Going to Scale with TQM. The Pinellas County Schools' Journey toward Quality.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shipley, Jim; Collins, Chris

Quality improvement, or Total Quality Management (TQM), has been used for years in the corporate world to help companies achieve better customer satisfaction, increase market share, and improve profitability. More recently, TQM has emerged as a promising strategy for school improvement and educational reform. In 1991, the school district of…

Improving Service Quality: Achieving High Performance in the Public and Private Sectors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milakovich, Michael E.

Quality-improvement principles are a sound means to respond to customer needs. However, when various quality and productivity theories and methods are applied, it is very difficult to consistently deliver quality results, especially in quasi-monopolistic, non-competitive, and regulated environments. This book focuses on quality-improvement methods…

NCCDS configuration management process improvement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shay, Kathy

1993-01-01

By concentrating on defining and improving specific Configuration Management (CM) functions, processes, procedures, personnel selection/development, and tools, internal and external customers received improved CM services. Job performance within the section increased in both satisfaction and output. Participation in achieving major improvements has led to the delivery of consistent quality CM products as well as significant decreases in every measured CM metrics category.

Development of an ultra-sensitive Simoa assay to enable GDF11 detection: a comparison across bioanalytical platforms.

PubMed

Myzithras, Maria; Li, Hua; Bigwarfe, Tammy; Waltz, Erica; Gupta, Priyanka; Low, Sarah; Hayes, David B; MacDonnell, Scott; Ahlberg, Jennifer; Franti, Michael; Roberts, Simon

2016-03-01

Four bioanalytical platforms were evaluated to optimize sensitivity and enable detection of recombinant human GDF11 in biological matrices; ELISA, Meso Scale Discovery, Gyrolab xP Workstation and Simoa HD-1. Results & methodology: After completion of custom assay development, the single-molecule ELISA (Simoa) achieved the greatest sensitivity with a lower limit of quantitation of 0.1 ng/ml, an improvement of 100-fold over the next sensitive platform (MSD). This improvement was essential to enable detection of GDF11 in biological samples, and without the technology the sensitivity achieved on the other platforms would not have been sufficient. Other factors such as ease of use, cost, assay time and automation capability can also be considered when developing custom immunoassays, based on the requirements of the bioanalyst.

Seamless service: research and action.

PubMed

Grinstead, N; Timoney, R

1994-01-01

Describes the process used by the Mater Infirmorum Hospital in Belfast in 1992-1994 to achieve high quality care (Seamless Service), and motivate staff to deliver and measure performance. Aims of the project include focusing the organization on the customer, improving teamwork and motivation at all levels. After comprehensive data collection from GPs, patients and staff forums developed a full TQM strategy to gain support and maintain momentum including innovative staff events (every staff member was given the opportunity to attend) where multilevel, multidisciplinary workshops enabled staff to design customer care standards, develop teams and lead customer-driven change.

Achieving Continuous Improvement: Theories that Support a System Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armel, Donald

Focusing on improvement is different than focusing on quality, quantity, customer satisfaction, and productivity. This paper discusses Open System Theory, and suggests ways to change large systems. Changing a system (meaning the way all the parts are connected) requires a considerable amount of data gathering and analysis. Choosing the proper…

Impact of composites on future transport aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kinder, Robert H.

1993-01-01

In the current environment, new technology must be cost-effective in addition to improving operability. Various approaches have been used to determine the 'hurdle' or 'breakthrough' return that must be achieved to gain customer commitment for a new product or aircraft, or in this case, a new application of the technology. These approaches include return-on-investment, payback period, and addition to net worth. An easily understood figure-of-merit and one used by our airline customers is improvement in direct operating cost per seat-mile. Any new technology must buy its way onto the aircraft through reduction in direct operating cost (DOC).

Manage customer-centric innovation--systematically.

PubMed

Selden, Larry; MacMillan, Ian C

2006-04-01

No matter how hard companies try, their approaches to innovation often don't grow the top line in the sustained, profitable way investors expect. For many companies, there's a huge difference between what's in their business plans and the market's expectations for growth (as reflected in firms' share prices, market capitalizations, and P/E ratios). This growth gap springs from the fact that companies are pouring money into their insular R&D labs instead of working to understand what the customer wants and using that understanding to drive innovation. As a result, even companies that spend the most on R&D remain starved for both customer innovation and market-capitalization growth. In this article, the authors spell out a systematic approach to innovation that continuously fuels sustained, profitable growth. They call this approach customer-centric innovation, or CCI. At the heart of CCI is a rigorous customer R&D process that helps companies to continually improve their understanding of who their customers are and what they need. By so doing, they consistently create or improve their customer value proposition. Customer R&D also focuses on better ways of communicating value propositions and delivering the complete experience to real customers. Since so much of the learning about customers and so much of the experimentation with different segmentations, value propositions, and delivery mechanisms involve the people who regularly deal with customers, it is absolutely essential for frontline employees to be at the center of the CCI process. Simply put, customer R&D propels the innovation effort away from headquarters and the traditional R&D lab out to those closest to the customer. Using the example of the luggage manufacturer Tumi, the authors provide a step-by-step approach for achieving true customer-centric innovation.

Improving X-Ray Optics via Differential Deposition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kilaru, Kiranmayee; Ramsey, Brian D.; Atkins, Carolyn

2017-01-01

Differential deposition, a post-fabrication figure correction technique, has the potential to significantly improve the imaging quality of grazing-incidence X-ray optics. DC magnetron sputtering is used to selectively coat the mirror in order to minimize the figure deviations. Custom vacuum chambers have been developed at NASA MSFC that will enable the implementation of the deposition on X-ray optics. A factor of two improvement has been achieved in the angular resolution of the full-shell X-ray optics with first stage correction of differential deposition. Current efforts are focused on achieving higher improvements through efficient implementation of differential deposition.

Utilizing Lean Six Sigma Methodology to Improve the Authored Works Command Approval Process at Naval Medical Center San Diego.

PubMed

Valdez, Michelle M; Liwanag, Maureen; Mount, Charles; Rodriguez, Rechell; Avalos-Reyes, Elisea; Smith, Andrew; Collette, David; Starsiak, Michael; Green, Richard

2018-03-14

Inefficiencies in the command approval process for publications and/or presentations negatively impact DoD Graduate Medical Education (GME) residency programs' ability to meet ACGME scholarly activity requirements. A preliminary review of the authored works approval process at Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) disclosed significant inefficiency, variation in process, and a low level of customer satisfaction. In order to facilitate and encourage scholarly activity at NMCSD, and meet ACGME requirements, the Executive Steering Council (ESC) chartered an interprofessional team to lead a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) Rapid Improvement Event (RIE) project. Two major outcome metrics were identified: (1) the number of authored works submissions containing all required signatures and (2) customer satisfaction with the authored works process. Primary metric baseline data were gathered utilizing a Clinical Investigations database tracking publications and presentations. Secondary metric baseline data were collected via a customer satisfaction survey to GME faculty and residents. The project team analyzed pre-survey data and utilized LSS tools and methodology including a "gemba" (environment) walk, cause and effect diagram, critical to quality tree, voice of the customer, "muda" (waste) chart, and a pre- and post-event value stream map. The team selected an electronic submission system as the intervention most likely to positively impact the RIE project outcome measures. The number of authored works compliant with all required signatures improved from 52% to 100%. Customer satisfaction rated as "completely or mostly satisfied" improved from 24% to 97%. For both outcomes, signature compliance and customer satisfaction, statistical significance was achieved with a p < 0.0001. This RIE project utilized LSS methodology and tools to improve signature compliance and increase customer satisfaction with the authored works approval process, leading to 100% signature compliance, a comprehensive longitudinal repository of all authored work requests, and a 97% "completely or mostly satisfied" customer rating of the process.

Three-dimensional orientation of iris in an ocular prosthesis using a customized scale.

PubMed

Gupta, Lokendra; Aparna, I N; Dhanasekar, B; Prabhu, Nayana; Malla, Nirjalla; Agarwal, Priyanka

2014-04-01

The success of an ocular prosthesis depends largely on the correct orientation of the iris disk. Various methods have been put forth to achieve this. This article emphasizes one such simplified method, wherein a customized scale has been used to orient the iris disk mediolaterally, superoinferiorly, and anteroposteriorly in an ocular prosthesis. A scleral wax pattern was fabricated. The customized scale was used to measure the dimension and orientation of the natural iris. These measurements were then transferred to the scleral wax pattern with the customized scale. An iris disk was fabricated using black crayon on the scleral wax pattern according to the measurements. The scleral wax pattern, including the iris disk, was then placed in the eye socket to verify its dimension and orientation. A prefabricated iris disk was modified according to the measured dimensions and transferred to the final scleral wax pattern. The transfer of these dimensions to the definitive prosthesis was achieved successfully, ultimately improving the patient's social and psychological well being. © 2013 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

TRI P2 and Automotive Suppliers: Supplier information specific to the automotive industry sector

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

TRI’s Pollution Prevention (P2) Search Tool is one source of information to identify how facilities work with their suppliers and how suppliers work with their customers to achieve environmental improvement.

Two phase genetic algorithm for vehicle routing and scheduling problem with cross-docking and time windows considering customer satisfaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baniamerian, Ali; Bashiri, Mahdi; Zabihi, Fahime

2018-03-01

Cross-docking is a new warehousing policy in logistics which is widely used all over the world and attracts many researchers attention to study about in last decade. In the literature, economic aspects has been often studied, while one of the most significant factors for being successful in the competitive global market is improving quality of customer servicing and focusing on customer satisfaction. In this paper, we introduce a vehicle routing and scheduling problem with cross-docking and time windows in a three-echelon supply chain that considers customer satisfaction. A set of homogeneous vehicles collect products from suppliers and after consolidation process in the cross-dock, immediately deliver them to customers. A mixed integer linear programming model is presented for this problem to minimize transportation cost and early/tardy deliveries with scheduling of inbound and outbound vehicles to increase customer satisfaction. A two phase genetic algorithm (GA) is developed for the problem. For investigating the performance of the algorithm, it was compared with exact and lower bound solutions in small and large-size instances, respectively. Results show that there are at least 86.6% customer satisfaction by the proposed method, whereas customer satisfaction in the classical model is at most 33.3%. Numerical examples results show that the proposed two phase algorithm could achieve optimal solutions in small-size instances. Also in large-size instances, the proposed two phase algorithm could achieve better solutions with less gap from the lower bound in less computational time in comparison with the classic GA.

IPS technologies in sales improvement in companies in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Micic, Lj; Preradovic, D.

2018-01-01

Modern economy, in first order Retail sector, are introducing new and modern technologies which improve sales, communication with customers as well as marketing decision process. Retail sector is more and more oriented to technologies which improve not just communication with possible customers but also information gathering for better decision making process. Among those technologies special place is given to Indoor Positioning Systems (IPS) technologies, specialized technologies which are used for locating the people and objects but also their movement as well as for communication with clients in the store. These technologies follows customers in the store, follow their movement across, communicate with them about offers and promotions but also are base for predictive marketing of retail sector which has a goal to achieve „offer to customers what they look for and what they really need“. These technologies are in limited usage in Banja Luka area but potential for their use is present. There is no enough demand from retails industry but having in mind that these technologies are raising in modern economies as well as predictions and trends it is to be expected that those technologies will be implemented in retail sector in this region too.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Interim Report on Customer Acceptance, Retention, and Response to Time-Based Rates from the Consumer Behavior Studies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cappers, Peter; Hans, Liesel; Scheer, Richard

Time-based rate programs1, enabled by utility investments in advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), are increasingly being considered by utilities as tools to reduce peak demand and enable customers to better manage consumption and costs. There are several customer systems that are relatively new to the marketplace and have the potential for improving the effectiveness of these programs, including in-home displays (IHDs), programmable communicating thermostats (PCTs), and web portals. Policy and decision makers are interested in more information about customer acceptance, retention, and response before moving forward with expanded deployments of AMI-enabled new rates and technologies. Under the Smart Grid Investment Grantmore » Program (SGIG), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) partnered with several utilities to conduct consumer behavior studies (CBS). The goals involved applying randomized and controlled experimental designs for estimating customer responses more precisely and credibly to advance understanding of time-based rates and customer systems, and provide new information for improving program designs, implementation strategies, and evaluations. The intent was to produce more robust and credible analysis of impacts, costs, benefits, and lessons learned and assist utility and regulatory decision makers in evaluating investment opportunities involving time-based rates. To help achieve these goals, DOE developed technical guidelines to help the CBS utilities estimate customer acceptance, retention, and response more precisely.« less

What's the Return on a Tenner Nowadays...?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Sandra

2001-01-01

Workplace training at the British offices of Readers' Digest is designed to improve staff skills in communicating with customers. Evaluation of workshops focused on spelling, grammar, and business writing shows that the company is achieving a return on its training investment. (SK)

Cultural Change and a Balanced Scorecard. Does Your Organization Measure Up?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McAlary, Chris K.

2001-01-01

Discusses the balanced scorecard concept, a customer-based planning and process improvement system for measuring the success of campus business enterprises and helping to better achieve organizational goals. Scorecard design and implementation are described as are selected success stories. (GR)

Using gaze patterns to predict task intent in collaboration.

PubMed

Huang, Chien-Ming; Andrist, Sean; Sauppé, Allison; Mutlu, Bilge

2015-01-01

In everyday interactions, humans naturally exhibit behavioral cues, such as gaze and head movements, that signal their intentions while interpreting the behavioral cues of others to predict their intentions. Such intention prediction enables each partner to adapt their behaviors to the intent of others, serving a critical role in joint action where parties work together to achieve a common goal. Among behavioral cues, eye gaze is particularly important in understanding a person's attention and intention. In this work, we seek to quantify how gaze patterns may indicate a person's intention. Our investigation was contextualized in a dyadic sandwich-making scenario in which a "worker" prepared a sandwich by adding ingredients requested by a "customer." In this context, we investigated the extent to which the customers' gaze cues serve as predictors of which ingredients they intend to request. Predictive features were derived to represent characteristics of the customers' gaze patterns. We developed a support vector machine-based (SVM-based) model that achieved 76% accuracy in predicting the customers' intended requests based solely on gaze features. Moreover, the predictor made correct predictions approximately 1.8 s before the spoken request from the customer. We further analyzed several episodes of interactions from our data to develop a deeper understanding of the scenarios where our predictor succeeded and failed in making correct predictions. These analyses revealed additional gaze patterns that may be leveraged to improve intention prediction. This work highlights gaze cues as a significant resource for understanding human intentions and informs the design of real-time recognizers of user intention for intelligent systems, such as assistive robots and ubiquitous devices, that may enable more complex capabilities and improved user experience.

Transforming Data and Metadata into Actionable Intelligence and Information within the Maritime Domain

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-01

Therefore, the Internet allows organizations or enterprises to communicate instantly with customers, stakeholders, and partners, and it has changed ...to provide focus in our data collection. We also examine the changes to the present EMIO process by developing and implementing an organizational...organizational changes , the same process can be achieved in 5 hours, thus achieving the Navy Secretary’s vision to streamline and improve maritime operations

Integrating Stakeholders and Users into the Geography Discipline's Research Process

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hermans, Caroline M.; Taketa, Richard

2006-01-01

Future research priorities of Geography emphasize the discipline's leadership role in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in multidisciplinary and integrated research on human and environmental systems and how these systems are interrelated and respond to change Geography's research priorities also emphasize providing science that is usable to society and creating decision support products applicable to given customer problems. To achieve these goals, we must understand the relationship between our research and our customer, and how to integrate the customer into the research process. This report details the elements of the research process that help achieve the degree of stakeholder involvement necessary to ensure a successful end-product. It offers suggestions that can help researchers better understand stakeholders and customers and involve them in the research process more effectively, while preserving the integrity of the science. Its aim is to help researchers understand the problems and challenges faced by our customers and communicate the ways in which Geography can help address their problems. Adopting these guidelines can improve the efficiency of the research process and lead to higher quality output. We will be able to conduct better research because we will have an improved understanding of the research problem and the stakeholders involved. This report covers a broad range of topics, from identifying and communicating with stakeholders and users, to the use of language, to how to effectively present scientific information to the user. It does not offer a 'one size fits all' method. Instead, perhaps only specific sections are suitable for a given project and customers, depending on project scope and needs. This report is based on the objectives of Geography's strategic plan, U. S. Geological Survey's strategic plan, and Department of Interior's strategic plan. Section 2 of these guidelines describes the purpose of the research process in Geography and the need for better user involvement in the process. Section 3 explains how to conduct a stakeholder analysis. Section 4 explains how to conduct a user-needs assessment.

