Operations Management in Healthcare: Lean Processes and Standards

This essay delves into the realm of operations management within the healthcare sector, focusing on the design and control of service delivery to enhance efficiency and patient satisfaction. It examines the robustness of management systems and the application of lean processes to minimize waste and improve outcomes, particularly within the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in the UK. The essay identifies the need for operational improvements, such as increasing operating room utilization, achieving operational efficiency through cost reduction, and streamlining emergency department operations, while emphasizing the importance of patient-centered care and the use of data-driven strategies. The analysis concludes that effective operations management is crucial for balancing high-tech treatments with preventative services, ultimately leading to higher quality of care and improved patient experiences.

Essay

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY ..................................................................................................................................1
Review the robustness of management system including the use of lean process. ....................1
Identify the need for operational improvement and how to carry out improvement project to
raise standards.............................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Operations management is refers to the area of management which has been concerned
with designing and controlling of manufacturing process of goods and services. This is the
administration practices which has been perfo0rmed to create the highest level of efficiency
possible within the organisation. It is associated with the converting of material and labour into
goods and services as efficient as possible in order to generate higher profit. Operations
management is responsible for balancing cost with the revenue for accomplishing higher net
operating profit possible (Shirley, 2020). Operations managers works to acquire, develop and
deliver the goods to the customers as per the their needs and requirements on the basis of
abilities of the company. This has been also handle various issues along with determining the
size of manufacturing unit, project management methods and implementation of structure of
information technology networks that help in to produce better outcomes. This entails the
evaluation on the use of raw material while ensuring minimum waste so that cost can be reduce
and profit get increased. This report is based on the department of health and social care (DHSC)
which is the UK based government department which is responsible for government policy
related to the health and adult social care matter in England. This report includes the analysis of
robustness management system including the use if lean processes in the health and social care
organisation and identification of need for improvements and how to carry out the project which
will help in raising the standard.
MAIN BODY
Review the robustness of management system including the use of lean process.
Robustness of management system is refers to ability of system to keep functioning
effectively under disturbance. This is also define as the systematic development of, formal
collection, maintenance and application of the criteria and expert system for the assessment of
the systems for the better development and effective outcomes. Robust of the management
system as bee serves the best interest of the patients, global regulatory and to the firms. It is has
been explaining that such processes have constantly produce safe products and effectual products
along with minimum cost in order minimizing the waste (Ginter, Duncan, and Swayne, 2018) .
Moreover the ability of procedure to demonstrate acceptable quality and performance while
maintaining variability of inputs if refer to the robustness. This has been associated with the
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function of both formulation and designing of process in which includes bot composition of
qualitative and quantitative composition of raw material. Effective healthcare delivery if not only
about the medicines and molecules rather for this, it requires every-part of healthcare ecosystem
should act as in keeping the patients at the centres of all initiatives such as effective
communication among provider and patients that can empower the patients in order to take
active action for managing themselves (Rotter, and. et. al., 2019). The foundation and health and
social acre organisation can accomplish their goals and aims though work on the training
initiatives in order to enhance the interpersonal skill of the healthcare stakeholders so that
effective communication can be take place. Along with this, they have to take initiatives for
awareness at several corporate locations with the gaol to prevent lifestyle disorders in employees.
With the help of this initiatives and various programmes DHSC will be able aware patients and
will match the expectation of patients. But in today's scenario patients are more aware about their
conditions and healthcare in which they demand for care in terms of holistic healing (Malik,
Abdallah, and Ala’raj, 2018). A robust health acre system offers right services to both personal
and population at the right places along with right time to those who demand for those services.
