Sick Sigma: Lessons from Industry, Part I

by Hughe Staffwriter
This article is first in a series of articles reviewing examples of efficient business practice in Industry with an eye toward applying lessons learned to the health care industry.


Remember the good old days of ordering things from ads in the back of comic books?

If you haven't you might want to consider starting; that is, if you want to save health care. According to Ustis Yurulmeniaman , a researcher at the University of Churchville, in upstate New York there are many things one can learn from the manufacture and distribution of Sea Monkeys.

That's right, Sea Monkeys: those little brine shrimp that magically turn to life with the simple addition of water.

"It's pretty amazing when you think about it," said Dr. Yurulmeniaman, "you really are creating life from almost nothing. It doesn't get more complex than that."

Complex, yet simple. Within the Sick Sigma movement in health care it is the guiding mantra. Ask any "sigmoid", as those in the movement jokingly refer to themselves, as the percentage of GDP applied to health care, now nearing 17%, continues to increase it is becoming imperative to look to any and all sources for help in curtailing costs while maintaining or increasing quality.

"Sea Monkey and patient. Different, yet so similar," said Dr. Yurulmeniaman. "The human body is more than 70% water. It is not inconceivable that one day your next child could come in a packet labeled with the words: 'just add water to add to family'."

According to Dr. Yurulmeniaman, this simple similarity lends credibility to the comparison in the first place. In the second, the processing of Sea Monkeys from factory to xray-goggle ordering child is comparable to patients having their illnesses "processed".

Patients present to their doctor with a problem, data are extracted and recommendations are made. Hurdles and glitches characterize the journey every patient takes through this simple sequence. Researchers like Dr.Yurulmeniaman aim to reduce the height of those hurdles and fix the glitches. It is in that light that they look to the Sea Monkey industry.

"It is our hope that you [as a patient] could go to your primary care physician [with a problem] and expect an efficient, caring and efficacious experience," said Dr. Yurulmeniaman. "Kids get that with their Sea Monkeys; why can't we at the doctor's office?"

The process of manufacturing Sea Monkeys goes back to the 1950s. Brilliantly marketed as, Instant Life, it hit the mail order scene with a splash. In fact, a small splash of water is all that it took to bring the small brine shrimp (Artemia salina) to life.Children everywhere could experience first hand the joys being Creator for a day...and all for $5 and stamp.

"The steps are pretty simple," according to Gus Tumbleweed, factory foreman. "Dry 'em, pack 'em, ship 'em." The "'em" refers to the Sea Monkey eggs, which are harvested each spring, on the first full moon of April. They are dried and stored for that fiscal year's orders. Precision-measured masses of brine shrimp eggs are packed using an automated packaging machine in the main plant of the OrderIt company in Madison, Wisconsin. When an order goes through the appropriate number of packages are then shipped to the customer. Despite state-of-the art efficiency challenges do arise. That's were Sick Sigma comes into play.

When asked about the customer education component, Gus replied pithily, "the package insert tells 'em how to do it." The "'em" refers to the customer in this case; the "it" refers to creation of life. Apparently great time efficiency was achieved by using the same instructions originally written by the inventor in 1957. Instead of Gus typing new instructions for each packet, he simply makes a copy of the original.

The "copying" innovation came from OrderIt's Chief Operating Officer (COO) Erol Flynn. After attending a Sick Sigma conference in 2005 Mr. Flynn went to work trying to transform his company's operations into that of a Fortune 1,000,000 company.

"They get it," said Mr. Flynn when commenting about Sick Sigma's approach to problem solving. "And I got it." Four years after implementing this epiphany OrderIt's sales sky rocketed four thousandths of one percent.

"Results like that are bound to get out," said Dr.Yurulmeniaman. The young researcher met Erol Flynn at a Six Sigma retreat held in 2008 at Big Bob's Bait & Tackle & Conference Room Center (with free HBO and chips 'n dip) in the scenic Adirondacks of New York state.

"Mr. Flynn said, 'pass the dip'. I did and he passed something amazing in return," recalls Dr. Yurulmeniaman. "He gave me his company's recent prospectus and I couldn't believe his jump in productivity. All from a simple idea."

Dr. Yurulmeniaman had an epiphany of his own, as he recounts the story. It was clear to him that similar practices could be applied to medicine.

"Every journey starts with one step," Dr. Yurulmeniaman quoted Confucius. "Mr. Flynn can be our guide. He's taken the first step."

There is one stumbling block, though, according to Dr. Yurulmeniaman. "There is only one Gus." As a reporter assigned to this new complex field this writer's misunderstanding was quickly corrected. When asked if Dr. Yurulmeniaman meant that "copying" was the "first step", he made a point to be clear for the record.

"Copying has nothing to do with it. It's all about Gus.We need more Guses," clarified Dr. Yurulmeniaman.

As can be expected with any new innovation there are skeptics.

"Dr. Yurulmeniaman has it all wrong," said Dr. R. E. Bezor of Gluck University in South Dakota. "He'll never advance the field pursuing such unimplementable processes." After running through several calculations and flipping pages in his note pad he was quick to point out that, "Gus would never quit. He loves Sea Monkeys."

"But the data are clear," responded Dr. Yurulmeniaman when reminded of critics' assertions. "Hire Gus. Problem solved."

Dr. Yurulmeniaman hopes to silence his critics soon. He has applied for a $283 grant from the Micowther Foundation. The title of his grant application: "A Sick Sigma Solution for Health Care: Buy Gus a Year's Worth of Dunkin Donuts Coupons And Maybe He'll Jump Ship."

Like most things in cutting edge science the peer review process is a bit down the line for Dr. Yurulmeniaman's research. This daunting climb does not intimidate him, however.

"I am but a dwarf sitting on the shoulders of giants. Sometimes we have to reach for the stars and grab some of our better angels' wings and fly away, fly away home. Gus, hallowed be thy name, is the solution, not the problem."