Performance of the score systems Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II and III at an interdisciplinary intensive care unit, after customization

PubMed Central

Markgraf, Rainer; Deutschinoff, Gerd; Pientka, Ludger; Scholten, Theo; Lorenz, Cristoph

2001-01-01

Background: Mortality predictions calculated using scoring scales are often not accurate in populations other than those in which the scales were developed because of differences in case-mix. The present study investigates the effect of first-level customization, using a logistic regression technique, on discrimination and calibration of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II and III scales. Method: Probabilities of hospital death for patients were estimated by applying APACHE II and III and comparing these with observed outcomes. Using the split sample technique, a customized model to predict outcome was developed by logistic regression. The overall goodness-of-fit of the original and the customized models was assessed. Results: Of 3383 consecutive intensive care unit (ICU) admissions over 3 years, 2795 patients could be analyzed, and were split randomly into development and validation samples. The discriminative powers of APACHE II and III were unchanged by customization (areas under the receiver operating characteristic [ROC] curve 0.82 and 0.85, respectively). Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit tests showed good calibration for APACHE II, but insufficient calibration for APACHE III. Customization improved calibration for both models, with a good fit for APACHE III as well. However, fit was different for various subgroups. Conclusions: The overall goodness-of-fit of APACHE III mortality prediction was improved significantly by customization, but uniformity of fit in different subgroups was not achieved. Therefore, application of the customized model provides no advantage, because differences in case-mix still limit comparisons of quality of care. PMID:11178223

75 FR 61413 - Notice of Availability of Biotechnology Quality Management System Audit Standard and Evaluation...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-05

...] Notice of Availability of Biotechnology Quality Management System Audit Standard and Evaluation of... Biotechnology Quality Management System Program (BQMS Program) to assist regulated entities in achieving and... customized biotechnology quality management system (BQMS) to improve their management of domestic research...

Integrating MRP (materiel requirements planning) into modern business.

PubMed

Lunn, T

1994-05-01

Time is the commodity of the '90s. Therefore, we all must learn how to use our manufacturing systems to shorten lead time and increase customer satisfaction. The objective of this article is to discuss practical ways people integrate the techniques of materiel requirements planning (MRP) systems with just-in-time (JIT) execution systems to increase customer satisfaction. Included are examples of new ways people use MRP systems to exemplify the process of continuous improvement--multiple items on work orders, consolidated routings, flexing capacity, and other new developments. Ways that successful companies use MRP II for planning and JIT for execution are discussed. There are many examples of how to apply theory to real life situations and a discussion of techniques that work to keep companies in the mode of continuous improvement. Also included is a look at hands-on, practical methods people use to achieve lead time reduction and simplify bills of material. Total quality management concepts can be applied to the MRP process itself. This in turn helps people improve schedule adherence, which leads to customer satisfaction.

A Hierarchical multi-input and output Bi-GRU Model for Sentiment Analysis on Customer Reviews

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Liujie; Zhou, Yanquan; Duan, Xiuyu; Chen, Ruiqi

2018-03-01

Multi-label sentiment classification on customer reviews is a practical challenging task in Natural Language Processing. In this paper, we propose a hierarchical multi-input and output model based bi-directional recurrent neural network, which both considers the semantic and lexical information of emotional expression. Our model applies two independent Bi-GRU layer to generate part of speech and sentence representation. Then the lexical information is considered via attention over output of softmax activation on part of speech representation. In addition, we combine probability of auxiliary labels as feature with hidden layer to capturing crucial correlation between output labels. The experimental result shows that our model is computationally efficient and achieves breakthrough improvements on customer reviews dataset.

Progress Made on a Plan To Integrate Planning, Budgeting, Assessment and Quality Principles To Achieve Institutional Improvement. First Year Report. AIR 1996 Annual Forum Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffith, Susan R.; And Others

This paper describes first year implementation efforts of Southwest Texas (SWT) State University to develop a system to integrate planning, budgeting, assessment, and quality to improve the delivery of education and other services to all the institution's customers. The document addresses the common situation when an organization already has…

A Homegrown Design for Data Warehousing: A District Customizes Its Own Process for Generating Detailed Information about Students in Real Time

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Terry J.; Gould, Karen J.

2005-01-01

In recent years the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township in Indianapolis has been awash in data. In attempts to improve levels of student achievement, the authors collected all manner of statistical details about students and schools and attempted to perform data analysis as part of the school improvement process. The authors were never…

Successful international collaboration improves family donation conversations resulting in increased organ donation.

PubMed

Mulvania, P; Mehakovic, E; Wise, C; Cass, Y; Daly, T A; Nathan, H M

2014-01-01

Australian donation leaders recognized that to increase organ donation outcomes, health professionals conducting family donation conversations (FDCs) required support and specialist training. An international training institute with programs based on proven results was engaged to create and implement a customized training program to influence change in FDC practice and culture. The goal was to increase donation rates by developing and implementing a customized, self-sustaining training program to enhance FDC practices of health professionals. Other goals included providing training and communications skills to lead FDC, supporting families in making decisions, and influencing health professionals to adopt FDC practices. To gain support and determine program suitability, two 1-day pilot training sessions were provided to 45 Australian donation leaders in 2011. Training was further customized with an emphasis on creating changes to achieve and sustain desired results. A comprehensive national training plan was implemented over 18 months. Twenty-six 2-day FDC training workshops were held in 8 cities (646 participants). Program evaluations and debriefings showed distinct shifts in perspectives and an enthusiasm to implement new processes. In 2012 to 2013, an instructor program was developed to transition training facilitation. The training institute remains involved in development and training to build and sustain skill and expertise. There was a 58% increase in organ donors in Australia from 2009 to 2013 (data reflect 2013 Australian end-of-year organ donation information). This represents a 36% increase in organ donors (2009-2011); the remaining 22% increase was achieved in the 2 years since the FDC training was implemented in Australia (2011-2013). Improved skills training in the conduct of FDCs seem to have contributed to improved donation outcomes in national identification, request, and consent rates. The integration of another organization's process poses distinct challenges; thoughtful collaboration, sensitive to cultural aspects and family care, communication, and donation practices, can result in successful customized training that shifts perspectives, provides new skills, and achieves and sustains an increase in organ donation rates. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

IS THERE A DOWNSIDE TO CUSTOMIZING CARE? IMPLICATIONS OF GENERAL AND PATIENT-SPECIFIC TREATMENT STRATEGIES

PubMed Central

Johnson, Paul E.; O’Connor, Patrick J.

2009-01-01

The use of general clinical guidelines versus customization of patient care presents a dilemma for clinicians managing chronic illness. We propose that the performance of customized strategies for the management of chronic illness depends on accurate patient categorization, and inaccurate categorization can lead to worse performance than that achievable using a general clinical guideline. This paper is based on an analysis of a basic utility model differentiating outcomes between the use of general management strategies and customized strategies. Results of the analysis have four implications regarding the design and use of clinical guidelines and customization of care: (1) the balance between the applications of more general strategies versus customization depends on the specificity and accuracy of the strategies; (2) adoption of clinical guidelines may be stifled as the complexity of guidelines increases to account for growing evidence; (3) clinical inertia (i.e. the failure to intensify an indicated treatment) can be a rational response to strategy specificity and the probability of misapplication; and, (4) current clinical guidelines and other decision-support tools may be improved if they accommodate the need for customization of strategies for some patients while providing support for proper categorization of patients. PMID:20367722

[Measurement of customer satisfaction and participation of citizens in improving the quality of healthcare services.].

PubMed

Degrassi, Flori; Sopranzi, Cristina; Leto, Antonella; Amato, Simona; D'Urso, Antonio

2009-01-01

Managing quality in health care whilst ensuring equity is a fundamental aspect of the provision of services by healthcare organizations. Measuring perceived quality of care is an important tool for evaluating the quality of healthcare delivery in that it allows the implementation of corrective actions to meet the healthcare needs of patients. The Rome B (ASL RMB) local health authority adopted the UNI EN 10006:2006 norms as a management tool, therefore introducing the evaluation of customer satisfaction as an opportunity to involve users in the creation of quality healthcare services with and for the citizens. This paper presents the activities implemented and the results achieved with regards to shared and integrated continuous improvement of services.

An Interoperable Electronic Medical Record-Based Platform for Personalized Predictive Analytics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abedtash, Hamed

2017-01-01

Precision medicine refers to the delivering of customized treatment to patients based on their individual characteristics, and aims to reduce adverse events, improve diagnostic methods, and enhance the efficacy of therapies. Among efforts to achieve the goals of precision medicine, researchers have used observational data for developing predictive…

Improving Order Lead Time: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Villarreal, Bernardo; Salido, Lucy

2009-01-01

A fundamental challenge of globally competing companies is to increase their level of customer satisfaction, by devising and implementing strategies aimed at providing better price, quality, and service. This paper describes the efforts of a Mexican company to achieve this goal, and in particular, with the need to decrease order lead time…

U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Aid Five-Year Plan, 2006-2010

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

US Department of Education, 2006

2006-01-01

This document reflects Federal Student Aid's solid progress in meeting strategic objectives since becoming a Performance-Based Organization. Specifically, the plan addresses continuing efforts to increase program integrity, improve customer service and achieve measurable results in the management and administration of the Title IV student…

20 CFR 663.500 - What is the purpose of this subpart?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... emphasizes informed customer choice, system performance, and continuous improvement. The eligible provider process is part of the strategy for achieving these goals. Local Boards, in partnership with the State... population groups are served, States and local areas should administer the eligible provider process in a...

Exploring the impact of customer relational benefit on relationship commitment in health service sectors.

PubMed

Weng, Rhay-Hung; Huang, Jin-An; Huang, Ching-Yuan; Huang, Shih-Chang

2010-01-01

An increasing number of health service sectors have begun to implement relationship marketing to try to establish long-term relationship with customers. Customer relational benefit has been an important subject for relationship marketing researchers. This study was conducted to investigate how customer relational benefit might influence relationship commitment in health service sectors. The research used a questionnaire survey that retrieved a total number of 403 valid questionnaires. The data were collected by way of personal visits and investigations of outpatients in three regional hospitals in Taiwan. After the reliability and the validity of the questionnaire sample were examined, the data were verified by using hierarchical regression analysis. Results showed that confidence benefit constituted the most pronounced factor for hospital customers. Confidence benefit, social benefit, and special treatment benefit were perceived by customers as the key factors that have a positive influence on relationship commitment. In particular, customers placing greater emphasis on confidence benefit tended to be less willing to establish relationship commitment. When health service managers develop marketing strategies using customer relational benefit, they will still need to enhance customer confidence benefit as one of the main ways of achieving future improvements. In the event where health service managers seek to install resources for establishing and maintaining a good relationship commitment with customers, the crucial factors of social and special treatment benefits should not be ignored when seeking to enhance the customers' perception of confidence benefit.

Improving productivity and firm performance with enterprise resource planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beheshti, Hooshang M.; Beheshti, Cyrus M.

2010-11-01

Productivity is generally considered to be the efficient utilisation of organisational resources and is measured in terms of the efficiency of a worker, company or nation. Focusing on efficiency alone, however, can be harmful to the organisation's long-term success and competitiveness. The full benefits of productivity improvement measures are realised when productivity is examined from two perspectives: operational efficiency (output/input) of an individual worker or a business unit as well as performance (effectiveness) with regard to end user or customer satisfaction. Over the years, corporations have adopted new technology to integrate business activities in order to achieve both effectiveness and efficiency in their operations. In recent years, many firms have invested in enterprise resource planning (ERP) in order to integrate all business activities into a uniform system. The implementation of ERP enables the firm to reduce the transaction costs of the business and improve its productivity, customer satisfaction and profitability.

Customer service: developing a new mindset for today's instant gratification society.

PubMed

Stockburger, W T

1998-01-01

Today's society expects and demands immediate service, results and access to information. Can those of us in leadership positions say that the service we provide is equal to or exceeds what our customers expect? How can we redesign our services so they are better than those we currently provide? Some people look to advances in technology as one means to improve services and access to information, but this should not be the only means. If we are to develop a philosophy of exceptional service, we must develop a vision of those services. We must gain an understanding of our customers, plus a knowledge of products, the availability of resources and any industry constraints. In healthcare, we must look to leadership to achieve our goals. A goal of exceptional customer service must be communicated to all levels of service providers from management. Top-down action by management--leadership by example--is critical. Leadership must gain the trust of both customers and employees by actively listening to both verbal and nonverbal comments at all points of service. Without an understanding of our customers' needs, it won't be possible to deliver services at or above their expectations.

Gaining customer knowledge: obtaining and using customer judgments for hospitalwide quality improvement.

PubMed

Nelson, E C; Caldwell, C; Quinn, D; Rose, R

1991-03-01

Customer knowledge is an essential feature of hospitalwide quality improvement. All systems and processes have customers. The aim is to use customer knowledge and voice of the customer measurement to plan, design, improve, and monitor these systems and processes continuously. In this way, the hospital stands the best chance of meeting customers' needs and, hopefully, delivering services that are so outstanding that customers will be surprised and delighted. There are many methods, both soft and hard, that can be used to increase customer knowledge. One useful strategy is to use a family of quality measures that reflect the voice of the customer. These measures can generate practical and powerful customer knowledge information that is essential to performing strategic planning, deploying quality policy, designing new services, finding targets for improvements, and monitoring those continuous improvements based on customers' judgments.

Modernizing Distribution System Restoration to Achieve Grid Resiliency Against Extreme Weather Events: An Integrated Solution

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Chen; Wang, Jianhui; Ton, Dan

Recent severe power outages caused by extreme weather hazards have highlighted the importance and urgency of improving the resilience of the electric power grid. As the distribution grids still remain vulnerable to natural disasters, the power industry has focused on methods of restoring distribution systems after disasters in an effective and quick manner. The current distribution system restoration practice for utilities is mainly based on predetermined priorities and tends to be inefficient and suboptimal, and the lack of situational awareness after the hazard significantly delays the restoration process. As a result, customers may experience an extended blackout, which causes largemore » economic loss. On the other hand, the emerging advanced devices and technologies enabled through grid modernization efforts have the potential to improve the distribution system restoration strategy. However, utilizing these resources to aid the utilities in better distribution system restoration decision-making in response to extreme weather events is a challenging task. Therefore, this paper proposes an integrated solution: a distribution system restoration decision support tool designed by leveraging resources developed for grid modernization. We first review the current distribution restoration practice and discuss why it is inadequate in response to extreme weather events. Then we describe how the grid modernization efforts could benefit distribution system restoration, and we propose an integrated solution in the form of a decision support tool to achieve the goal. The advantages of the solution include improving situational awareness of the system damage status and facilitating survivability for customers. The paper provides a comprehensive review of how the existing methodologies in the literature could be leveraged to achieve the key advantages. The benefits of the developed system restoration decision support tool include the optimal and efficient allocation of repair crews and resources, the expediting of the restoration process, and the reduction of outage durations for customers, in response to severe blackouts due to extreme weather hazards.« less

Customization and design of directed self-assembly using hybrid prepatterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Joy; Doerk, Gregory S.; Rettner, Charles T.; Singh, Gurpreet; Tjio, Melia; Truong, Hoa; Arellano, Noel; Balakrishnan, Srinivasan; Brink, Markus; Tsai, Hsinyu; Liu, Chi-Chun; Guillorn, Michael; Sanders, Daniel P.

