Using Lean Six Sigma to Reduce Patient Cycle Time in a Nonprofit Community Clinic.

Background And Objectives: The mission of nonprofit health care clinics is particularly challenging to fulfill given the large number of uninsured and underinsured people they serve. In addition, these clinics feel pressure to provide services in an efficient manner to prevent patient no-shows and encourage the continuation of medical care. These challenges tend to increase further when clinics feel they have exhausted their internal resourcefulness relative to their effort to improve patient care.