Lean process in the health acre is the application of leans idea to minimizing waste in
ongoing process for improvement. The lean has been used to improve the patient satisfaction and
acre outcomes along with reducing the cost. Its is the process which help rein in cost and add
value for patients. The area in which this focus is increasing consumers, patients or payers
satisfaction while enhancing profitability as because eliminating waste at every level of
organisation is fundamental principle to lean (Crema, and Verbano, 2021). Using this within the
organisation, all members from clinicians to operations along with administering staff, constantly
working to identify the areas of waste and eliminate the areas or factors which are not adding
value for the customers. Robustness management system will be more effective with the help of
lean process as both will work for the cause of health and social are through which patients will
get the optimum level of satisfaction along with this organisation obtain maximum profit through
reduction of waste. As lean management is the set of certain philosophies and methods which
provides support in to form a maximum value for the patients through eliminating waste and
waits from the procedures (Dai, and Tayur, 2020). The health care industry has demonstrated
success with applying these principles in the operations in order to ensures the better facilities.
prove upon their quality of health services DHSC department which has been develops the
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policies and guidelines in order to improve the quality of care, health and to meet the patients
expectations. Along with this, it also formulating the strategies and approaches such as,
improving facilities, execution of necessary equipments inventories so that patient get right and
quality of treatments at right time.
Identify the need for operational improvement and how to carry out improvement project to raise
standards.
Operations management is refers to the process of redesigning and controlling of the
production process of goods and services so that effective outcomes can be achieved. This has
been associated with the overall coordination of procedure which is requires for the development
and distribution of the products and services (Dadich, and. et. al., 2018). For instance in case of
healthcare, managing or reducing cost while offering quality of services to the patients is the
main factor of heath and care operational management. Cost control is one of the major focused
area of operation management as the current health care system improve upon their quality of
health services using expensive, technological and emergency based treatment. High cost of
healthcare did not covered as because of the uninsured patients and financial crises this setting
creates a burden on taxpayers, people with health care insurance and institutes of healthcare. The
main objective of this is to balance between the importance of high-tech treatment and
community centres which has been providing the preventative services. This will affect levels
and quality of services which is being offered to clients. Quality improvements in is
improvement as it enhance the quality of safety, effectiveness, and efficiency (Parkhi, 2019).
And when it comes to addressing patients needs, patient safety, efficiency of the system and
quality improvements, healthcare system is perform below acceptable level in which it is
necessary to make the improvements in the operation of healthcare system. Improvements in
health acre system is the systematic approach which has been monitor, assess and improve the
quality standard and this will be done to look towards the performance. Health care providers
make and improve the operational decisions for the smooth and productive organisation that can
facilitated patients with the quality services that can contributes in raising the standards. There
are some of the operational management improvement which can help in making higher
standard.
 Increasing operating room utilization as operating rooms account is more more then 60%
admission and generates 65% of revenue prove upon their quality of health services in
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most of the hospitals, in which for optimizing operating rooms, block scheduling has
been fails while in improving patient access, surgeon, satisfaction and care quality. This
need to be increase so that patient get better satisfaction from which they will also
encouraged to take actions for managing their health in effective way (Laurenza, and. et.
al., 2018). With the use improve upon their quality of health services predictive analytics,
mobile technologies and cloud computing through which which scheduling of an
organisation has been increased.
 Achieving operational efficiency with the help of cost reduction along with improving the
quality standard for services is delicate that require to be maintain all the time. For
accomplishing the balance, the data collection retention need to be maintained and
organised in away through which it will customized for the variety of medical services
(Mathur, and. et. al., 2018). This has been facilitate with cost effective operations through
which fees also get reduced of the patients and become economical for the customers or
payers.
 Healthcare facilities can also improvements upon their quality of health services their
equipment inventories with analysing medical trends in the specific area and make sure
they should be used at right time and at right place so that better treatments can be
provided to patients for the better healthcare. Along with this, satisfaction of patients also
get enhanced.
 streamline emergency department operations in this heath care institutes should organised
emergency department in a effective upon their quality of health services so that patients
with critical conditions can get treatment at right time through which life of a person also
get saved. Better services from health care will improve the quality of health and life
(Henrique, and Godinho, Filho, 2020). Along with this, it improves the health and safety
at workplace
 an organisation need to understand the key quality improvement approach is to organised
input – process – output in order to accomplish the need of an department of health and
social care service delivery system. So that proper and effective services can be provided
to patients so that they feel encouraged and will also maintain their own health.
