Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare the impact of lean six sigma (LSS) implementation carried out in a pharmaceutical unit on the profitability of outpatient and inpatient care before and during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Design/method/approach

The data were analyzed descriptively to see the development patterns in four periods: before implementation, during the implementation before the pandemic, during the pandemic and during the enforcement of new normal, in general, and by the length of stay (LOS).

Findings

The inventory purchase in the pharmaceutical unit dramatically decreased after implementation even during the pandemic and new normal wherein the pre-pandemic it decreased by 27%, during the pandemic 29% and in the new normal 37% compared to pre-LSS. The hospital deficit decreased after implementation before the pandemic by 26% and during the pandemic by 10% from the pre-LSS time. However, during the new normal, the deficit increased by 29%, indicating a diminished effect of LSS on the hospital profits.

Research limitations/implications

This research raised the possible implication that the implementation of LSS needed to be carried out in the entire hospital to have a large effect, especially on the inpatient care and long-term care installations.

Originality/value

This research provided empirical evidence regarding the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the ability of LSS at the unit level to provide efficiency at the unit level and the entire hospital at various levels of LOS.

中文翻译：

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Covid-19大流行之前和期间药房部门精益6西格玛对医院盈利能力的影响

目的

本文的目的是比较在 Covid-19 大流行之前和期间在制药部门实施精益六西格码 (LSS) 对门诊和住院护理盈利能力的影响。

设计/方法/途径

对数据进行了描述性分析，以了解四个时期的发展模式：实施前、大流行前实施期间、大流行期间和新常态实施期间，总体而言，以及按逗留时间（LOS）。

发现

即使在大流行和新常态期间，药品部门的库存采购在实施后也急剧下降，其中与 LSS 前相比，大流行前下降了 27%，大流行期间下降了 29%，新常态下下降了 37%。与 LSS 之前的时间相比，大流行前实施后医院赤字减少了 26%，大流行期间减少了 10%。然而，在新常态期间，赤字增加了 29%，表明 LSS 对医院利润的影响减弱。

研究限制/影响

这项研究提出了一个可能的含义，即 LSS 的实施需要在整个医院进行才能产生很大的影响，尤其是对住院护理和长期护理设施。

原创性/价值

这项研究提供了关于 Covid-19 大流行对单位层面 LSS 能力的影响的经验证据，该能力在单位层面和整个医院在不同的 LOS 层面提供效率。