The Six Sigma Book for Healthcare: Improving Outcomes by Reducing Errors [Paperback]

Robert Barry (Author), Amy Murcko (Author), Cliff Brubaker (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 156793191X | ISBN-13: 978-1567931914 | Publication Date: August 1, 2002 | Edition: 1

...provides a clear explanation of what six sigma is, how it works, & how it can be applied to healthcare management.. .provides valuable guidance & tools that will help you implement the six sigma method at your organization

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert Barry, PE, Ph.D. is a principal of Balester Consultants, a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt, and a management consultant specializing in systems of extremely high reliability whose clients range from hospitals and utilities to the Alaska Pipeline. Mr. Barry holds the bachelor's degree from Iowa State University and masters and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and has completed executive management programs at the Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School. He holds eleven US patents and has published widely on technical and management topics.

Amy C. Murcko MSN, APRN, BC is Director of Outcomes Management and Research at Sharon Regional Health System, Sharon, Pennsylvania. Ms. Murcko is a board-certified medical/surgical clinical nurse specialist with expertise in clinical performance improvement, project management, and case management. She is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt who holds a Masters degree in Medical/Surgical Nursing from Gannon University, Erie, Pennsylvania; and a Bachelor's degree in Nursing from the University of Pittsburgh.

Clifford E. Brubaker Ph.D. is Professor and Dean of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. He holds additional professorial appointments at the University of Pittsburgh in the Departments of Neurological Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery, Industrial Engineering and Bioengineering and with the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Dr. Brubaker has contributed to Research, Education and Service in the fields of Biomechanics, Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology for over 30 years. Dr Brubaker received his bachelor's and masters degrees from Ball State University and his Ph.D. degree from the University of Oregon.

Product Details

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Health Administration Pr; 1 edition (August 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156793191X
• ISBN-13: 978-1567931914
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #363,293 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Misleading Title, November 27, 2002

By 

"sellers900" (Ogden, Utah United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Six Sigma Book for Healthcare: Improving Outcomes by Reducing Errors (Paperback)

As a stand-alone reference this book offers very little to anyone looking to implement a six sigma program in healthcare. The book fails to address the organizational and strategic issues related to implementing a comprehensive process improvement strategy in any type of organization, let alone a healthcare organization. The book would have us believe that six sigma is the application of statistical problem solving techniques to traditional quality improvement programs. If it were that simple, many healthcare organizations have been practicing six sigma for over 15 years. Someone in healthcare looking to find out what six sigma is all about would likely be left with the impression that six sigma is just the latest buzzword. On the other hand, the book does provide some nice case studies that may be useful for a non-statistician looking to strengthen their process improvement tool belt. Either the authors don't really understand what six sigma is all about or they are just attempting to exploit the market by combining the words six sigma and healthcare in the title. Most healthcare professional would do better to look at the GE related references on the subject.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a Six Sigma Strategy Text!, November 26, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Six Sigma Book for Healthcare: Improving Outcomes by Reducing Errors (Paperback)

I expected the book to address the organizational and strategic issues related to implementing Six Sigma in a healthcare organization. Instead, the book has some nice case studies on applying statistical analysis to process problems and a general discussion of quality systems. This isn't the book for someone looking to implement a process improvement program but may be a useful reference for non-statisticians looking to strengthen their statistical toolkit.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A "below the basics" Six Sigma text, January 28, 2004

By 

Russ Gardner (Sioux Center, IA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Six Sigma Book for Healthcare: Improving Outcomes by Reducing Errors (Paperback)

While I do not want to sound offensive to the authors, I was almost offended at the simplistic level of Six Sigma description that was used in this book. You can skip the first two chapters completely and browse the rest of the text. The case studies are applicable and actually fairly good. The authors almost make it seem as though anything being done is already at a Six Sigma level, you simply need to make the numbers match. There is no real tie to making Six Sigma work in healthcare in this book. Having done a great deal of reading and research on Six Sigma, I would recommend that anyone wanting to utilize this great technique in a healthcare setting stick with Six Sigma books geared for traditional business and use them to apply principles to healthcare. In my opinion, this book was approximately $65 over-priced. Thanks to the authors, however, on a valiant effort.