 DHSC should have the focus on patients in which patient's needs and expectation will be
aligned with provided services. This is the major factor behind quality improvements in
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which, services are designed to bring both needs and expectations of patients together
(Antony, and. et. al., 2018). This includes safety, patient engagement, system which
supports patient access along with this DHSC also provides health literacy so that living
standard of populations could be increased.
 Organisations need to be focus on use of data as it describes that how the existing or
current systems are working, it help in to track the changes along with this, also allow
comparison and monitoring for the sustainable improvements within the organisation so
that better strategies and approaches can be formulated and implemented for effective
working. DHSC has been utilising this, as this delivers better outcomes, minimum
variations, and lower infection rates through which patients get satisfied with one-time
treatment and enjoy the quality of life.
 Company can also focus on the care – coordination software which has been assess the
master patient index and longitudinal health record for each patients this is most useful
method when there is a chronic condition (Khatoon, 2020). This will offers secure
networks for trusted healthcare provider while ensuring smooth transitions.
CONCLUSION
As per the above analysis it has been concluded that operational management is refers to
the continuous process of designing and controlling of productions process of the goods and
services. Moreover, operations management in health care sector refer to the managing quality of
services while reducing cost for the organisation hat will also provides higher satisfaction to
patients. In addition to this, robustness of management system is the ability of system to function
even in the disturbance. Lean management is the method that has been associated with the
minimizing waste in ongoing improvements. Operational management in the health care sector is
essential so that better functioning can be implement along with low cost and sot high patient
satisfaction. Moreover, it also help in raiding the standard of living as it helps in improving the
health of an individual along with providing better and cost effective facilities.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Antony, and. et. al., 2018. Six Sigma in healthcare: a systematic review of the
literature. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management.
Crema, M. and Verbano, C., 2021. Simulation modelling and lean management in healthcare:
first evidences and research agenda. Total Quality Management & Business
Excellence, 32(3-4), pp.448-466.
Dadich, and. et. al., 2018. Using positive organizational scholarship in healthcare and video
reflexive ethnography to examine positive deviance to new public management in
healthcare. Qualitative health research, 28(8), pp.1203-1216.
Dai, T. and Tayur, S., 2020. OM Forum—Healthcare Operations Management: A Snapshot of
Emerging Research. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, 22(5), pp.869-
887.
Ginter, P.M., Duncan, W.J. and Swayne, L.E., 2018. The strategic management of health care
organizations. John Wiley & Sons.
Henrique, D.B. and Godinho Filho, M., 2020. A systematic literature review of empirical
research in Lean and Six Sigma in healthcare. Total Quality Management & Business
Excellence, 31(3-4), pp.429-449.
Khatoon, A., 2020. A blockchain-based smart contract system for healthcare
management. Electronics, 9(1), p.94.
Laurenza, and. et. al., 2018. The effect of digital technologies adoption in healthcare industry: a
case based analysis. Business process management journal.
Malik, M.M., Abdallah, S. and Ala’raj, M., 2018. Data mining and predictive analytics
applications for the delivery of healthcare services: a systematic literature
review. Annals of Operations Research, 270(1), pp.287-312.
Mathur, and. et. al., 2018. Healthcare supply chain management: literature review and some
issues. Journal of Advances in Management Research.
Parkhi, S.S., 2019. Lean management practices in healthcare sector: a literature
review. Benchmarking: An International Journal.
Rotter, and. et. al., 2019. What is lean management in health care? Development of an
operational definition for a Cochrane systematic review. Evaluation & the health
professions, 42(3), pp.366-390.
Shirley, D., 2020. Project management for healthcare. CRC Press.
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