What are the applications of Lean Six Sigma in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sector, specifically related to commercial analysis and market forecasting?

There have been huge improvement efforts in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries over the last decade. There are countless hospitals, healthcare providers, and insurance companies implementing Six Sigma and Lean methodologies. As a matter of fact, IHI (Institute for Healthcare Improvement) has lots of examples of applications. Please check: www.ihi.org.

Regarding your specific processes, the first questions to ask are:
What process problems/issues are you having with these 2 processes? What is not working in the current process related to cycle time or accuracy?

These are two common categories that process improvement can be applied.

Tracy O'Rourke

Tracy is a Managing Partner at GoLeanSixSigma.com. She is also a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Instructor at UC San Diego and teaches in San Diego State University’s Lean Enterprise Program. For almost 20 years, she has helped leading organizations like Washington State, Charles Schwab and GE build problem-solving muscles.

Tracy O'Rourke

After completing a Fishbone Diagram and a hypothesis, what if I discover it was not the correct one? Would I build off of the old diagram or start over with a new Fishbone Diagram?

What Six Sigma or other methodologies/tools are used to predict the durability of a production part before production parts are made?

How can Lean Six Sigma be used in the service industry? More specifically, how can it be used in the accidental claims approval department with a general insurance company?