survey of six sigma programs in US healthcare organizations

PURPOSE: Medical and policy literature reports many six sigma applications at specific healthcare organizations. However, there is a lack of studies that investigate the broader status of six sigma in US healthcare systems. The purpose of this paper is to present the results from a national survey of six sigma programs in US healthcare organizations. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Through the design, distribution, and analysis of a nationwide survey, this paper assesses the implementation of six sigma in healthcare facilities. Two sets of surveys were designed based on whether an organization has adopted six sigma or not. FINDINGS: Findings from this paper indicate the common six sigma projects implemented in healthcare organizations, typical implementation durations, cost benefits, and major barriers in implementation, and so on. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: This paper is limited by the low-response rate owing to time and budget constraints. Through the dissemination of this paper, it is hoped that more organizations will become interested in this subject and participate in future studies. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This work is the first study to investigate the implementation status of six sigma in US healthcare systems. It will share experiences amongst six sigma institutions and promote its application in many institutions. The findings will provide instructive information to six sigma practitioners and researchers, and particularly to health care management.