New Alliance Will Bring Innovative Six Sigma Process-Improvement Initiatives to Healthcare DAYTON, Ohio--July 25, 2002--Standard Register today announced an alliance with Scottsdale, Arizona-based Creative Healthcare USA to apply Six Sigma methodologies to healthcare organizations. The effort will help hospitals, health networks and other organizations to gain efficiencies and improve service. Six Sigma is a leading process-improvement methodology used by world-class companies to achieve significant improvements in quality, service, productivity and customer satisfaction. It uses a variety of sophisticated statistical tools and skills, integrated with a standardized methodology, to measure, analyze, improve and control processes. The alliance combines Standard Register's solutions for analyzing, managing and distributing documents and other information with Creative Healthcare's Six Sigma consulting services within the healthcare industry. Together, the companies will focus on applying Six Sigma methodologies to document-intensive areas, such as the emergency room and admissions and billing departments. The companies will also offer training to healthcare organizations that wish to "institutionalize" Six Sigma. "With our combined offering, healthcare organizations now have an even greater opportunity to dramatically improve how they operate," said Mark Little, president of Standard Register Document Management. Standard Register's solutions help companies increase efficiency and customer loyalty. For example, its Document Audit and Analysis program helps organizations determine precisely where and how to streamline their information flow. Another offering is Patient LinkUp, a software that manages information and printing across the organization. These solutions and others allow users to quickly create, manage and print everything from personalized admissions kits to patient wristbands, lab orders, secure prescription pads and billing statements. Standard Register has also embraced Six Sigma within its own organization. Since 2001, it has made significant investments in Six Sigma and currently has about 300 people (including green belts, black belts, master black belts and champions) working on projects ranging from increasing production throughput to digitizing sales processes. According to Ian R. Lazarus, managing partner, Creative Healthcare, the savings potential is significant, with the average Six Sigma project saving healthcare organizations between $500,000 and $1 million annually. Creative Healthcare has four areas of focus - product management and systems reengineering; business development and strategic advisory services; customer service, CRM and e-Health technologies; and marketing, market research and publishing. "We're excited to see the coming together of two capable firms from the Six Sigma community that will build on their respective strengths in ways that not only benefit their end users, but that will ultimately improve the efficiency of the entire healthcare supply chain," said Roxanne O'Brasky, president, International Society of Six Sigma Professionals.