Case Studies

Real-world examples of how quality can make a difference in the delivery of healthcare.

St. Luke’s Hospital Breaks Out of the Pack to Improve Patient and Physician Satisfaction (PDF, 238 KB)
Since implementing its Baldrige-based “breaking out of the pack” strategy, St. Luke’s Hospital has improved patient satisfaction scores from the 49th to the 90th percentile. The hospital was named a Press Ganey Success Story recipient in 2007 and a Silver Award winner in the Iowa Recognition for Performance Excellence program.
March 2008.

Prescription for Community-Based Healthcare Includes ISO 9001 (PDF, 270 KB)
The Community Anticoagulation Therapy Clinic demonstrates how ISO 9001 principles can provide a framework for a community model of care delivery and patient safety. Customer and provider surveys demonstrate 100% satisfaction with the clinic, which uses a controlled document system based on ISO 9001, internal and external auditing, and preventive and corrective action plans.
February 2008.

Pocono Medical Center: Faster Lab Results Using Six Sigma and Lean (PDF, 188 KB)
A Six Sigma/Lean project helped a laboratory develop a solution for delivering blood test results to doctors by 6 a.m. for critical care patients and by 7 a.m. for all other patients.
October 2006.

Bringing Order to Orders at the Nebraska Medical Center
(PDF, 118 KB)
The Nebraska Medical Center used Six Sigma to improve the completeness and availability of physician orders for patients; the project occurred within a Six Sigma program that has returned about $7.5 million in savings.
July 2006.

Dutch Hospital Implements Six Sigma (PDF, 61 KB)
A Six Sigma implementation at Red Cross Hospital in Beverwijk, the Netherlands, shows that even small projects can make a big difference.
Six Sigma Forum Magazine, February 2005.

Surmounting Staff Scheduling Challenges at Valley Baptist Health System (PDF, 53 KB)
A project on staff scheduling led to an overall reduction in the hourly cost of overtime and agency use, translating to $460 thousand in potential savings.
ASQ Six Sigma Forum, September 2003.

FMEA—the Cure for Medical Errors (PDF, 116 KB)
St. Joseph’s Hospital in West Bend, Wisconsin, has used failure mode and effects analysis to create a healthcare facility aimed at reducing errors and promoting patient safety and satisfaction through design.
Quality Progress magazine, August 2003.

Heroes Wear Scrubs Too (PDF, 54 KB)
After the collapse of the World Trade Center, teamwork helped emergency department staff at NYU Downtown Hospital meet a demand far greater than this small hospital normally handles.
News for a Change, April 2002.

Do you have a case study on quality in healthcare? Share your story