Healthcare Operations Management

This book focuses on operations management and the strategic implementation of programs, techniques, and tools for reducing costs and improving quality. It covers the basics of operations management and explains how operations and process improvement relate to contemporary healthcare trends such as evidence-based medicine and pay-for-performance. The book's practical approach includes real-world examples to illustrate concepts and explanations of software tools that solve operational problems.

This second edition has been thoroughly revised to address current issues facing healthcare managers. Major revisions include extensive updates to the chapters on statistical tools, Six Sigma, and the Lean enterprise. The chapter on project management now includes information on agile, and the chapter on scheduling and capacity management has been substantially rewritten and expanded. A new chapter on improving financial performance with operations management has been added.

Key Features:

• Emphasizes the importance of operations management in implementing the Affordable Care Act
• Aligns strategic and operational goals, including the use of project management tools and balanced-scorecard techniques to execute and monitor projects
• Thoroughly explores performance tools, techniques, and programs, including Six Sigma, the Lean enterprise, and simulation
• Applies process improvement tools to supply chain management, scheduling, and other healthcare issues
• Includes chapter overviews, a running glossary, discussion questions, and problems for each chapter

Daniel B. McLaughlin is the director of the Center for Health and Medical Affairs in the Opus College of Business at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota. Previously, he was the executive director of the National Institute of Health Policy at St. Thomas, the CEO of Hennepin County Medical Center, and the director of a county health system. Mr. McLaughlin has served as chair of the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems and has served on the boards of other regional and national associations. In 1993, he served on President Clinton s Task Force on Health Care Reform.

John R. Olson, PhD, is a professor at the University of St. Thomas in the Operations and Supply Chain Department. He has published numerous studies related to quality management and healthcare systems. Over the past 10 years he has consulted with many healthcare organizations on their strategic planning process, metric setting, and the implementation of quality and continuous improvement programs. He is a master Black Belt in Six Sigma and Lean Sensei.