WHITEFIELD, NH — Clare Fox, PT, Cert MDT, LBC, Director of Performance Improvement for North Country Healthcare (NCH), and Physical Therapist at Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin, recently achieved Lean Six Sigma Black Belt status from Six Sigma Global Institute. Fox joins fellow Lean Six Sigma Black Belt holders Bernie Adams, NCH Chief Quality Officer; Diane Blumenthal, Weeks Medical Center Quality Manager and Privacy Officer; and Joe Caristi, NCH Vice President of Finance. Together, Adams, Blumenthal, and Fox, along with other dedicated Quality professionals throughout the North Country Healthcare system, comprise the NCH Performance Excellence (PX) team.

“In becoming a Black Belt, Clare demonstrated a mastery of skills that will allow her to tackle some of the most complex problems in the industry,” explained Adams. “And with this added distinction, she’s also in a great position to mentor and guide our employees through their personal Lean Six Sigma journeys,” he added.

Lean Six Sigma originated in the manufacturing sector where line workers were empowered to identify and eliminate manufacturing defects, waste, and re-work. Through a straightforward, disciplined approach to continuous improvement, Lean Six Sigma practitioners have revolutionized manufacturing, production, and distribution processes, enabling organizations to achieve higher efficiency and cost savings. “The healthcare industry has witnessed the progress that’s been made in other sectors, and we’ve learned that healthcare needs to become more efficient,” said Fox. “That is why NCH has implemented Lean – to help improve the experience from the patient perspective,” she added.

At North Country Healthcare, systemwide Lean Six Sigma efforts that have been implemented to help drive the organization towards greater efficiency include: standardizing how new hires are integrated into the organization; decreasing the number of days between a patient’s positive screening mammogram and diagnostic workup; and creating a systemwide plan for effectively supporting specialized patient populations, such as patients with dementia. “There’s really no limit to what can be accomplished using Lean Six Sigma. Our goal is to consider ways to improve the patient experience, and then make incremental changes that bring value back to the patient,” Fox said.

“Clare’s accomplishment must not be understated. The Lean Six Sigma toolbelt and approach is a proven one – in healthcare and in many other industries – that will help propel NCH forward on our journey to becoming a High-Reliability organization,” said Adams. “Our plan, by the end of Fiscal Year 2024, is to engage 100 percent of our NCH team with this knowledge by rolling out a foundational Yellow Belt course aimed at empowering employees to improve their daily work,” he added.

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