2015-03-01

Diminishing error tolerance renders the customization of patterns created through directed self-assembly (DSA) extremely challenging at tighter pitch. A self-aligned customization scheme can be achieved using a hybrid prepattern comprising both organic and inorganic regions that serves as a guiding prepattern to direct the self-assembly of the block copolymers as well as a cut mask pattern for the DSA arrays aligned to it. In this paper, chemoepitaxy-based self-aligned customization is demonstrated using two types of organic-inorganic prepatterns. CHEETAH prepattern for "CHemoepitaxy Etch Trim using a self-Aligned Hardmask" of preferential hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ, inorganic resist), non-preferential organic underlayer is fabricated using electron beam lithography. Customized trench or hole arrays can be achieved through co-transfer of DSA-formed arrays and CHEETAH prepattern. Herein, we also introduce a tone-reversed version called reverse-CHEETAH (or rCHEETAH) in which customized line segments can be achieved through co-transfer of DSA-formed arrays formed on a prepattern wherein the inorganic HSQ regions are nonpreferential and the organic regions are PMMA preferential. Examples of two-dimensional self-aligned customization including 25nm pitch fin structures and an 8-bar "IBM" illustrate the versatility of this customization scheme using rCHEETAH.

Customizing elastic pressure bandages for reuse to a predetermined, sub-bandage pressure: A randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Sermsathanasawadi, Nuttawut; Tarapongpun, Tanakorn; Pianchareonsin, Rattana; Puangpunngam, Nattawut; Wongwanit, Chumpol; Chinsakchai, Khamin; Mutirangura, Pramook; Ruangsetakit, Chanean

2017-01-01

Objective A randomized clinical trial was performed to compare the effectiveness of unmarked bandages and customized bandages with visual markers in reproducing the desired sub-bandage pressure during self-bandaging by patients. Method Ninety patients were randomly allocated to two groups ("customized bandages" and "unmarked bandages") and asked to perform self-bandaging three times. The achievement of a pressure between 35 and 45 mmHg in at least two of the three attempts was defined as adequate quality. Results Adequate quality was achieved by 33.0% when applying the unmarked bandages, and 60.0% when applying the customized bandages ( p = 0.02). Use of the customized bandage and previous experience of bandaging were independent predictors for the achievement of the predetermined sub-bandage pressure ( p = 0.005 and p = 0.021, respectively). Conclusion Customized bandages may achieve predetermined sub-bandage pressures more closely than standard, unmarked, compression bandages. Clinical trials registration ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02729688). Effectiveness of a Pressure Indicator Guided and a Conventional Bandaging in Treatment of Venous Leg Ulcer. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02729688.

Partners in quality: managing your suppliers.

PubMed

Conway, B A

1991-05-01

Just expecting more from your supplier is not what partnership is about. We have had the experience where the quality improvement and partnership banner has been waved but the tone and spirit of the meeting did not encourage or support a joint quality improvement effort. Benefits will not be achieved until the wall truly begins to come apart and the relationship is built on mutual respect and trust. Data collection and open answers to questions often reveal embarrassing errors and obvious needs for improvements. As stated before, blame and finger-pointing must be replaced with a mutual commitment to asking and answering the question, "How can we improve?" As Dr. W. Edwards Deming has stated, "End the practice of awarding business on the basis of price tag. Instead, minimize total cost. Move toward a single supplier for any one item on a long-term relationship of loyalty and trust." The structured approach of a quality improvement process and the application of quality methods and techniques has proven useful in removing emotion and helping the team focus on the process rather than the people and the issues involved. Quality improvement methods are focused on achieving both customer and supplier goals--customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and operational efficiency and effectiveness. Our experience with Partners in Quality as well as our experience with the quality leadership process supports a recent quote in the Harvard Business Review: "Quality is not just a slogan...(it is) the most profitable way to run a business."

Ninety to Nothing: a PDSA quality improvement project.

PubMed

Prybutok, Gayle Linda

2018-05-14

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of a successful quality improvement project in an acute care hospital focused on reducing the time of the total patient visit in the emergency department. Design/methodology/approach A multidisciplinary quality improvement team, using the PDSA (Plan, Do, Study, Act) Cycle, analyzed the emergency department care delivery process and sequentially made process improvements that contributed to project success. Findings The average turnaround time goal of 90 minutes or less per visit was achieved in four months, and the organization enjoyed significant collateral benefits both internal to the organization and for its customers. Practical implications This successful PDSA process can be duplicated by healthcare organizations of all sizes seeking to improve a process related to timely, high-quality patient care delivery. Originality/value Extended wait time in hospital emergency departments is a universal problem in the USA that reduces the quality of the customer experience and that delays necessary patient care. This case study demonstrates that a structured quality improvement process implemented by a multidisciplinary team with the authority to make necessary process changes can successfully redefine the norm.

Los Angeles OneSource System Youth Participant Customer Satisfaction Survey, 2010-2011

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heisley, Deborah D.; Moore, Richard W.; Patch, Robin N.

2012-01-01

As part of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, Los Angeles OneSource Centers offer low-income youth ages 14-21 services aimed at improving educational achievement, enhancing job skills, and preparing for college. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the youths' satisfaction with services received at 14 OneSource Centers throughout…

Evaluation of "Back to Basics" Mathematics Workbooks: A Randomised Control Trial of the Primary Mathematics Research Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fleisch, Brahm; Taylor, Nick; Herholdt, Roelien; Sapire, Ingrid

2011-01-01

Can providing learner support materials, particularly custom-designed workbooks, improve primary mathematics achievement more cost effectively than providing conventional textbooks? To contribute to this debate, this paper reports on the findings of a study conducted in 2010 by a consortium of educational researchers at JET Education Services and…

Using business intelligence to improve performance.

PubMed

Wadsworth, Tom; Graves, Brian; Glass, Steve; Harrison, A Marc; Donovan, Chris; Proctor, Andrew

2009-10-01

Cleveland Clinic's enterprise performance management program offers proof that comparisons of actual performance against strategic objectives can enable healthcare organization to achieve rapid organizational change. Here are four lessons Cleveland Clinic learned from this initiative: Align performance metrics with strategic initiatives. Structure dashboards for the CEO. Link performance to annual reviews. Customize dashboard views to the specific user.

Ensemble Methods for Classification of Physical Activities from Wrist Accelerometry.

PubMed

Chowdhury, Alok Kumar; Tjondronegoro, Dian; Chandran, Vinod; Trost, Stewart G

2017-09-01

To investigate whether the use of ensemble learning algorithms improve physical activity recognition accuracy compared to the single classifier algorithms, and to compare the classification accuracy achieved by three conventional ensemble machine learning methods (bagging, boosting, random forest) and a custom ensemble model comprising four algorithms commonly used for activity recognition (binary decision tree, k nearest neighbor, support vector machine, and neural network). The study used three independent data sets that included wrist-worn accelerometer data. For each data set, a four-step classification framework consisting of data preprocessing, feature extraction, normalization and feature selection, and classifier training and testing was implemented. For the custom ensemble, decisions from the single classifiers were aggregated using three decision fusion methods: weighted majority vote, naïve Bayes combination, and behavior knowledge space combination. Classifiers were cross-validated using leave-one subject out cross-validation and compared on the basis of average F1 scores. In all three data sets, ensemble learning methods consistently outperformed the individual classifiers. Among the conventional ensemble methods, random forest models provided consistently high activity recognition; however, the custom ensemble model using weighted majority voting demonstrated the highest classification accuracy in two of the three data sets. Combining multiple individual classifiers using conventional or custom ensemble learning methods can improve activity recognition accuracy from wrist-worn accelerometer data.

Customer service: the key to market differentiation.

PubMed

Stahl, D A

1997-06-01

Fierce competition in the subacute care environment makes customer service orientation essential. Four steps help to achieve quality customer service are: (1) institute core values; (2) identify your customers; (3) understand human resources; and (4) establish an efficient system.

[Application of marketing strategies for the management of public hospitals from the viewpoint of the staff members].

PubMed

Riveros S, Jorge; Berné M, Carmen

2006-03-01

The implementation of the marketing strategies in public hospitals provides management advantages and improves the relationship between customers and staff. To analyze the application of marketing strategies in a public hospital, from the perspective of the staff. A structured survey that asked about perceptions in 50 items about communication between personnel and customers/users, customer satisfaction, participation in the development of new policies and incentives for efficiency was applied to a stratified sample of the staff. Factorial and regression analyses were performed to define the impact of marketing strategies on the degree of preoccupation and orientation of the organization towards the satisfaction of customer needs. The survey was applied to 74 males and 122 females. The survey showed that the orientation of the hospital towards the satisfaction of its beneficiaries basically depends on the generation of an organizational culture oriented towards them and the implementation of adequate policies in staff management and quality of service. These basic aspects can be accompanied with practices associated to the new marketing approaches such as a market orientation, customer orientation and relational marketing. All these factors presented positive and significant relations. New marketing strategies should be applied, to achieve an efficient and customer oriented hospital management.

Using statistical process control to make data-based clinical decisions.

PubMed

Pfadt, A; Wheeler, D J

1995-01-01

Applied behavior analysis is based on an investigation of variability due to interrelationships among antecedents, behavior, and consequences. This permits testable hypotheses about the causes of behavior as well as for the course of treatment to be evaluated empirically. Such information provides corrective feedback for making data-based clinical decisions. This paper considers how a different approach to the analysis of variability based on the writings of Walter Shewart and W. Edwards Deming in the area of industrial quality control helps to achieve similar objectives. Statistical process control (SPC) was developed to implement a process of continual product improvement while achieving compliance with production standards and other requirements for promoting customer satisfaction. SPC involves the use of simple statistical tools, such as histograms and control charts, as well as problem-solving techniques, such as flow charts, cause-and-effect diagrams, and Pareto charts, to implement Deming's management philosophy. These data-analytic procedures can be incorporated into a human service organization to help to achieve its stated objectives in a manner that leads to continuous improvement in the functioning of the clients who are its customers. Examples are provided to illustrate how SPC procedures can be used to analyze behavioral data. Issues related to the application of these tools for making data-based clinical decisions and for creating an organizational climate that promotes their routine use in applied settings are also considered.

Modeling the Supply Process Using the Application of Selected Methods of Operational Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chovancová, Mária; Klapita, Vladimír

2017-03-01

Supply process is one of the most important enterprise activities. All raw materials, intermediate products and products, which are moved within enterprise, are the subject of inventory management and by their effective management significant improvement of enterprise position on the market can be achieved. For that reason, the inventory needs to be managed, monitored, evaluated and affected. The paper deals with utilizing the methods of the operational analysis in the field of inventory management in terms of achieving the economic efficiency and ensuring the particular customer's service level as well.

Rolling Contact Fatigue Life and Spall Propagation Characteristics of AISI M50, M50 NiL, and AISI 52100. Part 1. Experimental Results (Preprint)

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-10-01

phase and factors which may cause accelerated growth rates is key to achieving a reliable and robust bearing design . The end goal is to identify...key to achieving a reliable and robust bearing design . The end goal is to identify control parameters for optimizing bearing materials for improved...25.0 nm and were each fabricated from same material heats respectively to a custom design print to ABEC 5 quality and had split inner rings. Each had

Research on retailer data clustering algorithm based on Spark

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Qiuman; Zhou, Feng

2017-03-01

Big data analysis is a hot topic in the IT field now. Spark is a high-reliability and high-performance distributed parallel computing framework for big data sets. K-means algorithm is one of the classical partition methods in clustering algorithm. In this paper, we study the k-means clustering algorithm on Spark. Firstly, the principle of the algorithm is analyzed, and then the clustering analysis is carried out on the supermarket customers through the experiment to find out the different shopping patterns. At the same time, this paper proposes the parallelization of k-means algorithm and the distributed computing framework of Spark, and gives the concrete design scheme and implementation scheme. This paper uses the two-year sales data of a supermarket to validate the proposed clustering algorithm and achieve the goal of subdividing customers, and then analyze the clustering results to help enterprises to take different marketing strategies for different customer groups to improve sales performance.

Lean methodology: supporting battlefield medical fitness by cutting process waste.

PubMed

Huggins, Elaine J

2010-01-01

Healthcare has long looked at decreasing risk in communication and patient care processes. Increasing the simplicity in communication and patient care process is a newer concept contained in Lean methodology. Lean is a strategy for achieving improvement in performance through the elimination of steps that use resources without contributing to customer value. This is known as cutting waste or nonvalue added steps. This article outlines how the use of Lean improved a key process that supports battlefield medical fitness.

A hands-on experience of the voice of customer analysis in maternity care from Iran.

PubMed

Aghlmand, Siamak; Lameei, Aboulfath; Small, Rhonda

2010-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of voice of customer (VoC) analysis in a maternity care case study, where the aim was to identify the most important requirements of women giving birth and to determine targets for the improvement of maternity care in Fayazbakhsh Hospital in Tehran, Iran. The tools of VoC analysis were used to identify: the main customer segment of maternity care; the most important of women's needs and requirements; the level of maternal satisfaction with delivered services at the study hospital and at a competitor; the nature of women's of requirements (termed Kano levels: assumed, expected, and unexpected); and the priorities of the study hospital for meeting these requirements. Women identified the well-being of mother and baby as the most important requirements. Women's satisfaction with the services was, with a few exceptions, low to moderate. Services related to most of the maternal requirements were ranked better in the competitor hospital than the study hospital. The results form a solid basis for achieving improvements in the processes of care for mothers and babies. The paper presents a systematic approach to VoC analysis in health care settings as a basis for clinical process improvement initiatives.

Balanced Scorecard Goal Four: Provide Policy Management, Advocacy and Problem Solving Measuring Achievement of Internal Customer Objectives

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-06-01

Achievement of Internal Customer Objectives A Graduate Management Project Submitted to The Residency Committee In Candidacy for the Degree of Masters in...internal customer relations, the GPRMC has incorporated use of a Balanced Scorecard within its management scheme. The scorecard serves as a strategy map...headquarters. The goal, "Provide Policy Management , Advocacy and Problem Solving", addresses the relationship between the headquarters and its internal

Making It Count: Understanding the Value of Energy Efficiency Financing Programs Funded by Utility Customers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kramer, Chris; Fadrhonc, Emily Martin; Goldman, Charles

Utility customer-supported financing programs are receiving increased attention as a strategy for achieving energy saving goals. Rationales for using utility customer funds to support financing initiatives

Improving the estimated cost of sustained power interruptions to electricity customers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

LaCommare, Kristina Hamachi; Eto, Joseph H.; Dunn, Laurel N.

Electricity reliability and resiliency have become a topic of heightened interest in recent years in the United States. As utilities, regulators, and policymakers determine how to achieve optimal levels of electricity reliability while considering how best to prepare for future disruptions in power, the related issue of how much it costs when customers lose power remains a largely unanswered question. In 2006, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory developed an end-use based framework that estimates the cost of power interruptions in the U.S that has served as a foundational paper using the best available, yet far from perfect, information at that time.more » Since then, an abundance of work has been done to improve the quality and availability of information that now allow us to make a much more robust assessment of the cost of power interruptions to U.S. customers. In this paper, we find that the total U.S. cost of sustained power interruptions is 44 billion dollars per year (2015-) -25% more than the 26 billion dollars per year in 2002- (or 35 billion dollars per year in 2015-) estimated in our 2006 study.« less

Improving the estimated cost of sustained power interruptions to electricity customers

DOE PAGES

LaCommare, Kristina Hamachi; Eto, Joseph H.; Dunn, Laurel N.; ...

2018-04-18

Electricity reliability and resiliency have become a topic of heightened interest in recent years in the United States. As utilities, regulators, and policymakers determine how to achieve optimal levels of electricity reliability while considering how best to prepare for future disruptions in power, the related issue of how much it costs when customers lose power remains a largely unanswered question. In 2006, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory developed an end-use based framework that estimates the cost of power interruptions in the U.S that has served as a foundational paper using the best available, yet far from perfect, information at that time.more » Since then, an abundance of work has been done to improve the quality and availability of information that now allow us to make a much more robust assessment of the cost of power interruptions to U.S. customers. In this paper, we find that the total U.S. cost of sustained power interruptions is 44 billion dollars per year (2015-) -25% more than the 26 billion dollars per year in 2002- (or 35 billion dollars per year in 2015-) estimated in our 2006 study.« less

Customer focus level following implementation of quality improvement model in Tehran social security hospitals.

