Managing health care variability to achieve quality care

While much has been written about variation and health care, one area that has received little attention is variation within hospitals related to the operations management--which can lead to wasted money and human resources. Two Boston researchers who have been studying this area say that addressing these variations--and using techniques found in other major industries across the country--could give hospitals a new tool in addressing patient safety issues, nursing shortages, cost containment, and overall better quality of care.