UB Hosts Conference On Using Lean Six Sigma To Transform Healthcare

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Healthcare managers interested in operational excellence are invited to the University at Buffalo's healthcare improvement conference, "Sustaining Improvement: Using Lean Six Sigma as a Path to Excellence" on Sept. 30 at the Buffalo/Niagara Marriott, 1340 Millersport Highway, Amherst from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The conference will show attendees how delivery of services and patient safety can be enhanced by reducing waste and using a data-driven methodology. It will feature educational workshops on the problem-solving approach of Lean Six Sigma, panel discussions with healthcare professionals who have applied the quality management philosophy and presentations of successful improvement projects undertaken in the field.

David L. Dunn, MD, PhD, UB's vice president for health sciences, will give opening remarks.

The featured speaker is Nancy Pratt, senior vice president of clinical effectiveness at Sharp HealthCare, a comprehensive healthcare delivery system in San Diego. Pratt led an initiative that resulted in Sharp being awarded the 2007 National Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award, the nation's highest presidential honor for quality and organizational performance excellence. Pratt, a recognized national speaker who is certified in the Six Sigma methodology as a Black Belt, is responsible for quality, patient safety and organizational performance improvement at Sharp.

Attendees will be entered into a drawing for one Blue Belt Blended Learning training course provided by UB's Center for Industrial Effectiveness (TCIE), which includes 32 hours of self-paced online learning and 16 hours of classroom-based instruction. The course educates candidates in the Lean methodology and provides an introduction to the rigors of Six Sigma.

Early-bird registration by July 29 is $99; thereafter, the cost is $149 per person, or $119 for three or more individuals from the same organization. To register online, visit http://www.tcie.buffalo.edu and click on "Seminars."

For more information about "Sustaining Improvement: Using Lean Six Sigma as a Path to Excellence," contact Kerry Lynch at TCIE at 636-2568 ext. 17 or klynch4@buffalo.edu.

The conference is being presented by TCIE in conjunction with the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the UB Office of the Vice President for Health Sciences, and the UB School of Public Health and Health Professions.