PubMed

Mehrabi, F; Nasiripour, A; Delgoshaei, B

2008-01-01

The key factor for the success of total quality management programs in an organization is focusing on the customer. The purpose of this paper is to assess customer focus level following implementation of a quality improvement model in social security hospitals in Tehran Province. This research was descriptive-comparative in nature. The study population consisted of the implementers of quality improvement model in four Tehran social security hospitals. The data were gathered through a checklist addressing customer knowledge and customer satisfaction. The research findings indicated that the average scores on customer knowledge in Shahriar, Alborz, Milad, and Varamin hospitals were 64.1, 61.2, 54.1, and 46.6, respectively. The average scores on customer satisfaction in Shahriar, Alborz, Milad, and Varamin hospitals were 67.7, 65, 59.4, and 50, respectively. The customer focus average scores in Shahriar, Alborz, Milad, and Varamin hospitals were 66.3, 63.3, 57.3, and 48.6, respectively. The total average scores on customer knowledge, satisfaction and customer focus in the investigated hospitals proved to be 56.4, 60.5, and 58.9, respectively. The paper is of value in showing that implementation of the quality improvement model could considerably improve customer focus level.

The total customer relationship in health care: broadening the bandwidth.

PubMed

Berwick, D M

1997-05-01

The health care system is in the midst of a market revolution, driven by cost containment but also fully charged by the idea that competition among providers will lead to reforms that neither the government nor the professions have been able to achieve by themselves. An agenda of "reports to consumers" has been advanced as a bright new hope for improving the health care system. An alternative to this notion of consumerism is far broader--that is the concept of total relationship. In the hands of masters outside the health care domain, the total customer relationship embraces several elements that can be imported into health care and that offer more promise than "report cards," including the following: Customers as assistants in decreasing waste; Mass customization and stratification of need; Shaping demand; Immediate recovery; Delight as the objective; and Customer knowledge and innovation. A CREDO: The next phase of development of total customer relationship might well be guided by a credo including several tenets about the wisdom of those the health care system serves and the nature of its purpose: 1. In a helping profession, the ultimate judge of performance is the person helped. 2. Most people, including sick people, are reasonable most of the time. 3. Different people have different, legitimate needs. 4. Pain and fear produce anxiety in both the victim and the helper. 5. Meeting needs without waste is a strategic and moral imperative.

Sustained Energy Savings Achieved through Successful Industrial Customer Interaction with Ratepayer Programs: Case Studies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Goldberg, Amelie; Hedman, Bruce; Taylor, Robert P.

Many states have implemented ratepayer-funded programs to acquire energy efficiency as a predictable and reliable resource for meeting existing and future energy demand. These programs have become a fixture in many U.S. electricity and natural gas markets as they help postpone or eliminate the need for expensive generation and transmission investments. Industrial energy efficiency (IEE) is an energy efficiency resource that is not only a low cost option for many of these efficiency programs, but offers productivity and competitive benefits to manufacturers as it reduces their energy costs. However, some industrial customers are less enthusiastic about participating in these programs.more » IEE ratepayer programs suffer low participation by industries across many states today despite a continual increase in energy efficiency program spending across all types of customers, and significant energy efficiency funds can often go unused for industrial customers. This paper provides four detailed case studies of companies that benefited from participation in their utility’s energy efficiency program offerings and highlights the business value brought to them by participation in these programs. The paper is designed both for rate-payer efficiency program administrators interested in improving the attractiveness and effectiveness of industrial efficiency programs for their industrial customers and for industrial customers interested in maximizing the value of participating in efficiency programs.« less

Updated Value of Service Reliability Estimates for Electric Utility Customers in the United States

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sullivan, Michael; Schellenberg, Josh; Blundell, Marshall

2015-01-01

This report updates the 2009 meta-analysis that provides estimates of the value of service reliability for electricity customers in the United States (U.S.). The meta-dataset now includes 34 different datasets from surveys fielded by 10 different utility companies between 1989 and 2012. Because these studies used nearly identical interruption cost estimation or willingness-to-pay/accept methods, it was possible to integrate their results into a single meta-dataset describing the value of electric service reliability observed in all of them. Once the datasets from the various studies were combined, a two-part regression model was used to estimate customer damage functions that can bemore » generally applied to calculate customer interruption costs per event by season, time of day, day of week, and geographical regions within the U.S. for industrial, commercial, and residential customers. This report focuses on the backwards stepwise selection process that was used to develop the final revised model for all customer classes. Across customer classes, the revised customer interruption cost model has improved significantly because it incorporates more data and does not include the many extraneous variables that were in the original specification from the 2009 meta-analysis. The backwards stepwise selection process led to a more parsimonious model that only included key variables, while still achieving comparable out-of-sample predictive performance. In turn, users of interruption cost estimation tools such as the Interruption Cost Estimate (ICE) Calculator will have less customer characteristics information to provide and the associated inputs page will be far less cumbersome. The upcoming new version of the ICE Calculator is anticipated to be released in 2015.« less

47 CFR 7.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... fiscal relationship of covered entity in question to the parent entity. (i) The term specialized customer... and specialized customer premises equipment commonly used by individuals with disabilities to achieve...-proprietary standard signals used by TTYs. (c) The term customer premises equipment shall mean equipment...

78 FR 52991 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NASDAQ OMX PHLX LLC; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-27

..., 2014, a separate price improvement process for public customer and non-public customer PIXL Orders that... price equal to or within a range of 2.49-2.51. Assume a public customer or non-public customer order to... continue to afford the same price improvement opportunities for public customer and non-public customer...

Post-purchase reassessment and improvement of neuroendoscope holder: importance of physician-manufacturer communication.

PubMed

Ogawa, Yoshikazu; Nakata, Yusuke; Tominaga, Teiji

2014-01-01

Modern medical management requires constant quality improvement of the various instruments used for surgical procedures. Higher quality, less complicated handling, and reduced maintenance are all desirable qualities. However, any improvements in instrumentation require that surgeons must clearly understand the application of the device by adherence to the manufacturer's instructions. The weakness of this one-way information flow depends on the low interest among medical personnel for post-purchase reassessment. Service industries have research departments to investigate the post-purchase behavior of customers, and service recovery is considered essential to retain customers after service failure. All service providers can suffer service failures, and even the best providers may make errors in delivering service. Such an approach has been increasingly adopted in the risk management at medical institutions. We report our clinical trials of the post-purchase reassessment and product improvement of surgical instrumentation. Medical personnel reassessed the use of a newly developed endoscope holder based on the manufacturer's manual and made recommendations for possible improvements, which were examined by the manufacturer. Simple but important improvement was achieved for reducing the instability and uncertainty of instrument fixation. This bi-directional post-purchase communication between medical personnel and manufacturers can improve risk management in medical institutions.

Feasibility study for converting traditional line assembly into work cells for termination of fiber optics cable

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caldeira, Rylan; Honnungar, Sunilkumar

2018-04-01

Most of small to medium industries tend to follow traditional systems of manufacturing which aims at maximum resource utilization irrespective of giving attention to customers volatile demand. In recent times manufacturing is being shifted to be consumers centered, with intense competition among industries to satisfy the customer needs in the required quantity and at the right time. To achieve this, companies investigate the possibility of implementation of cellular manufacturing which is characterized by high variety with optimum usage of resources. Cellular layout coupled with the application of lean methodology, places focus on the production process rather than the production methods so as to identify the wastage and apply methods to further improve productivity.

Improving competitiveness through performance-measurement systems.

PubMed

Stewart, L J; Lockamy, A

2001-12-01

Parallels exist between the competitive pressures felt by U.S. manufacturers over the past 30 years and those experienced by healthcare providers today. Increasing market deregulation, changing government policies, and growing consumerism have altered the healthcare arena. Responding to similar pressures, manufacturers adopted a strategic orientation driven by customer needs and expectations that led them to achieve high performance levels and surpass their competition. The adoption of integrated performance-measurement systems was instrumental in these firms' success. An integrated performance-measurement model for healthcare organizations can help to blend the organization's strategy with the demands of the contemporary healthcare environment. Performance-measurement systems encourage healthcare organizations to focus on their mission and vision by aligning their strategic objectives and resource-allocation decisions with customer requirements.

Microgrid Controllers : Expanding Their Role and Evaluating Their Performance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Maitra, Arindam; Pratt, Annabelle; Hubert, Tanguy

Microgrids have long been deployed to provide power to customers in remote areas as well as critical industrial and military loads. Today, they are also being proposed as grid-interactive solutions for energy-resilient communities. Such microgrids will spend most of the time operating while synchronized with the surrounding utility grid but will also be capable of separating during contingency periods due to storms or temporary disturbances such as local grid faults. Properly designed and grid-integrated microgrids can provide the flexibility, reliability, and resiliency needs of both the future grid and critical customers. These systems can be an integral part of futuremore » power system designs that optimize investments to achieve operational goals, improved reliability, and diversification of energy sources.« less

Acquisition Logistics Guidelines for Improving the Argentine Air Force Weapon System Acquisition Process

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-03-01

these kinds of sources: Industry standards Other commercial or military customers LMI specification summaries Contractor’s in-house data Section...government and industry managers to achieve program objectives. • Putting in place for fielded systems additional incentives to reduce operating and...meaning clarifications; an explanation of the roles of Congress, the Executive Branch, and Industry in defense acquisition; and an overview on the

CUSTOMS SERVICE MODERNIZATION: Management Improvements Needed on High-Risk Automated Commercial Environment Project

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-05-01

GAO United States General Accounting OfficeReport to Congressional CommitteesMay 2002 CUSTOMS SERVICE MODERNIZATION Management Improvements Needed...from... to) - Title and Subtitle CUSTOMS SERVICE MODERNIZATION: Management Improvements Needed on High-Risk Automated Commercial Environment... Customs management of ACE. Subject Terms Report Classification unclassified Classification of this page unclassified Classification of Abstract

A framework for improving access and customer service times in health care: application and analysis at the UCLA Medical Center.

PubMed

Duda, Catherine; Rajaram, Kumar; Barz, Christiane; Rosenthal, J Thomas

2013-01-01

There has been an increasing emphasis on health care efficiency and costs and on improving quality in health care settings such as hospitals or clinics. However, there has not been sufficient work on methods of improving access and customer service times in health care settings. The study develops a framework for improving access and customer service time for health care settings. In the framework, the operational concept of the bottleneck is synthesized with queuing theory to improve access and reduce customer service times without reduction in clinical quality. The framework is applied at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center to determine the drivers for access and customer service times and then provides guidelines on how to improve these drivers. Validation using simulation techniques shows significant potential for reducing customer service times and increasing access at this institution. Finally, the study provides several practice implications that could be used to improve access and customer service times without reduction in clinical quality across a range of health care settings from large hospitals to small community clinics.

Gas dynamic design of the pipe line compressor with 90% efficiency. Model test approval

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galerkin, Y.; Rekstin, A.; Soldatova, K.

2015-08-01

Gas dynamic design of the pipe line compressor 32 MW was made for PAO SMPO (Sumy, Ukraine). The technical specification requires compressor efficiency of 90%. The customer offered favorable scheme - single-stage design with console impeller and axial inlet. The authors used the standard optimization methodology of 2D impellers. The original methodology of internal scroll profiling was used to minimize efficiency losses. Radically improved 5th version of the Universal modeling method computer programs was used for precise calculation of expected performances. The customer fulfilled model tests in a 1:2 scale. Tests confirmed the calculated parameters at the design point (maximum efficiency of 90%) and in the whole range of flow rates. As far as the authors know none of compressors have achieved such efficiency. The principles and methods of gas-dynamic design are presented below. The data of the 32 MW compressor presented by the customer in their report at the 16th International Compressor conference (September 2014, Saint- Petersburg) and later transferred to the authors.

Application of FDM three-dimensional printing technology in the digital manufacture of custom edentulous mandible trays

PubMed Central

Chen, Hu; Yang, Xu; Chen, Litong; Wang, Yong; Sun, Yuchun

2016-01-01

The objective was to establish and evaluate a method for manufacture of custom trays for edentulous jaws using computer aided design and fused deposition modeling (FDM) technologies. A digital method for design the custom trays for edentulous jaws was established. The tissue surface data of ten standard mandibular edentulous plaster models, which was used to design the digital custom tray in a reverse engineering software, were obtained using a 3D scanner. The designed tray was printed by a 3D FDM printing device. Another ten hand-made custom trays were produced as control. The 3-dimentional surface data of models and custom trays was scanned to evaluate the accuracy of reserved impression space, while the difference between digitally made trays and hand-made trays were analyzed. The digitally made custom trays achieved a good matching with the mandibular model, showing higher accuracy than the hand-made ones. There was no significant difference of the reserved space between different models and its matched digitally made trays. With 3D scanning, CAD and FDM technology, an efficient method of custom tray production was established, which achieved a high reproducibility and accuracy. PMID:26763620

76 FR 1471 - FY 2010 Annual Compliance Report; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-10

... issued rules on periodic reporting of service performance measurement and customer satisfaction in FY...-FY10- 29. Id. at 12. Customer satisfaction. The FY 2010 ACR discusses the Postal Service's transition... filing; service performance results; levels of customer satisfaction achieved; progress toward goals...

Novel high dose rate lip brachytherapy technique to improve dose homogeneity and reduce toxicity by customized mold.

PubMed

Feldman, Jon; Appelbaum, Limor; Sela, Mordechay; Voskoboinik, Ninel; Kadouri, Sarit; Weinberger, Jeffrey; Orion, Itzhak; Meirovitz, Amichay

2014-12-23

The purpose of this study is to describe a novel brachytherapy technique for lip Squamous Cell Carcinoma, utilizing a customized mold with embedded brachytherapy sleeves, which separates the lip from the mandible, and improves dose homogeneity. Seven patients with T2 lip cancer treated with a "sandwich" technique of High Dose Rate (HDR) brachytherapy to the lip, consisting of interstitial catheters and a customized mold with embedded catheters, were reviewed for dosimetry and outcome using 3D planning. Dosimetric comparison was made between the "sandwich" technique to "classic" - interstitial catheters only plan. We compared dose volume histograms for Clinical Tumor Volume (CTV), normal tissue "hot spots" and mandible dose. We are reporting according to the ICRU 58 and calculated the Conformal Index (COIN) to show the advantage of our technique. The seven patients (ages 36-81 years, male) had median follow-up of 47 months. Four patients received Brachytherapy and External Beam Radiation Therapy, 3 patients received brachytherapy alone. All achieved local control, with excellent esthetic and functional results. All patients are disease free. The Customized Mold Sandwich technique (CMS) reduced the high dose region receiving 150% (V150) by an average of 20% (range 1-47%), The low dose region (les then 90% of the prescribed dose) improved by 73% in average by using the CMS technique. The COIN value for the CMS was in average 0.92 as opposed to 0.88 for the interstitial catheter only. All differences (excluding the low dose region) were statistically significant. The CMS technique significantly reduces the high dose volume and increases treatment homogeneity. This may reduce the potential toxicity to the lip and adjacent mandible, and results in excellent tumor control, cosmetic and functionality.

Validation of SAPS3 admission score and its customization for use in Korean intensive care unit patients: a prospective multicentre study.

