The Urology Group Presents at Six Sigma Conference

The Urology Group Shares Six Sigma Expertise, Presents at National Conference 

CINCINNATI (March 29, 2017) – Multiple staff-proposed projects put in place in the last year at The Urology Group have delivered improved patient healthcare, operational efficiencies and a stronger fiscal outlook. The results of the projects, each created as part of a Lean Six Sigma course offered to The Urology Group staff, were recently shared on the national stage.

The Urology Group was among the experts presenting at the national Lean and Six Sigma Conference in Phoenix, Arizona in February 28-29. Erin Huston, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt for The Urology Group, presented the session, “Implementing Lean Six Sigma in a Urology Physician Group,” along with W. Charles Slaven of Catapult Solutions Group. The session focused on the benefits of implementing projects created through the Lean Six Sigma process.

Six Sigma is a set of techniques and tools for process improvement that was introduced by a Motorola engineer in 1986. Jack Welch of General Electric made it central to that organization’s business strategy in 1995. Today, it is used in many industries as a quality improvement methodology and standard, including healthcare.

Four members of The Urology Group’s staff earned their Lean Six Sigma Black Belts in 2016. Earning this certification is more than just a great accomplishment; it is an official recognition that each of these professionals has demonstrated an understanding of, and a commitment to, developing processes to deliver sustained quality improvements within an organization.

Achieving Black Belt status required the completion of three separate training sessions over 18 months as well as the creation and fulfillment of a workplace project that incorporates the Lean Six Sigma methodologies meant to help the organization increase revenues by improving customer value and efficiency.

The projects shared were:

• A materials management project that has saved the practice more than $45,000 since its inception and is targeted to save more than $200,000 in staff labor, while cutting order processing cycle times by 8 to 18 hours each week. This project continues to improve the materials management operations and patient care. (Erin Huston)
• A staff retention project aimed at significantly reducing staff turnover while improving staff satisfaction. The program has resulted in improved staff retention and reduced costs associated with hiring new employees. (Therese Holden)
• A pharmacy utilization project, which has already improved the patient experience and generated significant revenue. Growth in this area is expected to be significant as new pharmacy locations are authorized to open and additional medications are added. (Jon Gundler)
• A project to improve IT responsiveness to logged help tickets. A new ticket management system has been implemented and improved internal customer satisfaction with IT. (Don Lawson)

Additionally, The Urology Group boasts 23 Yellow Belts and 15 Green Belts as well as one additional Black Belt from previous training

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About The Urology Group 

The Urology Group is one of the largest single specialty groups of urologists in the United States, with 38 physicians on staff. The Urology Group provides medical and surgical care for all diseases of the urinary tract in men and women and the genital tract of men. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, with a 55,000-square foot advanced care facility, the group includes practices extending from Northern Kentucky to Middletown, Ohio, and from Southeastern Indiana to Adams County, Ohio.