Problems

1. In today's economy, an important measure for a CEO or CFO is the return on assets (ROA). The goal is to maximize the ROA, resulting in reduced operating costs and improved clinical outcomes. Given the direction of reimbursement, a well-run project with positive results could impact a health care organization's revenue performance. What are some ways building projects will lose without supply chain management's expertise?

2. The key to planning technology is the investment in a strategic plan that encompasses not only where an organization is headed, but also defines the organization's current position. The plan, in essence, outlines the pathway between the two. Making it successful depends on how the market is defined, and whether or not the right questions are being asked. To determine the long-term cost of operation and potential revenue generation for each piece of equipment, what factors need to be considered?

3. The goal of the Six Sigma program is to achieve a level of quality that is as close to perfection as possible. Sigma is actually a statistical term used to gauge how far a process deviates from perfection. Explain how the disciplines within Six Sigma can improve hospital efficiency and hospital profitability?

4. What is your personal definition of continuous quality improvement? How would you relate this definition to operations in a health care organization? How do we try to build new methods of practicing based on profound knowledge, most of which already is tacit in the organization, as well as the new knowledge that the CQI process generates?