Abstract—Analysis of hospital processes is essential for development of methods, policies and decision tools for overall performance improvement of an hospital system. Modeling, analysis and management of patient flows, in this context, plays a fundamental role as it may help healthcare managers take decisions and make necessary changes in the process of care. In this paper, it will be shown how supernetwork framework can be effectively used to model and optimize patient flows in hospital systems. A structured problem solving approach based on Lean Six Sigma methodology and supernetwork framework will be used to describe the optimization problem, analyze research outcomes, identify common issues affecting the patient flow and evaluate possible corrective actions. The strength of the proposed approach will be demonstrated by a case study, where it has been successfully applied to the improvement of the patient flow in the context of an Emergency Department.

Index Terms—knowledge supernetwork, lean six sigma, patient flow optimization

Cite: Chiara Cirrone, Eleonora Di Pietro, Aurelio La Corte, and Alfina A. Torrisi, "Patient Flow Optimization Using Knowledge Supernetworks and Lean Six Sigma," Journal of Advanced Management Science, Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 232-237, May 2016. doi: 10.12720/joams.4.3.232-237