Using Lean Six Sigma to decrease MRI costs for the Department of Defense in the Reynolds Army Community Hospital Catchment Area, Fort Sill, OK

Lean Six Sigma (LSS) project to increase the productivity of a leased mobile MRI trailer in order to decrease government costs for MRIs in the Reynolds Army Community Hospital (RACH), Fort Sill, Oklahoma catchment area. Improvements were implemented to increase access to direct care MRIs by decreasing appointment times and no-shows, expanding hours and the types of MRIs offered, and changing the business processes. Additionally, a Business Case Analysis (BCA) supported the acquisition, installation, staffing and operation of a fixed MRI. Both aspects of the project were extremely successful. Between May 2009 and April 2011, the LSS project increased MRI production from 167 MRIs per month to 325, resulting in a net savings of approximately $1 million. The BCA was approved and the installation of the fixed MRI was completed in April 2011. From April-September 2011, RACH completed approximately 500 MRIs per month, three times the baseline. The annual savings for the government is approximately $1 million per year and $7-10 million over the life of the MRI machine.