Integrating Lean Six Sigma and High-Performance Organizations
Tom Devane, Pfeiffer, 2003, $45.00, 464 pages, ISBN 07-8796-97-37

Audience: senior management, quality managers and directors, and change agents at all organizational levels

Key Words: Lean Six Sigma (LSS), highperformance organizations (HPO), cycle time reduction, and waste elimination

This book is not written specifically for the healthcare setting, but its concepts are appropriate and applicable. This text is about leading dramatic and sustainable performance improvements and can be applied in any organization striving to make significant changes. It focuses on what it takes to mobilize a group of people to achieve significant improvements in cycle time, cost, and quality and revenue enhancement.

The key aspects of organizational performance covered are return on investment, intrinsic motivation for change, knowledge of methods and tools, business processes, organizational structure, organizational culture, human resource practices, and core energizing improvement elements. The text has a unique format in that it is divided into two primary parts and includes an appendix to help the reader select the most relevant part at the time when it is needed most.

The first three chapters cover the basics that leaders need to know related to Lean Six Sigma, high-performance organizations (HPO), and their combination into one integrated discipline. Each chapter includes items such as expected results, historical notes, key concepts, key players, and the ten “important to pay attention to” items. The second part of the book provides pragmatic advice for implementing Lean Six Sigma and HPO. The appendix contains information regarding key terms associated with Lean Six Sigma and HPO.

Reviewed by Anita Gottlieb, MA RNP CPHQ

Handbook of the Medical Consequences of Alcohol and Drug Abuse
John Brick, PhD, Ed., The Haworth Press, Inc., www.HaworthPress.com, 2003, $69.95, 329 pages, ISBN 0-7890-1863-2

Audience: addiction specialists

Key Words: addiction, substance abuse

This comprehensive, peer-reviewed book focuses on the medical physiology, psychopharmacology, and neuropsychology of alcohol and a variety of other drugs including cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and inhalants. Contributors are a variety of experts from research, treatment, and direct patient care.

One of the most impressive attributes of this publication is the breadth of the information on the effect of each of these substances— effect on the brain, short-term and long-term damage. In addition, the extensive reference list at the end of each chapter provides a wealth of information. Finally, the book includes very complete material on the effect of alcohol and drug abuse during pregnancy; this will be particularly important for obstetricians and pediatricians whose patients have suffered the consequences of addiction during pregnancy.

Although the Handbook of the Medical Consequences of Alcohol and Drug Abuse will be of great value to those healthcare professionals working with or conducting research on patients suffering from alcohol and drug abuse, its value is limited with regard to information on treatment. In addition, its language is extremely technical, particularly related to psychopharmacology, so its value would be limited for healthcare quality professionals, except those who might be working in a psychiatric facility.

Nevertheless, the authors and particularly the editor, are to be commended on the extensive work that has gone into developing a book that so thoroughly reports on the broad effect of alcohol and drug abuse.

Reviewed by Pamela K. Scarrow, CPHQ

Information Technology and Healthcare Quality: Proceedings of a Summit
Elaine J. Power, Kenneth W. Kizer, Robyn Y. Nishimi, and Lawrence D. Gorban, Ed., National Quality Forum, www.qualityforum.org, 2003, $19.50, 96 pages

Audience: healthcare professionals interested in information technology

Key Words: collaboration, communication, databases, health information management, information systems, patient health information, technology

The National Quality Forum (NQF) is a private, nonprofit, open membership, public benefit corporation whose mission is to improve American healthcare. This mission is achieved through endorsement of consensus-based national standards for measurement and public reporting of healthcare performance data that provide meaningful information about care and whether it is safe, timely, beneficial, patient-centered, equitable, and efficient.

Kenneth Kizer notes, “The absence of a comprehensive electronic information infrastructure to support coherent, patient-centered healthcare undermines the quality of care and makes improvements in efficiency extremely difficult.”

In March 2002, the National Summit on Information Technology and Healthcare Quality brought together 50 healthcare decision makers and opinion leaders representing consumers, purchasers, and providers of care, as well as experts in healthcare quality improvement and information technology (IT). Discussions were structured around the following four topics:

• information standardization
• information systems architecture and infrastructure
• financing and incentives for promoting healthcare IT
• governance of a national health information infrastructure (NHII).

Work groups were charged with developing an action plan that would lead to the creation of a state-of-the-art NHII capable of supporting the delivery of high-quality, constantly improving healthcare. At the conclusion of the summit, although there were some differences regarding specific strategies for achieving universal implementation, there was remarkable consensus in three areas:

1. The federal government has a crucial leadership role in promoting a coherent health information infrastructure. Private organizations and government entities will need to collaborate.
2. The highest priority should be given to adopting uniform standards for message formats, nomenclature, data exchange, and other aspects necessary for interoperability among systems.
3. Opportunities to provide financial support and incentives for adopting and using healthcare information technology abound. The costs of investment can be shared by the various healthcare stakeholders and across the public and private sectors.

In summary, the findings of the summit indicate a great need to promote NHII. Although there are still many structural, financial, and political barriers to be overcome, the participants thought that with leadership—in all healthcare sectors, both public and private— commitment, the proper tools, and an immediate focus on standardization, NHII will be achieved.

Reviewed by Linda Brandt-Comer, MSN RN CHCRM CPHQ

Rewarding Specialties for Mental Health Clinicians—Developing Your Practice Niche
Rona L. LoPresti and Edward L. Zuckerman, The Guilford Press, 2003, $26.00, 358 pages, ISBN 1-57230-934-2

Audience: psychologists, mental health clinicians/ practitioners

Key Words: psychiatric/behavioral care, professional development, practice guidelines

This comprehensive guide written by two psychologists refocuses the efforts of mental health clinicians into specialty areas. They review the changes that have influenced the practice of psychology, which include an aging population, increased numbers of women in the workplace, a strong driving trend in healthcare toward wellness and prevention, and a keen awareness of the effects of stress on health and quality living.

The organization of this text is the result of the authors’ 8 years of in-depth study of the literature, trends, research, and specialty professional organizations. Specialty niches are clustered within the five major sections of the text. These sections cover everything from the psychological sides of medical illness to couples, families, children, schools, and the world of work. Each chapter begins with an overview and opportunity of the clinical practice, and in some specializations the nature of the work is discussed. Of special interest for the practitioner is the area of marketing strategies included within each specialization. For instance, in working with grieving and dying people one would contact hospices and funeral home directors and teach community classes on grieving and adaptation to loss. Each chapter concludes with good resources on core readings, Web sites and professional organizations.

Although this guide is written for psychologists, all mental health practitioners can benefit from reading this resource, which assists individuals in redefining their practice in terms of current trends and skill competencies. This text is a well-written, well-organized resource full of valuable information.

Reviewed by Colleen J. Hewes, DC MSN RN

JHQ welcomes the opportunity to review various media that could potentially be of benefit to healthcare quality professionals and the people they serve. Reviews are published in every issue of JHQ.

To have your product reviewed by a healthcare quality expert, please send a nonreturnable copy to Media Editor
Media Reviews
Journal for Healthcare Quality
4700 W. Lake Avenue
Glenview, IL 60025-1485

Back to Media Reviews