Healthcare Operations Management

This book is about operations management and the strategic implementation of programs, techniques, and tools for reducing costs and improving quality. It not only covers the basics of operations management, but also 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. The book provides methodologies to align strategic and operational goals, including the use of project management tools and balanced-scorecard techniques to execute and monitor projects; thoroughly explores process improvement tools, techniques, and programs, including Six Sigma, the Lean enterprise, and simulation; applies performance improvement tools to supply chain management, scheduling, and other healthcare issues; includes examples from a fictitious but realistic organization that illustrate important concepts discussed in each chapter; includes chapter overviews, key terms and acronyms, discussion questions, and problems for each chapter; and provides a companion website that features Excel templates, Arena models, tutorials, exercises, PowerPoint presentations, and web links. The book explains and demonstrates the use of various software tools associated with problem solving and decision making including Microsoft Excel and Project.