Management Science

Perhaps it is "about time" or maybe it is trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, but management science has come to medicine. Health care administrators and leaders have started to recognize business tools as ways to improve health care delivery and systems. We are starting to get education about industrial standards like Toyota's manufacturing standards. The Lean process is a strategy to eliminate steps that represent wasted effort. Six Sigma principles reduce defects or poor outcomes. We learn about how to recognize, implement, and sustain changes. Some thought leaders have advocated medical school courses dedicated towards strategy, operations management, entrepreneurship, leadership, behavioral economics, and negotiations. Hopefully this will translate to more efficient delivery of care, less waste, and improved outcomes. All of a sudden, medicine is more than just medicine.