Abstract

This paper presents empirical attestations regarding improving service processes in dental health care. The trigger for the study was the need to improve information use in the case organisation. The existing process and its possible improvements were modelled, and mathematical analysis software was used to calculate the improvement in productivity. The project of building the modelling and analysis software took more than 10 years from the service provider, and several development versions of the software were built and various software engineering problems had to be solved before the current solutions were obtained. This paper reveals also challenges in the case. It confirms that service process improvements can be implemented systematically in co-operation with consultants and the health care personnel. Empirical data was collected via observations and interviews, and automatic data collection was also utilized. Both the personnel and customers were included in the data collection. The first analysis showed that the existing resources were close to optimal. The case verifies that when resources and costs are kept constant in the service, the improvements represent examples of total factor productivity growth. Overall, the case reveals an example of a successful productivity improvement based on available information and a new way of working.

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