PubMed

Lim, So Yeon; Koh, Shin Ok; Jeon, Kyeongman; Na, Sungwon; Lim, Chae-Man; Choi, Won-Il; Lee, Young-Joo; Kim, Seok Chan; Chon, Gyu Rak; Kim, Je Hyeong; Kim, Jae Yeol; Lim, Jaemin; Rhee, Chin Kook; Park, Sunghoon; Kim, Ho Cheol; Lee, Jin Hwa; Lee, Ji Hyun; Park, Jisook; Koh, Younsuck; Suh, Gee Young

2013-08-01

To externally validate the simplified acute physiology score 3 (SAPS3) and to customize it for use in Korean intensive care unit (ICU) patients. This is a prospective multicentre cohort study involving 22 ICUs from 15 centres throughout Korea. The study population comprised patients who were consecutively admitted to participating ICUs from 1 July 2010 to 31 January 2011. A total of 4617 patients were enrolled. ICU mortality was 14.3%, and hospital mortality was 20.6%. The patients were randomly assigned into one of two cohorts: a development (n = 2309) or validation (n = 2308) cohort. In the development cohort, the general SAPS3 had good discrimination (area under the receiver operating characteristics curve = 0.829), but poor calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test H = 123.06, P < 0.001, C = 118.45, P < 0.001). The Australasia SAPS3 did not improve calibration (H = 73.53, P < 0.001, C = 70.52, P < 0.001). Customization was achieved by altering the logit of the original SAPS3 equation. The new equation for Korean ICU patients was validated in the validation cohort, and demonstrated both good discrimination (area under the receiver operating characteristics curve = 0.835) and good calibration (H = 4.61, P = 0.799, C = 5.67, P = 0.684). General and regional Australasia SAPS3 admission scores showed poor calibration for use in Korean ICU patients, but the prognostic power of the SAPS3 was significantly improved by customization. Prediction models should be customized before being used to predict mortality in different regions of the world. © 2013 The Authors. Respirology © 2013 Asian Pacific Society of Respirology.

Excerpts from Managing CQI in Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging Services: A CQI Handbook.

PubMed

Joseph, E D; Lesher, C; Zage, R

1994-01-01

Continuous quality improvement (CQI) is currently the most popular and influential quality management program used in healthcare organizations. It is an effective methodology for identifying and acting on opportunities to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and value of services provided to customers. CQI implementation can be broken down into four components: (1) achievement objectives and goal identification, (2) system process analysis, (3) action planning and implementation, and (4) performance measurement and follow-up. As the project team establishes goals, it should consider customer and staff needs, what constitutes "quality," existing guidelines and regulations, and how results will be measured. Many techniques can be used to analyze the procedure or function targeted for improvement, including charts and diagrams, formal monitoring, data collection and statistical analysis. After the project team has identified potential service improvements, they develop an action plan, which may include education, recruitment, reassignment or equipment acquisition. The team must consider the impact of proposed changes and the financial and logistical feasibility of various proposals. The dynamic challenges of radiology and diagnostic imaging cannot be addressed through single, isolated actions; efforts to improve quality should be continuous. Accordingly, the project team should measure and analyze results of the action plan, reappraise goals and look for opportunities to further improve service.

Laying the cornerstone: an employee-driven customer service program.

PubMed

Davis, Stephen M; Chinnis, Ann S; Dunmire, J Erin

2006-01-01

In the 21st-century healthcare environment, customer service remains critical to the fiscal viability of healthcare organizations. Continued competition for patients and diminishing reimbursements have necessitated the establishment of customer service programs to attract patients and retain outstanding employees. These programs should increase quality experiences for both internal customers (employees) and external customers (patients). This article describes a unique employee-driven customer service initiative titled Serving Together Achieving Results. Obstacles to implementing a customer service program in a multifaceted academic setting are highlighted, and the use of a novel tool, Q technique, to prioritize employee feedback is discussed.

How to achieve customer service through short-cycle paperwork.

PubMed

Hunter, M

1998-02-01

The ultimate goal of short-cycle paperwork is to satisfy customers by filling their orders as quickly as possible. Tools and techniques that can help achieve this goal include Just-in-Time paperwork elimination, process mapping, paper flow mapping, function/process mapping, work cells, and electronic kanban. Each of these is described briefly in the article.

Evaluation of total alloplastic temporo-mandibular joint replacement with two different types of prostheses: A three-year prospective study.

PubMed

Gonzalez-Perez, L-M; Gonzalez-Perez-Somarriba, B; Centeno, G; Vallellano, C; Montes-Carmona, J-F

2016-11-01

Temporo-Mandibular Joint (TMJ) replacement has been used clinically for years. The objective of this study was to evaluate outcomes achieved in patients with two different categories of TMJ prostheses. All patients who had a TMJ replacement (TMJR) implanted during the study period from 2006 through 2012 were included in this 3-year prospective study. All procedures were performed using the Biomet Microfixation TMJ Replacement System, and all involved replacing both the skull base component (glenoid fossa) and the mandibular condyle. Fifty-seven patients (38 females and 19 males), involving 75 TMJs with severe disease requiring reconstruction (39 unilateral, 18 bilateral) were operated on consecutively, and 68 stock prostheses and 7 custom-made prostheses were implanted. The mean age at surgery was 52.6±11.5 years in the stock group and 51.8±11.7 years in the custom-made group. In the stock group, after three years of TMJR, results showed a reduction in pain intensity from 6.4±1.4 to 1.6±1.2 (p<0.001), and an improvement in jaw opening from 2.7±0.9 cm to 4.2±0.7 cm (p<0.001). In the custom-made group, after three years of TMJR, results showed a reduction in pain intensity from 6.0±1.6 to 2.2±0.4 (p<0.001), and an improvement in jaw opening from 1.5±0.5 cm to 4.3±0.6 cm (p<0.001). No statistically significant differences between two groups were detected. The results of this three-year prospective study support the surgical placement of TMJ prostheses (stock prosthetic, and custom-made systems), and show that the approach is efficacious and safe, reduces pain, and improves maximum mouth opening movement, with few complications. As such, TMJR represents a viable technique and a stable long-term solution for cranio-mandibular reconstruction in patients with irreversible end-stage TMJ disease. Comparing stock and custom-made groups, no statistically significant differences were detected with respect to pain intensity reduction and maximum mouth opening improvement.

Managing global accounts.

PubMed

Yip, George S; Bink, Audrey J M

2007-09-01

Global account management--which treats a multinational customer's operations as one integrated account, with coherent terms for pricing, product specifications, and service--has proliferated over the past decade. Yet according to the authors' research, only about a third of the suppliers that have offered GAM are pleased with the results. The unhappy majority may be suffering from confusion about when, how, and to whom to provide it. Yip, the director of research and innovation at Capgemini, and Bink, the head of marketing communications at Uxbridge College, have found that GAM can improve customer satisfaction by 20% or more and can raise both profits and revenues by at least 15% within just a few years of its introduction. They provide guidelines to help companies achieve similar results. The first steps are determining whether your products or services are appropriate for GAM, whether your customers want such a program, whether those customers are crucial to your strategy, and how GAM might affect your competitive advantage. If moving forward makes sense, the authors' exhibit, "A Scorecard for Selecting Global Accounts," can help you target the right customers. The final step is deciding which of three basic forms to offer: coordination GAM (in which national operations remain relatively strong), control GAM (in which the global operation and the national operations are fairly balanced), and separate GAM (in which a new business unit has total responsibility for global accounts). Given the difficulty and expense of providing multiple varieties, the vast majority of companies should initially customize just one---and they should be careful not to start with a choice that is too ambitious for either themselves or their customers to handle.

Standardized versus custom parenteral nutrition: impact on clinical and cost-related outcomes.

PubMed

Blanchette, Lisa M; Huiras, Paul; Papadopoulos, Stella

2014-01-15

Results of a study comparing clinical and cost outcomes with the use of standardized versus custom-prepared parenteral nutrition (PN) in an acute care setting are reported. In a retrospective pre-post analysis, nutritional target attainment, electrolyte abnormalities, and other outcomes were compared in patients 15 years of age or older who received custom PN (n = 49) or a standardized PN product (n = 57) for at least 72 hours at a large medical center over a 13-month period; overall, 45% of the cases were intensive care unit (ICU) admissions. A time-and-motion assessment was conducted to determine PN preparation times. There were no significant between-group differences in the percentage of patients who achieved estimated caloric requirements or in mean ICU or hospital length of stay. However, patients who received standardized PN were significantly less likely than those who received custom PN to achieve the highest protein intake goal (63% versus 92%, p = 0.003) and more likely to develop hyponatremia (37% versus 14%, p = 0.01). Pharmacy preparation times averaged 20 minutes for standardized PN and 80 minutes for custom PN; unit costs were $61.06 and $57.84, respectively. A standardized PN formulation was as effective as custom PN in achieving estimated caloric requirements, but it was relatively less effective in achieving 90% of estimated protein requirements and was associated with a higher frequency of hyponatremia. The standardized PN product may be a cost-effective formulation for institutions preparing an average of five or fewer PN orders per day.

Do it right this time: the role of employee service recovery performance in customer-perceived justice and customer loyalty after service failures.

PubMed

Liao, Hui

2007-03-01

Integrating justice and customer service literatures, this research examines the role of customer service employees' behaviors of handling customer complaints, or service recovery performance (SRP), in conveying a just image of service organizations and achieving desirable customer outcomes. Results from a field study and a laboratory study demonstrate that the dimensions of SRP--making an apology, problem solving, being courteous, and prompt handling--positively influenced customer satisfaction and then customer repurchase intent through the mediation of customer-perceived justice. In addition, service failure severity and repeated failures reduced the positive impact of some dimensions of SRP on customer satisfaction, and customer-perceived justice again mediated these moderated effects. (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved.

76 FR 24339 - Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-02

... Order 13571 of April 27, 2011 Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service By the... Customer Service Standards), issued on September 11, 1993, requires agencies that provide significant services directly to the public to identify and survey their customers, establish service standards and...

Economic Analysis of Waterfront Area Services at Naval Station, Long Beach

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-06-01

the Gradall for waterfront area services, would result in improved responsiveness and timely service. Customer satisfaction and overall customer ...overall cost. Hence, both quality and efficiency will improve leading to greater customer satisfaction . 58 VII. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTION RECOMMENDATION 1...prompting the need for improved efficiency. To ensure adequate future support can be provided to its customers , Naval Station Long Beach (Navsta) is

"I find the term customer offensive".

PubMed

Clarke, D; Yarrow, D

1997-01-01

Explores the tensions between cost and quality, need and market, and the effects on patient care and service providers within today's NHS. Builds on research carried out in two hospitals during 1993 to 1995, focusing on perceptions of quality and its management in the context of the nursing discipline. Indicates a divergence of perspectives on "customer requirements" and the emergence of a cultural divide within the total care process. Identifies and illustrates the significant potential for cost savings in health care, which may be achievable while simultaneously improving quality, and suggests that the "prize" for bridging the cultural divide might include a substantial financial gain as well as improved standards of care. In the context of health care, need, expectation, and finite resources are inextricably linked. A shared understanding of the interdependence between the three, and of the balance to be struck, is essential in health care provision today and into the twenty-first century. Suggests that there is some way to go.

A Review of Patents for the Smart Packaging of Meat and Muscle-based Food Products.

PubMed

Holman, Benjamin; Kerry, Joseph P; Hopkins, David L

2017-10-31

Meat packaging once acted primarily as an inert barrier to protect its contents against contamination and this function has shifted. Packaging now includes complementary functions that improve product quality, longevity and customer/retail appeal. The devices and methods applied to achieve these functions may be categorised as smart packaging, which includes intelligent packaging, devised to monitor and communicate packaged content status, and active packaging, to provide passive adjustment of in-pack conditions from its interactions with the packaged meat. Smart packaging examples already available from recent patents include antimicrobial and antioxidant packaging coatings and inserts; sensors or indicators that identify spoilage and freshness; functional engineering customisations; improvements to packaging integrity; leak or tamper detectors; and, environmentally sustainable options. Together, these inventions respond to industry and customer demands for meat packaging and are therefore the focus of this review, in which we discuss their applications and limitations in meat packaging. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Supply chain management: new paradigms for customers and suppliers.

PubMed

Garwood, D

1999-02-01

Companies are constantly looking for ways to increase their effectiveness and improve their bottom lines. One area of renewed interest is supply chain management. By managing their supply chains better, companies are able to become more flexible, offer defect-free products, eliminate unnecessary delays, and keep costs down. This article briefly describes the objectives of supply chain management and lists some of the tools that can be used to achieve them.

Medical records department and balanced scorecard approach.

PubMed

Ajami, Sima; Ebadsichani, Afsaneh; Tofighi, Shahram; Tavakoli, Nahid

2013-01-01

The Medical Records Department (MRD) is an important source for evaluating and planning of healthcare services; therefore, hospital managers should improve their performance not only in the short-term but also in the long-term plans. The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) is a tool in the management system that enables organizations to correct operational functions and provides feedback around both the internal processes and the external outcomes, in order to improve strategic performance and outcomes continuously. The main goal of this study was to assess the MRD performance with BSC approach in a hospital. This research was an analytical cross-sectional study in which data was collected by questionnaires, forms and observation. The population was the staff of the MRD in a hospital in Najafabad, Isfahan, Iran. To analyze data, first, objectives of the MRD, according to the mission and perspectives of the hospital, were redefined and, second, indicators were measured. Subsequently, findings from the performance were compared with the expected score. In order to achieve the final target, the programs, activities, and plans were reformed. The MRD was successful in absorbing customer satisfaction. From a customer perspective, score in customer satisfaction of admission and statistics sections were 82% and 83%, respectively. The comprehensive nature of the strategy map makes the MRD especially useful as a consensus building and communication tool in the hospital.

Desert Express: An Analysis on Improved Customer Service

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-09-01

Nt MARQ 3,199 Of. DESERT EXPRESS: AN ANALYSIS ON IMPROVED CUSTOMER SERVICE THESIS Thomas C Thaiheim, Majo-,r USAF AFTT/GLM/LSM,/91S-64 ?Z; W...Astq vt.: tyc a l AFIT/GLM/,LSM/91S-64 DESERT EXPRESS: AN ANALYSIS ON IMPROVED CUSTOMER SERVICE THESIS Thomas C. Thalheim, Major, USAF AFIT/GLM/LSM...91S-64 Approved for public release; distribution unlimited AFIT/GLM/LSM/91S-64 DESERT EXPRESS: AN ANALYSIS ON IMPROVED CUSTOMER SERVICE THESIS

Improving Customer Satisfaction in an R and D Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alexander, Anita; Liou, Y. H. Andrew

1998-01-01

Satisfying customer needs is critical to the sustained competitive advantage of service suppliers. It is therefore important to understand the types of customer needs which, if fulfilled or exceeded, add value and contribute to overall customer satisfaction. This study identifies the needs of various research and development (R&D) customers who contract for engineering and design support services. The Quality Function Deployment (QFD) process was used to organize and translate each customer need into performance measures that, if implemented, can improve customer satisfaction. This study also provides specific performance measures that will more accurately guide the efforts of the engineering supplier. These organizations can either implement the QFD methodology presented herein or extract a few performance measures that are specific to the quality dimensions in need of improvement. Listening to 'what' customers talk about is a good first start.

Quality initiatives: planning, setting up, and carrying out radiology process improvement projects.

PubMed

Tamm, Eric P; Szklaruk, Janio; Puthooran, Leejo; Stone, Danna; Stevens, Brian L; Modaro, Cathy

2012-01-01

In the coming decades, those who provide radiologic imaging services will be increasingly challenged by the economic, demographic, and political forces affecting healthcare to improve their efficiency, enhance the value of their services, and achieve greater customer satisfaction. It is essential that radiologists master and consistently apply basic process improvement skills that have allowed professionals in many other fields to thrive in a competitive environment. The authors provide a step-by-step overview of process improvement from the perspective of a radiologic imaging practice by describing their experience in conducting a process improvement project: to increase the daily volume of body magnetic resonance imaging examinations performed at their institution. The first step in any process improvement project is to identify and prioritize opportunities for improvement in the work process. Next, an effective project team must be formed that includes representatives of all participants in the process. An achievable aim must be formulated, appropriate measures selected, and baseline data collected to determine the effects of subsequent efforts to achieve the aim. Each aspect of the process in question is then analyzed by using appropriate tools (eg, flowcharts, fishbone diagrams, Pareto diagrams) to identify opportunities for beneficial change. Plans for change are then established and implemented with regular measurements and review followed by necessary adjustments in course. These so-called PDSA (planning, doing, studying, and acting) cycles are repeated until the aim is achieved or modified and the project closed.

