Nope, ThedaCare & VMMC Still Don't Do Six Sigma or "Lean Sigma"

Back in 2013, I wrote about a publication that described that Virginia Mason Medical Center does as "Lean Sigma."

As Dwight Schrute would say on "The Office":

I've very directly asked Virginia Mason's CEO Dr. Gary Kaplan if they do anything with Six Sigma and he says no. 

They use Lean, as in the Toyota Production System. No belts. No formal Six Sigma.

The same is the case at ThedaCare. I know because I've asked them. They don't do Six Sigma.

So, if an organization doesn't do Lean and Six Sigma, you can't call what they do "Lean Sigma."

It's just Lean.

There's a book on the market about Lean Six Sigma for hospitals that makes the same sloppy or misinformed error:

Does it matter? Yes, it matters. Wrongly giving credit to Six Sigma encourages people to sink time and resources into an approach that might not be necessary. If you want to use Six Sigma, then great. If you want to combine Lean and Six Sigma, go for it. 

Just don't call refer to Lean as "Lean Sigma."

A Book Incorrectly Takes Credit for Lean Success Stories

From a "Lean Six Sigma" book:

Pioneering hospitals such as Virginia Mason, Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, and many others have started using the Toyota Production System (a.k.a., Lean) and Six Sigma to make dramatic improvements in all aspects of healthcare. SSM Health Care in St. Louis and the Pittsburgh Regional Healthcare Initiative have used Lean Six Sigma...

I know for a fact that neither Virginia Mason nor ThedaCare (sometimes also cited wrongly as a "Lean Sigma" success story. The CEOs of both organizations have confirmed this with me.  They have not used "Six Sigma" and they don't label their approach as "Lean Six Sigma."

I'm also pretty certain that PRHI has never taught Six Sigma. In fact, there is only one reference to the phrase on their website:

"Lean Six Sigma" is not the same as "Lean." Many organizations use Lean methods and management principles without doing any formal Six Sigma work.

Again, there's nothing wrong with Six Sigma. My beef is with Lean Sigma people claiming credit wrongly.

When a book from a major publisher has a factually incorrect statement like this, it leads to others spreading the same incorrect idea.