Photo By Christopher Jones | Sailors assigned to Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms complete the final exam of the...... read more read more
TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. – Sailors stationed at Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms took a significant step toward operational excellence on February 28, 2025, by participating in the Lean Six Sigma (LSS) Green Belt course, a rigorous and data-driven training program aimed at enhancing efficiency and patient care across Navy Medicine.
Led by James Bloomer, the Naval Medical Forces Pacific (NMFP) Regional Master Black Belt for Navy Medicine Improvement Sciences, the weeklong course introduced participants to the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control (DMAIC) methodology. This five-step approach is the cornerstone of Lean Six Sigma and a vital part of Navy Medicine's "Get Real, Get Better" initiative, designed to elevate readiness, reduce variation, and eliminate waste in daily operations.
“Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Training (LSSGB) introduces the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control (DMAIC) performance improvement methodology used to identify and increase efficiency opportunities by breaking down potential variables in a process to their individual steps, work to reduce or eliminate errors and defects and reduce risk,” said Bloomer. “Utilizing the DMAIC process not only helps in improving processes, but also aligns with the Surgeon General’s task for units to utilize the DMAIC process towards Get Real Get Better (GRGB).”
Throughout the course, Sailors from across NMRTC Twentynine Palms were immersed in the fundamental principles of Lean and Six Sigma. These complementary methodologies empower professionals to drive measurable improvements in both clinical and administrative settings.
“The two methodologies taught throughout the week are Lean and Six Sigma,” Bloomer explained. “Lean is the reduction of waste in a process to improve the efficiency, speed, and flexibility of a process. Six Sigma is the reduction of variation in a process to improve the quality within the process.”
With a blend of classroom instruction and real-world examples, participants learned how to collect and interpret data, identify root causes of inefficiencies, and implement sustainable solutions to complex problems. These skills are essential not only to the daily operations of military treatment facilities but also to broader Navy and Marine Corps readiness goals.
“LSS helps reduce waste and improve processes leading to faster and more effective patient care, significantly enhancing patient safety by minimizing errors and improving overall care quality,” Bloomer said.
According to Bloomer, military medical facilities face a range of recurring challenges that Lean Six Sigma is uniquely equipped to address — including patient wait times, lab testing efficiency, and appointment no-show rates. By reducing waste and process variation, LSS allows healthcare providers to focus more time and resources on delivering high-quality care.
One example of LSS’s impact comes from a recent project focused on the Main Operating Room (MOR) of a Navy medical facility. This initiative aimed to improve compliance with the Department of Defense’s standard for first-patient, in-room surgical start times.
“Compliance with surgical suite in-room time of 0730 for the first patient of the day in the Main Operating Room (MOR) had been a problem resulting in decreased surgical suite utilization, patient safety, as well as patient, surgeon, and perioperative staff satisfaction,” Bloomer shared. “If this problem continued, the Main Operating Room would continue to be non-compliant with DHA surgical suite in-room time standards.”
Through targeted interventions guided by the DMAIC process, the facility saw dramatic improvements.
“They achieved remarkable results as first patient surgical suite in-room time compliance increased from 34% (Baseline) to 90% (post-intervention),” Bloomer said. “Process Yield (process effectiveness) for compliant surgical suite in-room time increased from 34% to 90%, with a net increase of 164.71%. Their Sigma Level increased from 0.588σ to 2.282σ (post-intervention), exceeding the goal of 1.5σ and significantly reducing process variance.”
Bloomer emphasized that the project had far-reaching effects beyond just metrics. “Successful implementation of improving first patient surgical suite in-room time compliance for the MOR resulted in increased surgical suite utilization, patient safety, and patient/preoperative staff satisfaction, as well as compliance.”
The LSS Green Belt course is part of a broader effort by Navy Medicine to equip leaders with tools to optimize care delivery and strengthen the military health system. By training its personnel in proven business and quality improvement practices, the Navy ensures that its facilities remain adaptable, responsive, and mission-ready.
“LSS projects have led to significant increases in individual, dental, and overall readiness with our warfighters,” said Bloomer.
Upon completion of the course, each participant is expected to lead two DMAIC projects within a year to achieve full Green Belt certification. Successful certification results in the awarding of a new Additional Qualification Designation (AQD) for officers and a new Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) for enlisted personnel.
“Each student is expected to complete two DMAIC projects within one year to achieve LSSGB Certification. Once the students receive their certification, Officers receive a new Additional Qualification Designation (AQD) and Enlisted receive a new Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC),” Bloomer said.
More than just a resume-builder, the training offers lifelong value — both inside and outside the Navy.
“LSS training aligns with Navy Medicine’s broader goals for operational excellence by enhancing process efficiency and quality,” he added. “It helps in reducing waste, improving workflow, and increasing operational effectiveness, which are essential for achieving operational excellence. By applying LSS methodologies, Navy Medicine can create greater alignment across its operations, ultimately delivering sustained value and improving overall performance.”
For Sailors and staff interested in continuing their journey in process improvement, Bloomer offers straightforward advice.
“Utilizing the DMAIC roadmap, medical professionals can incorporate LSS principles by defining requirements for patient needs and expectations, measuring performance to ensure they meet patient requirements, analyzing data to identify areas for improvement and quality issues, improve processes to enhance efficiency and reduce waste, and control processes to maintain improvements and monitor processes,” he said.
“Familiarize yourself with the tools, techniques, and methods involved in Lean Six Sigma to make meaningful improvements in organizational processes. Also, pursue certification — LSS is highly sought after in the civilian community, so whether someone stays in the Navy for a short term or 30 years they can use LSS on the outside.”
As the Sailors of Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms continue their training and begin implementing their own process improvement projects, the impact of this course is expected to ripple throughout Navy Medicine — enhancing not only patient outcomes and operational readiness but also cultivating a culture of continuous improvement.
| Date Taken: | 04.08.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.08.2025 14:17 |
| Story ID: | 494863 |
| Location: | TWENTYNINE PALMS, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 137 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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