Prevalence, predictors and economic consequences of no-shows.

Background: Patients not attending to clinic appointments (no-show) significantly affects delivery, cost of care and resource planning. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence, predictors and economic consequences of patient no-shows.

Method: This is a retrospective cohort study using administrative databases for fiscal years 1997-2008.

Under the knife: a national survey of six sigma programs in US healthcare organizations.

Purpose: Medical and policy literature reports many six sigma applications at specific healthcare organizations. However, there is a lack of studies that investigate the broader status of six sigma in US healthcare systems. The purpose of this paper is to present the results from a national survey of six sigma programs in US healthcare organizations.

On determining specifications and selections of alternative technologies for airport checked-baggage security screening.

Federal law mandates that every checked bag at all commercial airports be screened by explosive detection systems (EDS), explosive trace detection systems (ETD), or alternative technologies. These technologies serve as critical components of airport security systems that strive to reduce security risks at both national and global levels. To improve the operational efficiency and airport security, emerging image-based technologies have been developed, such as dual-energy X-ray (DX), backscatter X-ray (BX), and multiview tomography (MVT).