1. Develop a process map about the prescription filling process for HMO’s pharmacy, in which you specify the key problems that the HMO’s pharmacy might be experiencing. Next, use the supplier, input, process steps, output, and customer (SIPOC) model to analyze the HMO pharmacy’s business process.
2. Analyze the process map and SIPOC model to identify possible main root causes of the problems. Next, categorize whether the main root causes of the problem are special causes or common causes. Provide a rationale for your response.
3. Suggest the main tools that you would use and the data that you would collect in order to analyze the business process and correct the problem. Justify your response.
4. Propose one (1) solution to the HMO pharmacy’s on-going problem(s) and propose one (1) strategy to measure the aforementioned solution. Provide a rationale for your response.

                                                               SAMPLE SOLUTION

Statistical Thinking for Business Improvement gave me an opportunity to analyze events in different perspectives. To begin with, it is important that we review our prescription filling process so as to identify our mistakes and then develop solutions based on the problem solving techniques learnt. As we both know, prescriptions are written instructions from the doctor to a patient instructing them on the medication to use in order to treat specific ailments. Ostensibly, the doctor is the only person allowed to prescribe medications in a health setting. Here at HMO, we receive the prescriptions as delivered from the doctor and analyze or interpret the instructions on behalf of the patient. After this, we verify whether the patient is within the pharmacy’s data base and if not, we request for their demographic data, insurance information and confirm if they have any allergies. We then feed this information in the pharmacy’s data base. This is the information our statistical consultant uses to track the trends in wrong prescriptions.

Basically, our prescription process is almost similar to any other pharmacy procedures, however, there are a number of problems in the system. First, transcription errors in the prescriptions are the most common problems. Our doctors omit some words or letters leading to misinterpretation of the prescribed drugs. At times, these doctors use sloppy handwritings that make it difficult to read the prescriptions. Second, the pharmacy lacks confirmation procedures. This is common among us, as pharmacists. Whenever the instructions prescribed are difficult to read, we do not confirm the exact details from the prescriber, instead, we assume based on our knowledge. this is what causes the doctors to assume that we are incompetent as pharmacists. As the lead pharmacist in the institution, your involvement in the daily operations of the pharmacy is also low. in this regard, you may not know when these problems occur. Lastly, as pharmacists, we do not engage our customers adequately when selling the prescribed drugs. In this regard, we miss out on the important details of their conditions that would have enabled us give the correct prescriptions.