Multiple structured light system for the 3D measurement of feet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaertner, Hansjoerg; Lavoie, Jean-Francois; Vermette, Eric; Houle, Pascal-Simon

1999-03-01

In the field of custom foot orthosis bio-mechanics specialists take negative casts of the patient's feet and produce a positive on which they apply corrective elements. The corrected positive cast is then used to thermoform an orthosis. Several production steps can be simplified or eliminated by a 3D-acquisition of the underside of the foot. Such a complete custom footwear system, developed by Neogenix Technologies Inc., has been reported last year in IS and T/SPIE's symposium. A major improvement aimed at maximizing the coverage of the underside of foot surface has been achieved since by using multiple structured light projection technique. A description of a patent pending hardware set-up and range data extraction by software will be given in this paper.

Customer service in equine veterinary medicine.

PubMed

Blach, Edward L

2009-12-01

This article explores customer service in equine veterinary medicine. It begins with a discussion about the differences between customers and clients in veterinary medicine. An overview of the nature of the veterinary-client-patient relationship and its effects on the veterinarian's services sheds light on how to evaluate your customer service. The author reviews a study performed in 2007 that evaluated 24 attributes of customer service and their importance to clients of equine veterinarians in their decision to select a specific veterinarian or hospital. The article concludes with an overview of how to evaluate your customer service in an effort to optimize your service to achieve customer loyalty.

Measuring and improving customer satisfaction with government services

Treesearch

Glen D. Alexander

1995-01-01

Two years ago, Ohio State Park developed a methodology of measuring customer satisfaction, to gauge the effectiveness of our customer service. What follows is a discussion of our installation of systems to measure and improve customer satisfaction, the interpretation of the data, and the positive results we have enjoyed.

Genetic Algorithm Application in Optimization of Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Norouzi, Ali; Zaim, A. Halim

2014-01-01

There are several applications known for wireless sensor networks (WSN), and such variety demands improvement of the currently available protocols and the specific parameters. Some notable parameters are lifetime of network and energy consumption for routing which play key role in every application. Genetic algorithm is one of the nonlinear optimization methods and relatively better option thanks to its efficiency for large scale applications and that the final formula can be modified by operators. The present survey tries to exert a comprehensive improvement in all operational stages of a WSN including node placement, network coverage, clustering, and data aggregation and achieve an ideal set of parameters of routing and application based WSN. Using genetic algorithm and based on the results of simulations in NS, a specific fitness function was achieved, optimized, and customized for all the operational stages of WSNs. PMID:24693235

Defense Threat Reduction Agency > Careers > Onboarding

Science.gov Websites

, click HERE. Let's Get Started Our values allow personnel to achieve their commitment to total customer satisfaction by meeting and anticipating customer needs. INTEGRITY SERVICE EXCELLENCE INNOVATION TEAMWORK

Lean practices for quality results: a case illustration.

PubMed

Hwang, Pauline; Hwang, David; Hong, Paul

2014-01-01

Increasingly, healthcare providers are implementing lean practices to achieve quality results. Implementing lean healthcare practices is unique compared to manufacturing and other service industries. The purpose of this paper is to present a model that identifies and defines the lean implementation key success factors in healthcare organisations. The model is based on an extant literature review and a case illustration that explores actual lean implementation in a major USA hospital located in a Midwestern city (approximately 300,000 people). An exploratory/descriptive study using observation and follow-up interviews was conducted to identify lean practices in the hospital. Lean practice key drivers include growing elderly populations, rising medical expenses, decreasing insurance coverage and decreasing management support. Effectively implementing lean practices to increase bottom-line results and improve organisational integrity requires sharing goals and processes among healthcare managers and professionals. An illustration explains the model and the study provides a sound foundation for empirical work. Practical implications are included. Lean practices minimise waste and unnecessary hospital stays while simultaneously enhancing customer values and deploying resources in supply systems. Leadership requires clear project targets based on sound front-end planning because initial implementation steps involve uncertainty and ambiguity (i.e. fuzzy front-end planning). Since top management support is crucial for implementing lean practices successfully, a heavyweight manager, who communicates well both with top managers and project team members, is an important success factor when implementing lean practices. Increasingly, green orientation and sustainability initiatives are phrases that replaced lean practices. Effective results; e.g. waste reduction, employee satisfaction and customer values are applicable to bigger competitive challenges arising both in specific organisations and inter-organisational networks. Healthcare managers are adopting business practices that improve efficiency and productivity while ensuring their healthcare mission and guaranteeing that customer values are achieved. Shared understanding about complex goals (e.g. reducing waste and enhancing customer value) at the front-end is crucial for implementing successful lean practices. In particular, this study shows that nursing practices, which are both labour intensive and technology enabled, are good candidates for lean practice.

Developing customer databases.

PubMed

Rao, S K; Shenbaga, S

2000-01-01

There is a growing consensus among pharmaceutical companies that more product and customer-specific approaches to marketing and selling a new drug can result in substantial increases in sales. Marketers and researchers taking a proactive micro-marketing approach to identifying, profiling, and communicating with target customers are likely to facilitate such approaches and outcomes. This article provides a working framework for creating customer databases that can be effectively mined to achieve a variety of such marketing and sales force objectives.

Patient credentialing as a population health management strategy: a diabetes case study.

PubMed

Watson, Lindsay L; Bluml, Benjamin M; Skoufalos, Alexandria

2015-06-01

When given the opportunity to become actively involved in the decision-making process, patients can positively impact their health outcomes. Understanding how to empower patients to become informed consumers of health care services is an important strategy for addressing disparities and variability in care. Patient credentialing identifies people who have a certain diagnosis and have achieved certain levels of competency in understanding and managing their disease. Patient credentialing was developed to meet 3 core purposes: (1) enhance patient engagement by increasing personal accountability for health outcomes, (2) create a mass customization strategy for providers to deliver high-quality, patient-centered collaborative care, and (3) provide payers with a foundation for properly aligning health benefit incentives. The Patient Self-Management Credential for Diabetes, a first-of-its-kind, psychometrically validated tool, has been deployed within 3 practice-based research initiatives as a component of innovative diabetes care. Results from these projects show improved clinical outcomes, reduced health care costs, and a relationship between credential achievement levels and clinical markers of diabetes. Implementing patient credentialing as part of collaborative care delivered within various settings across the health care system may be an effective way to reduce disparities, improve access to care and appropriate treatments, incentivize patient engagement in managing their health, and expend time and resources in a customized way to meet individual needs.

Development of a business plan for women's health services, using Malcolm Baldrige Performance Excellence Criteria.

PubMed

Caramanica, L; Maxwell, S; Curry, S

2000-06-01

A new process for business planning at Hartford Hospital was needed to achieve critical business results. This article describes the Hospital's use of the Malcolm Baldrige Performance Excellence Criteria as a way to standardize and improve business planning. Women's Health Services is one of Hartford Hospital's "centers for excellence" and one of the first to use these criteria to improve its service. Staff learned how to build their business plan upon a set of core values and concepts such as customer-driven quality, leadership that sets high expectations, continuous improvement and learning, valuing employees, faster response to market demands, management by fact, and a long-range view of the future.

CSI Index Of Customer's Satisfaction Applied In The Area Of Public Transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poliaková, Adela

2015-06-01

In Western countries, the new visions are applied in quality control for an integrated public transport system. Public transport puts the customer at the centre of our decision making in achieving customer satisfaction with provided service. Sustainable surveys are kept among customers. A lot of companies are collecting huge databases containing over 30,000 voices of customers, which demonstrates the current satisfaction levels across the public transport service. Customer satisfaction with a provided service is a difficult task. In this service, the quality criteria are not clearly defined, and it is therefore difficult to define customer satisfaction. The paper introduces a possibility of CSI index application in conditions of the Slovak Republic transport area.

Focus on Customer Service. Service Management: How to Plan for it Rather Than Hope for It [and] Learning to Say "Yes": A Customer Service Program for Library Staff [and] Maintaining Momentum in a Quality Improvement Process.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brewer, Julie; And Others

1995-01-01

Presents three articles that discuss customer service in libraries, with a focus on planning for service management, a customer service program for library staff, and a quality improvement process. Highlights include developing and implementing service strategies, dealing with requests, redefining work relationships, coworkers as customers,…

Quality-improvement initiatives focused on enhancing customer service in the outpatient pharmacy.

PubMed

Poulin, Tenley J; Bain, Kevin T; Balderose, Bonnie K

2015-09-01

The development and implementation of quality-improvement initiatives to enhance customer service in an outpatient pharmacy of a Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center are described. Historically low customer service satisfaction rates with the outpatient pharmacy at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center prompted this quality-improvement project. A three-question survey was designed to be easily and quickly administered to veterans in the outpatient pharmacy waiting area. Using 5-point Likert scale, veterans were asked to rate (1) their overall experience with the outpatient pharmacy service and (2) their satisfaction with the customer service provided by the pharmacy department. They were also asked how they thought the pharmacy department could improve its customer service. After receiving feedback from the survey, several quality-improvement initiatives were developed. The initiatives were categorized as environmental, personnel, communicative, and technological. For each initiative, one or more tasks were developed and the initiatives were subsequently implemented over eight months. After each task was completed, veterans were surveyed to measure the impact of the change. A total of 79 veterans were surveyed before the implementation of the quality-improvement initiatives, and 49% and 68% rated their experience with the outpatient pharmacy and customer service favorably, respectively. Twenty-five veterans were surveyed after the implementation of numerous quality-improvement interventions, with 44% and 72% rating their experience with the outpatient pharmacy and customer service favorably. Customer service satisfaction with an outpatient pharmacy service at a VA medical center was enhanced through the implementation of various quality-improvement initiatives. Copyright © 2015 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Guidance for Improving Customer Satisfaction.

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-04-01

Logistics Management Institute National Aeronautics and Space Administration Guidance for Improving Customer Satisfaction NS302RD1 Lawrence... Management Institute (LMI) has been engaged to provide a common approach for planning, conducting, and analyzing customer satisfaction surveys. LMI...groups and formal surveys) (2) Process definition provides the understanding for addressing customer concerns (3) Management and employee

20 CFR 666.240 - Under what circumstances may a sanction be applied to a State that fails to achieve negotiated...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... agreed to under § 666.120 for core indicators of performance or customer satisfaction indicators for the... meet the negotiated levels of performance for core indicators of performance or customer satisfaction... indicators of performance and customer satisfaction indicators for that program. (WIA sec. 136(g).) (d) Only...

Customer satisfaction in medical service encounters -- a comparison between obstetrics and gynecology patients and general medical patients.

PubMed

Chang, Ching-Sheng; Weng, Hui-Ching; Chang, Hsin-Hsin; Hsu, Tsuen-Ho

2006-03-01

This study is concerned with the "service encounter", and seeks to describe, by use of the Service Encounter Evaluation Model, how the processes involved in the service encounter affect customer satisfaction. Its findings have implications for management practice and research directions, and recommendations are made. With the implementation of a national health insurance scheme, an ever-prospering economy and continually improving educational levels in Taiwan, demand among citizens for good health and medical care is ever increasing. Obstetrics and gynecology patients often differ greatly from general patients, in terms of their moods and emotions. This research involved an empirical study, whose subjects were 590 customers of general clinics and 339 customers of gynecology clinics, in various medical centers in southern Taiwan. By factor analysis, the study established four influencing factors, which were "Medical professionals", "Nursing professionals", "Service personnel" and "Space and facilities". Using the Linear Structural Relation Model (LISREL), it found that medical professionals, nursing professionals, service personnel and space and facilities were effective predictors of medical treatment satisfaction. We also found that the greatest positive impact on overall medical treatment satisfaction resulted from rises in satisfaction with medical professionals, but that the least impact was achieved in relation to service personnel in the general and gynecology clinics.

Build the co-creative enterprise.

PubMed

Ramaswamy, Venkat; Gouillart, Francis

2010-10-01

These days more companies are inviting customers to help them design products. Now a few are taking things further and including their other stakeholders--employees, suppliers, distributors, and even regulators--in "co-creation" efforts, too. By focusing on improving the experiences of everyone involved, such firms are achieving breakthrough insights, lower costs, new revenues, and new business models. Consider how this worked at France's La Poste, which wanted to expand package delivery and banking services in light of a decline in its mail business. La Poste had three obstacles: unmotivated union tellers, customers disgruntled by long waits, and frustrated local managers, who felt caught in between. The company set some high-level goals and invited all three groups to decide how to reach them together. To get tellers' buy-in, La Poste gave them a say in their schedules. In workshops, the groups figured out when each office should be open and how its space should be configured. a 50% decrease in waiting time, a jump in satisfaction for customers, soaring job satisfaction among tellers, and significant growth in package delivery and banking, despite the recession.

The study about the improvement of the quality for the fabrics made of chenille yarn

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hristian, L.; Ostafe, M. M.; Manea, L. R.; Leon, A. L.

2016-08-01

The work is a study about the decrease of the serious defects from the fabrics such as: the deviations from quality or the high costs, discovered and seized by customers. The analyzed fabrics have in their structures three types of different chenille yarns, such as: the Article A1 (viscose fiber with cotton, Nm 3500 dyed coil), the Article A2 (textured polyester, Nm 8000 dyed coil), the Article A3 (Trevira CS polyester, Nm 3000 the pre-dyed raw materials). The technology of chenille yarn, regardless of composition and properties is the same and is performed on the twisting machines. This study has found that the most of the flaws in the fabric, noticed by customers, are caused by the production technology of the chenille yarns. In any organization which makes goods, there are concerns about the improvement of the quality through the elimination of the nonquality. It is extremely difficult to get to “zero defects” but the first step is a systematic action plan to reduce drastically the nonconformities and the defects. The continuous improvement of the effectiveness of the integrated quality and environmental management is achieved by applying the PDCA methodology: planning, development, control, action.

Accurate and dynamic predictive model for better prediction in medicine and healthcare.

PubMed

Alanazi, H O; Abdullah, A H; Qureshi, K N; Ismail, A S

2018-05-01

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have changed the trend into new integrated operations and methods in all fields of life. The health sector has also adopted new technologies to improve the systems and provide better services to customers. Predictive models in health care are also influenced from new technologies to predict the different disease outcomes. However, still, existing predictive models have suffered from some limitations in terms of predictive outcomes performance. In order to improve predictive model performance, this paper proposed a predictive model by classifying the disease predictions into different categories. To achieve this model performance, this paper uses traumatic brain injury (TBI) datasets. TBI is one of the serious diseases worldwide and needs more attention due to its seriousness and serious impacts on human life. The proposed predictive model improves the predictive performance of TBI. The TBI data set is developed and approved by neurologists to set its features. The experiment results show that the proposed model has achieved significant results including accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity.

