The relationship between the quality of health care and patient illness is being examined in a new book.

Lean Six Sigma in Sickness and in Health, by Forrest Breyfogle and Arvind Salvekar, explores the use of lean and Six Sigma concepts in the effective delivery of health care. Through the story of Jorge Santos, a fictional hospital executive whose wife is seriously injured in a car accident, the book examines problems in an unprepared emergency room, with ineffective processes that make it difficult for his wife to receive proper care. While his wife is being treated, Santos reflects on how his own hospital avoided similar problems by implementing an enhanced lean Six Sigma improvement system.

The book isn’t intended to be an implementation guide. Rather, it uses Santos’ story to explain quality management philosophies in an easy-to-understand way.

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