A six sigma approach to maximizing productivity in the cardiac cath lab.

Cardiac catheterization laboratories represent one of the most significant capital investments for hospitals. Historically, hospitals could achieve an economic return fairly rapidly on this capital investment because of the relatively high contribution margin on many of the procedures performed in the department. However, recent changes in DRG assignments, declines in Medicare reimbursement, and the advent of new technologies, such as drug-coated stents, pose a threat to achieving planned economic return. In response, many hospitals are pursuing strategies to improve throughput in the cardiac cath lab and maximize the number of procedures performed. The case example in this article describes how a busy cardiac catheterization lab in the southeastern United States successfully applied the Six Sigma methodology to improving productivity and increasing available capacity.