IT Solution to Improve the Permitting Process

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hammer, Mary

2013-02-14

Over the past decade Houston has taken significant strides to implement and promote sustainability. Currently the City of Houston’s Green Building Resource Center stands testament to the determination of city officials to make Houston truly green. Houston was named a Solar America City by the Department of Energy (DOE) in 2008 and is part of the Texas Solar Collaboration as part of the DOE Rooftop Challenge Grant. In that time, Houston has made significant progress in addressing the challenges associated with installing solar in the City. One of the challenges related to soft costs of solar are the time andmore » associated costs related to the permitting process. From 2000 to 2010, the Houston area has witnessed unprecedented growth, with the population increasing by nearly 700,000. The City of Houston is working to address the needs of this growing population, including building the new One-Stop Code and Permitting building. The Houston Permitting Center opened in June 2011. It combines the majority of the City of Houston's permitting and licensing into one place with a mission to help customers achieve their goals while complying with the City’s regulations. The stated mission “requires a continuous pursuit of improving the customer experience. Providing excellent service, streamlining business processes, implementing innovative technologies, and proactively engaging customers are all cornerstones of this philosophy.”« less

Medical records department and balanced scorecard approach

PubMed Central

Ajami, Sima; Ebadsichani, Afsaneh; Tofighi, Shahram; Tavakoli, Nahid

2013-01-01

Context: The Medical Records Department (MRD) is an important source for evaluating and planning of healthcare services; therefore, hospital managers should improve their performance not only in the short-term but also in the long-term plans. The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) is a tool in the management system that enables organizations to correct operational functions and provides feedback around both the internal processes and the external outcomes, in order to improve strategic performance and outcomes continuously. Aims: The main goal of this study was to assess the MRD performance with BSC approach in a hospital. Materials and Methods: This research was an analytical cross-sectional study in which data was collected by questionnaires, forms and observation. The population was the staff of the MRD in a hospital in Najafabad, Isfahan, Iran. Statistical Analysis Used: To analyze data, first, objectives of the MRD, according to the mission and perspectives of the hospital, were redefined and, second, indicators were measured. Subsequently, findings from the performance were compared with the expected score. In order to achieve the final target, the programs, activities, and plans were reformed. Results: The MRD was successful in absorbing customer satisfaction. From a customer perspective, score in customer satisfaction of admission and statistics sections were 82% and 83%, respectively. Conclusions: The comprehensive nature of the strategy map makes the MRD especially useful as a consensus building and communication tool in the hospital. PMID:24083257

Design and implementation of real-time wireless projection system based on ARM embedded system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Long, Zhaohua; Tang, Hao; Huang, Junhua

2018-04-01

Aiming at the shortage of existing real-time screen sharing system, a real-time wireless projection system is proposed in this paper. Based on the proposed system, a weight-based frame deletion strategy combined sampling time period and data variation is proposed. By implementing the system on the hardware platform, the results show that the system can achieve good results. The weight-based strategy can improve the service quality, reduce the delay and optimize the real-time customer service system [1].

[Technology and humanization in critical care environments].

PubMed

Marques, Isaac Rosa; Souza, Agnaldo Rodrigues de

2010-01-01

Because of the advances made with the industrial revolution through technological discoveries in machinery, professional-patient relationship has become increasingly automated, leaving the humanization in the background. The purpose of this paper was to reflect about the humanization process in intensive environments and its relation with the technology insertion. Technology contributes as an effective way to treat patients who require extreme care. However, if it is associated with humanization can achieves satisfactory results, improving the host of customer who receives the care provided by technology.

Application of subharmonics for active sound design of electric vehicles.

PubMed

Gwak, Doo Young; Yoon, Kiseop; Seong, Yeolwan; Lee, Soogab

2014-12-01

The powertrain of electric vehicles generates an unfamiliar acoustical environment for customers. This paper seeks optimal interior sound for electric vehicles based on psychoacoustic knowledge and musical harmonic theory. The concept of inserting a virtual sound, which consists of the subharmonics of an existing high-frequency component, is suggested to improve sound quality. Subjective evaluation results indicate that the impression of interior sound can be enhanced in this manner. Increased appeal is achieved through two designed stimuli, which proves the effectiveness of the method proposed.

NASA Excellence Award for Quality and Productivity 1989 highlights. The 1989 recipient: Lockheed Engineering and Sciences Company

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

The NASA Excellence Award for Productivity and Quality is the result of NASA's desire to encourage superior quality and the continuous improvement philosophy in the aerospace industry. It is awarded to NASA contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers who have demonstrated sustained excellence, customer orientation, and outstanding achievements in a total quality management (TQM) environment. The 'highlights' booklet is intended to transfer successful techniques demonstrated by the performance and quality of major NASA contractors.

United States Army Annual Financial Statement FY00. The Army in Transformation Responsive to the Needs of the Nation

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-01-01

continuing cost-cutting measures. Improvements have included establishing clearer customer-provider relationships, adopting private market mechanisms...measured by dividing these costs by gross wholesale sales. In FY 2000, the wholesale division achieved a $1.007 unit cost goal ( UCG ). Target UCG was...0.99. The over-execution of the UCG was due to higher than expected credit. Credit was over plan as a result of the Retail activities turning in more

Pilot study comparing market orientation culture of businesses and schools of business.

PubMed

Harmon, Harry A; Webster, Robert L; Hammond, Kevin L

2003-08-01

A market orientation culture has been described as one that blends an organization's commitment to customer value with a process of continuously creating superior value for customers. Developing such a culture is further described as (1) obtaining information about customers, competitors, and markets, (2) examining the gathered information from a total organizational perspective, (3) deciding how to deliver superior customer value, and (4) implementing actions to provide value to customers. A market orientation culture focuses on the customer, identifies issues in the competitive environment, and coordinates all functional areas to achieve organizational objectives. Research has found businesses with higher market orientation are more successful in achieving organizational objectives. The measurement of market orientation within businesses has been empirically tested and validated. However, empirical research on market orientation in nonprofit organizations such as universities has not been examined. This study investigated market orientation within the university setting, specifically Schools of Business Administration, and compared these data with previously published data within the business sector. Data for comparative purposes were collected via a national survey. Hypothesis testing was conducted. Results indicated significantly lower market orientation culture within the schools of business as reported by AACSB Business School Deans vis-à-vis managers of business enterprises.

Evaluation of total alloplastic temporo-mandibular joint replacement with two different types of prostheses: A three-year prospective study

PubMed Central

Gonzalez-Perez-Somarriba, Borja; Centeno, Gabriel; Vallellano, Carpóforo; Montes-Carmona, Jose-Francisco

2016-01-01

Background Temporo-Mandibular Joint (TMJ) replacement has been used clinically for years. The objective of this study was to evaluate outcomes achieved in patients with two different categories of TMJ prostheses. Material and Methods All patients who had a TMJ replacement (TMJR) implanted during the study period from 2006 through 2012 were included in this 3-year prospective study. All procedures were performed using the Biomet Microfixation TMJ Replacement System, and all involved replacing both the skull base component (glenoid fossa) and the mandibular condyle. Results Fifty-seven patients (38 females and 19 males), involving 75 TMJs with severe disease requiring reconstruction (39 unilateral, 18 bilateral) were operated on consecutively, and 68 stock prostheses and 7 custom-made prostheses were implanted. The mean age at surgery was 52.6±11.5 years in the stock group and 51.8±11.7 years in the custom-made group. In the stock group, after three years of TMJR, results showed a reduction in pain intensity from 6.4±1.4 to 1.6±1.2 (p<0.001), and an improvement in jaw opening from 2.7±0.9 cm to 4.2±0.7 cm (p<0.001). In the custom-made group, after three years of TMJR, results showed a reduction in pain intensity from 6.0±1.6 to 2.2±0.4 (p<0.001), and an improvement in jaw opening from 1.5±0.5 cm to 4.3±0.6 cm (p<0.001). No statistically significant differences between two groups were detected. Conclusions The results of this three-year prospective study support the surgical placement of TMJ prostheses (stock prosthetic, and custom-made systems), and show that the approach is efficacious and safe, reduces pain, and improves maximum mouth opening movement, with few complications. As such, TMJR represents a viable technique and a stable long-term solution for cranio-mandibular reconstruction in patients with irreversible end-stage TMJ disease. Comparing stock and custom-made groups, no statistically significant differences were detected with respect to pain intensity reduction and maximum mouth opening improvement. Key words:Temporo-mandibular joint, temporo-mandibular joint replacement, prosthesis, biomaterials, biomedical engineering, computer-aided design and manufacturing. PMID:27475697

Data collection automation and total quality management: case studies in the health-service industry.

PubMed

Smith, Alan D; Offodile, O Felix

2008-01-01

The limitations, immeasurable, and seemly unquantifiable aspects of the healthcare service industry, make it imperative that quality assurance programs include total quality management (TQM) and automatic identification and data capture (AIDC)-related technologies. Most of standards used in TQM and AIDC require data, to measure improvement and achieve standardization. Major difference between managing a service firm and managing a product-manufacturing firm is the difficulty of achieving consistently high quality. Examination of two different healthcare service providers in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area offers different views as to the implementation and practice of total quality management techniques and AIDC integration. Since the healthcare service industry must take into account its high customization needs, there are positive steps to make the hospital structure itself more patient friendly and quality related; hence improving its heath-marketing strategies to the general public.

Japanese style total quality control: A first hand experience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cook, S. C.

1991-11-01

The scope, concepts and practices of Total Quality Control (TQC) as operated in Japan today are described. The following mechanisms and elements are introduced: policy deployment, cross functional management, small group activities, suggestion systems, standardization, the TQC promotion department, and TQC education. It is shown on a practical level, how TQC operates in the research and engineering divisions of the aeroengine and space operation at Ishikawajima Harima Industries in Japan. Japanese style TQC is a well developed, well promoted, well structured, common approach to achieving customer satisfaction through continuous improvements. Furthermore, TQC itself is being continuously improved with the Japanese still refining, extending, and developing TQC.

A Quality Improvement Customer Service Process and CSS [Customer Service System]. Burlington County College Employee Development Series, Volumes I & II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burlington County Coll., Pemberton, NJ.

Prepared for use by staff in development workshops at Burlington County College (BCC), in New Jersey, this handbook offers college-wide guidelines for improving the quality of service provided to internal and external customers, and reviews key elements of BCC's Customer Service System (CSS), a computerized method of recording and following-up on…

Evaluation of the effect of custom burr holes on a surgeon's sense of screw fixation in revision porous metal cups.

PubMed

Nyland, Mark A; Lanting, Brent A; Nikolov, Hristo N; Somerville, Lyndsay E; Teeter, Matthew G; Howard, James L

2016-12-01

It is common practice to burr custom holes in revision porous metal cups for screw insertion. The objective of this study was to determine how different hole types affect a surgeon's sense of screw fixation. Porous revision cups were prepared with pre-drilled and custom burred holes. Cups were held in place adjacent to synthetic bone material of varying density. Surgeons inserted screws through the different holes and materials. Surgeon subjective rating, compression, and torque was recorded. The torque achieved was greater ( p  = 0.002) for screws through custom holes than pre-fabricated holes in low and medium density material, with no difference for high density. Peak compression was greater ( p  = 0.026) through the pre-fabricated holes only in high density material. Use of burred holes affects the torque generated, and may decrease the amount of cup-acetabulum compression achieved.

Acceleration of block-matching algorithms using a custom instruction-based paradigm on a Nios II microprocessor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González, Diego; Botella, Guillermo; García, Carlos; Prieto, Manuel; Tirado, Francisco

2013-12-01

This contribution focuses on the optimization of matching-based motion estimation algorithms widely used for video coding standards using an Altera custom instruction-based paradigm and a combination of synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) with on-chip memory in Nios II processors. A complete profile of the algorithms is achieved before the optimization, which locates code leaks, and afterward, creates a custom instruction set, which is then added to the specific design, enhancing the original system. As well, every possible memory combination between on-chip memory and SDRAM has been tested to achieve the best performance. The final throughput of the complete designs are shown. This manuscript outlines a low-cost system, mapped using very large scale integration technology, which accelerates software algorithms by converting them into custom hardware logic blocks and showing the best combination between on-chip memory and SDRAM for the Nios II processor.

Air medical referring customer satisfaction: a valuable insight.

PubMed

Fultz, J H; Coyle, C B; Reynolds, P W

1998-01-01

To remain competitive and survive, air medical programs must have a mechanism for obtaining customer feedback, especially when alternate transport options are available. The goal of this survey was to examine the air medical service's performance as perceived by customers requesting the transport. Surveys were mailed to 400 referring customers who had contact with the flight crew during the transition of patient care. The survey consisted of 16 statements evaluating the service by using a 4-point Likert scale, three demographic questions, one statement evaluating overall satisfaction, and two open-ended questions for comments or suggestions. Two hundred forty-four surveys were returned for a 61% responses rate. Results indicated referring customers are satisfied with the service provided Written comments and suggestions were divided into two categories, positive comments and suggestions for improvement. Three common themes were identified within the suggestions for improvement: crew rapport, communications, and operations. Suggested improvements were evaluated, and selected strategies were incorporated into program operation. Customer feedback furnishes valuable insight into their needs and perception of a service. Comments and suggestions for improvement can promote critical inquiry into service operation and provide a catalyst for improvement.

Integrating Customer Intimacy Into Radiology to Improve the Patient Perspective: The Case of Breast Cancer Screening.

PubMed

Chhor, Chloe M; Mercado, Cecilia L

2016-02-01

The customer intimacy business model has emerged as a key operational approach for health care organizations as they move toward patient-centered care. The question arises how the customer intimacy approach can be implemented in the clinical setting and whether it can help practitioners address problems and improve quality of care. Breast cancer screening and its emphasis on the patient perspective provides an interesting case study for understanding how the customer intimacy approach can be integrated into radiologic practice to improve the patient experience.

Analysis of Customer Loyalty through Total Quality Service, Customer Relationship Management and Customer Satisfaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Binsar Kristian P., Feliks Anggia; Panjaitan, Hotman

2014-01-01

This research talks about total quality service and customer relationship management effects toward customer satisfaction and its impact on customer loyalty. Fast food restaurant KFC, always strives to continue to make improvements in total quality service, so that customer satisfaction can be maintained, which in turn will have an impact on…

A novel approach to leveraging electronic health record data to enhance pediatric surgical quality improvement bundle process compliance.

PubMed

Fisher, Jason C; Godfried, David H; Lighter-Fisher, Jennifer; Pratko, Joseph; Sheldon, Mary Ellen; Diago, Thelma; Kuenzler, Keith A; Tomita, Sandra S; Ginsburg, Howard B

2016-06-01

Quality improvement (QI) bundles have been widely adopted to reduce surgical site infections (SSI). Improvement science suggests when organizations achieve high-reliability to QI processes, outcomes dramatically improve. However, measuring QI process compliance is poorly supported by electronic health record (EHR) systems. We developed a custom EHR tool to facilitate capture of process data for SSI prevention with the aim of increasing bundle compliance and reducing adverse events. Ten SSI prevention bundle processes were linked to EHR data elements that were then aggregated into a snapshot display superimposed on weekly case-log reports. The data aggregation and user interface facilitated efficient review of all SSI bundle elements, providing an exact bundle compliance rate without random sampling or chart review. Nine months after implementation of our custom EHR tool, we observed centerline shifts in median SSI bundle compliance (46% to 72%). Additionally, as predicted by high reliability principles, we began to see a trend toward improvement in SSI rates (1.68 to 0.87 per 100 operations), but a discrete centerline shift was not detected. Simple informatics solutions can facilitate extraction of QI process data from the EHR without relying on adjunctive systems. Analyses of these data may drive reductions in adverse events. Pediatric surgical departments should consider leveraging the EHR to enhance bundle compliance as they implement QI strategies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product manufacturing, quality, and reliability initiatives to maintain a competitive advantage and meet customer expectations in the semiconductor industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capps, Gregory

Semiconductor products are manufactured and consumed across the world. The semiconductor industry is constantly striving to manufacture products with greater performance, improved efficiency, less energy consumption, smaller feature sizes, thinner gate oxides, and faster speeds. Customers have pushed towards zero defects and require a more reliable, higher quality product than ever before. Manufacturers are required to improve yields, reduce operating costs, and increase revenue to maintain a competitive advantage. Opportunities exist for integrated circuit (IC) customers and manufacturers to work together and independently to reduce costs, eliminate waste, reduce defects, reduce warranty returns, and improve quality. This project focuses on electrical over-stress (EOS) and re-test okay (RTOK), two top failure return mechanisms, which both make great defect reduction opportunities in customer-manufacturer relationship. Proactive continuous improvement initiatives and methodologies are addressed with emphasis on product life cycle, manufacturing processes, test, statistical process control (SPC), industry best practices, customer education, and customer-manufacturer interaction.

Care-seeking at patent and proprietary medicine vendors in Nigeria.

PubMed

Prach, Lisa M; Treleaven, Emily; Isiguzo, Chinwoke; Liu, Jenny

2015-06-12

To achieve health development goals, policymakers are increasingly focused on improving primary care in low- and middle-income countries, and private sector drug retailers offer one channel through which basic services may be delivered. In Nigeria, patent and proprietary medicine vendors (PPMVs) serve as a main source of medications, but little is known about their clientele or how care is sought at PPMVs for common illnesses. We explore differences in care-seeking at PPMV shops based on the most commonly reported symptoms. In Kogi and Kwara states, Nigeria, 250 PPMV shop workers and 2,359 customers purchasing drugs were surveyed, and each worker-customer interaction was observed. Multivariate regression analysis was used to assess the association of commonly reported symptoms with care-seeking behavior prior to attending the shop and while interacting with the provider at the shop. Most customers sought care for headache (30.5 %), fever (22.9 %), cough/cold (18.1 %), or diarrhea (8.4 %). Customers with fever were more likely to report being diagnosed by a formally trained person, to have discussed the illness with and be examined by the shop worker, and have more difficulty paying. In contrast, customers with headache symptoms were less likely to experience these outcomes and spent less money purchasing drugs. Those reporting cough or cold symptoms were less likely to have been diagnosed by a formally trained person, waited longer before visiting the PPMV shop, and were more likely to discuss the illness with the shop worker, but were less likely to be examined or to recommend the purchased drug themselves. If a sick child was brought to the shop, a discussion of the illness and an exam were more likely and more money was spent on drugs. Because care-seeking behaviors vary by symptoms and the sick person's age, PPMVs should be trained to treat common illnesses for which customers are unlikely to seek a formal medical consultation. Interventions aimed at improving primary care need to target the places where most people access care, and equip PPMV workers with knowledge and tools to provide basic services.

Challenging the Future - Journey to Excellence. Aeropropulsion strategic plan for the 1990's

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Over the past several months, the Lewis Aeropropulsion Management Council (AMC) has conducted a critical assessment of its strategic plan. This assessment clearly indicated a need for change, both in the aeropropulsion program emphasis and in the approach to carrying out that program. Customers sent a strong message that the program must improve the timeliness of research and technology products and services and must work more closely with them to develop and transfer new technology. The strategic plan defines AMC's vision for the future and underlying organizational values. It contains a set of broad strategies and actions that point the way toward achieving the goals of customer satisfaction, organizational effectiveness, and programmatic excellence. Those strategies are expected to form the basis for the development of specific tactical plans by Lewis aeropropulsion thrust teams, divisions, and branches. To guide tactical planning of the aeropropulsion program, this strategic plan outlines the agency's strategic directions and long-range aeronautics goals, the aeropropulsion goals and key objectives for achieving them, projections of Lewis aeropropulsion budgets, planned allocations of resources, and the processes that will be used to measure success in carrying out the strategic plan.

Challenging the Future - Journey to Excellence. Aeropropulsion strategic plan for the 1990's

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

Over the past several months, the Lewis Aeropropulsion Management Council (AMC) has conducted a critical assessment of its strategic plan. This assessment clearly indicated a need for change, both in the aeropropulsion program emphasis and in the approach to carrying out that program. Customers sent a strong message that the program must improve the timeliness of research and technology products and services and must work more closely with them to develop and transfer new technology. The strategic plan defines AMC's vision for the future and underlying organizational values. It contains a set of broad strategies and actions that point the way toward achieving the goals of customer satisfaction, organizational effectiveness, and programmatic excellence. Those strategies are expected to form the basis for the development of specific tactical plans by Lewis aeropropulsion thrust teams, divisions, and branches. To guide tactical planning of the aeropropulsion program, this strategic plan outlines the agency's strategic directions and long-range aeronautics goals, the aeropropulsion goals and key objectives for achieving them, projections of Lewis aeropropulsion budgets, planned allocations of resources, and the processes that will be used to measure success in carrying out the strategic plan.

Analyzing key performance indicators (KPIs) for E-commerce and Internet marketing of elderly products: a review.

PubMed

Tsai, Yuan-Cheng; Cheng, Yu-Tien

2012-01-01

With the transformation of its population structure and economic environment, Taiwan is rapidly becoming an aging society. There is a growing need for elderly products, and therefore the operation of web shops that sell elderly products is important. In an era which values performance management, searching for key performance indicators (KPIs) helps to reveal, if the goals of a web shop are achieved. In the current study, researchers adopted the constructs of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) to evaluate web shop performance. Additionally, the Delphi method, along with questionnaires, was used to develop 29 indicators. Finally, the decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method assisted in identifying the level of importance of the constructs, in which "internal process" ranked top, followed by "learning and growth", "customer", and "financial". "Internal process" was the key construct that impacted other factors, while "customer" was an important construct affected by other factors. By understanding the influences and relationships among the constructs, enterprises can conduct additional monitoring and management to achieve functions of prevention, continuous improvement, and innovation in order to shape their core competence. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Skull Bone Defects Reconstruction with Custom-Made Titanium Graft shaped with Electron Beam Melting Technology: Preliminary Experience in a Series of Ten Patients.

PubMed

Francaviglia, Natale; Maugeri, Rosario; Odierna Contino, Antonino; Meli, Francesco; Fiorenza, Vito; Costantino, Gabriele; Giammalva, Roberto Giuseppe; Iacopino, Domenico Gerardo

2017-01-01

Cranioplasty represents a challenge in neurosurgery. Its goal is not only plastic reconstruction of the skull but also to restore and preserve cranial function, to improve cerebral hemodynamics, and to provide mechanical protection of the neural structures. The ideal material for the reconstructive procedures and the surgical timing are still controversial. Many alloplastic materials are available for performing cranioplasty and among these, titanium still represents a widely proven and accepted choice. The aim of our study was to present our preliminary experience with a "custom-made" cranioplasty, using electron beam melting (EBM) technology, in a series of ten patients. EBM is a new sintering method for shaping titanium powder directly in three-dimensional (3D) implants. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of a skull reconstruction performed by this technique. In a 1-year follow-up no postoperative complications have been observed and good clinical and esthetic outcomes were achieved. Costs higher than those for other types of titanium mesh, a longer production process, and the greater expertise needed for this technique are compensated by the achievement of most complex skull reconstructions with a shorter operative time.

18 CFR 301.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... OF ENERGY REGULATIONS FOR FEDERAL POWER MARKETING ADMINISTRATIONS AVERAGE SYSTEM COST METHODOLOGY FOR... the adjusted historical load for each customer proportionately scaled to Tier 1 System Resources and adjusted for conservation achieved. The CHWM is specified in each eligible customer's CHWM Contract...

Identification with the retail organization and customer-perceived employee similarity: effects on customer spending.

PubMed

Netemeyer, Richard G; Heilman, Carrie M; Maxham, James G

2012-09-01

Two constructs important to academicians and managers are the degree to which employees and customers identify with an organization, employee organizational identification (employee OI) and customer-company identification (customer identification), respectively. This research examines the effects of these identification constructs and the related construct of customer perceived similarity to employees on customer spending. Via a 1-year multilevel study of 12,047 customers and 1,464 store employees (sales associates) covering 212 stores of a specialty apparel retailer, our study contributes to the literature in 2 critical ways. First, we expand the theoretical network of employee OI and customer identification by examining the related construct of a customer's perceived similarity to store employees. We examine the incremental (not fully mediated) main and interaction effects of customer-perceived similarity to employees and employee OI on customer spending. Second, we examine the effect of customer identification on customer spending relative to the effect of customer satisfaction on customer spending. Thus, our study also contributes by demonstrating a potential complementary route to achieve customer spending (customer identification), a route that may be more readily affected by management than the efforts required for a sustained increase in customer satisfaction. Implications for academics and managers are offered.

Custom-made ocular prosthesis.

PubMed

Gunaseelaraj, Rajkumar; Karthikeyan, Suma; Kumar, Mohan N; Balamurugan, T; Jagadeeshwaran, A R

2012-08-01

An ocular defect may affect a patient psychologically. An ocular prosthesis is given to uplift the patient psychologically and improve the confidence. Ocular prosthesis can be custom made or a stock shell. To improve the comfort and matching of the prosthesis with that of the adjacent natural eye an custom made ocular prosthesis is preferred. Different techniques are available to fabricate a custom ocular prosthesis, here we have used paper iris disk technique.

Squaring the Project Management Circle: Updating the Cost, Schedule, and Performance Methodology

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-30

success is measured as achieving technical performance and/or mission performance goals, coupled with customer (warfighter) satisfaction (De Wit, 1988...studies added criteria such as customer satisfaction , efficiency of execution, and effectiveness of the project organization (Pinto & Slevin, 1998...team and the user customer organization, management policy and project control. This clustering of success factors represents the amalgamation of the

Impact of mandibular advancement devices on C-reactive protein levels in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

PubMed

Yalamanchali, Sreeya; Salapatas, Anna M; Hwang, Michelle S; Pott, Thomas R; Lundgren, Mary E; Joseph, Ninos J; Friedman, Michael

2015-07-01

To determine the effect of treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with custom-made mandibular advancement devices (MADs) on C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in patients with obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). Case series with chart review. Charts of consecutive patients fitted with custom-made mandibular advancement devices for treatment of OSAHS between December 2011 and November 2012 were reviewed. Demographics such as age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) were collected. Prefitting and postfitting polysomnograms were reviewed. Pre- and posttreatment apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and average O2 saturation were compared. Only patients with documented CRP levels determined prior to mandibular advancement device fitting and again after improvement of OSAHS symptoms were included. Forty-nine patients (77.6% male, age 47.4 ± 11.7 years, BMI 29.6 ± 5.0 kg/m(2)) were included in this study. Patients initially had elevated CRP levels (2.5 ± 1.8 mg/dl), which decreased significantly following use of their custom-made mandibular advancement device (1.9 ± 1.3 mg/dl, P = 0.006) by approximately 24%. AHI decreased significantly from 33.3 ± 21.7 pretreatment to 12.1 ± 22.3 posttreatment (P < 0.001). Treatment with MADs reduced AHI by approximately 69.3%. Minimum oxygen saturation significantly improved from 85.1% ± 5.9 pretreatment to 90.7% ± 3.6 posttreatment (P < 0.001). Treatment with custom-made mandibular advancement devices significantly reduced elevated CRP levels in patients with mild to severe OSAHS. Therapy achieves reasonable response and cure rates in the observed patients with a significant reduction in AHI. © 2014 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

SSET Project: Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Surgical Specialty Emergency Trays in the Emergency Department.

PubMed

Humphries, Laura S; Shenaq, Deana S; Teven, Chad M; Park, Julie E; Song, David H

2018-01-01

We hypothesize that reusable, on-site specialty instrument trays available to plastic surgery residents in the emergency department (ED) for bedside procedures are more cost-effective than disposable on-site and remote re-usable operating room (OR) instruments at our institution. We completed a cost-effectiveness analysis comparing the use of disposable on-site kits and remote OR trays to a hypothetical, custom, reusable tray for ED procedures completed by PRS residents. Material costs of existing OR trays were used to estimate the purchasing and use-cost of a custom on-site tray for the same procedures. Cost of per procedure 'consult time' was estimated using procedure and resident salary. Sixteen bedside procedures were completed over a 4.5 month period. A mean of 2.14 disposable kits were used per-procedure. Mean consultation time was 1.66 hours. Procedures that used OR trays took 3 times as long as procedures that used on-site kits (4 vs. 1.1 hours). Necessary, additional instruments were unavailable for 75% of procedures. Mean cost of using disposable kits and OR trays was $115.03/procedure versus an estimated $26.67/procedure cost of using a custom tray, yielding $88.36/procedure cost-savings. Purchase of a single custom tray ($1,421.55) would be redeemed after 2.3 weeks at 1 procedure/day. Purchasing 4 trays has projected annual cost-savings of $26,565.20. The purchase of specialized procedure trays will yield valuable time and cost-savings while providing quality patient care. Improving time efficiency will help achieve the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) goals of maintaining resident well-being and developing quality improvement competency.

Choice architecture to promote fruit and vegetable purchases by families participating in the Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): randomized corner store pilot study.

PubMed

Thorndike, Anne N; Bright, Oliver-John M; Dimond, Melissa A; Fishman, Ronald; Levy, Douglas E

2017-05-01

To conduct a pilot study to determine if improving the visibility and quality of fresh produce (choice architecture) in corner stores would increase fruit/vegetable purchases by families participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Six stores were randomly assigned to choice architecture intervention or control. Store-level WIC sales data were provided by the state. Primary outcomes were WIC fruit/vegetable voucher and non-fruit/vegetable voucher sales, comparing trends from baseline (December 2012-October 2013) with the five-month intervention period (December 2013-April 2014). Secondary outcomes were differences in customer self-reported fruit/vegetable purchases between baseline and end of the intervention. Chelsea, MA, USA, a low-income urban community. Adult customers (n 575) completing store exit interviews. During baseline, WIC fruit/vegetable and non-fruit/vegetable sales decreased in both intervention and control stores by $US 16/month. During the intervention period, WIC fruit/vegetable sales increased in intervention stores by $US 40/month but decreased in control stores by $US 23/month (difference in trends: $US 63/month; 95 % CI 4, 121 $US/month; P=0·036); WIC non-fruit/vegetable sales were not different (P=0·45). Comparing baseline and intervention-period exit interview responses by customers participating in WIC (n 134), intervention store customers reported increased fruit/vegetable purchases compared with control store customers (18 v. -2 %), but this did not achieve statistical significance (P=0·11). Placement of fruits/vegetables near the front of corner stores increased purchase of produce by customers using WIC. New policies that incentivize stores to stock and prominently display good-quality produce could promote healthier food choices of low-income families.

Customized vaginal vault brachytherapy with computed tomography imaging-derived applicator prototyping.

PubMed

Wiebe, Ericka; Easton, Harry; Thomas, Gillian; Barbera, Lisa; D'Alimonte, Laura; Ravi, Ananth

2015-01-01

A novel customized vaginal brachytherapy mould technique has been developed for clinical use. This image-guided technique provides a brachytherapy applicator solution for irregular vaginal vault configuration and/or a wide vaginal apex relative to the vaginal introitus that would be sub-optimally treated with standard cylinders. The customized vaginal applicator is generated by the following process: CT images are obtained with contrast-soaked vaginal packing in situ to highlight unique anatomical detail. A 3-dimensional digital model is developed from the images and subsequently converted into a custom applicator with the use of stereolithography, which is an additive manufacturing technique whereby layers 50-100 μm thick of resin are deposited and polymerized using a laser to create intricate 3-dimensional objects. The density of the applicator and the dose delivered using the custom applicator were both measured to ensure accurate dosimetry. The CT-based densities of a clinical vaginal cylinder and the cylinder generated using stereolithography were 1.29 ± 0.06 g/cm(3) vs 1.28 ± 0.01 g/cm(3), respectively. The mean measured dose from a representative stereolithographed applicator normalized to dose measured for a single plastic catheter was 99.8 ± 4.2%. In patient dosimetric results indicate improved coverage of the lateral aspect of vaginal vault with the custom cylinder relative to the standard cylinder; 700 cGy vs 328 cGy, respectively, at a representative lateral vaginal dose point, while simultaneously achieving relatively narrow dose distribution in the anterior/posterior direction. Stereolithographic applicator production was available within a clinically acceptable timeframe, and its clinical feasibility and utility has been demonstrated. Copyright © 2015 American Brachytherapy Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Trust Model to Enhance Security and Interoperability of Cloud Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Wenjuan; Ping, Lingdi

Trust is one of the most important means to improve security and enable interoperability of current heterogeneous independent cloud platforms. This paper first analyzed several trust models used in large and distributed environment and then introduced a novel cloud trust model to solve security issues in cross-clouds environment in which cloud customer can choose different providers' services and resources in heterogeneous domains can cooperate. The model is domain-based. It divides one cloud provider's resource nodes into the same domain and sets trust agent. It distinguishes two different roles cloud customer and cloud server and designs different strategies for them. In our model, trust recommendation is treated as one type of cloud services just like computation or storage. The model achieves both identity authentication and behavior authentication. The results of emulation experiments show that the proposed model can efficiently and safely construct trust relationship in cross-clouds environment.

Identification of Patients with Family History of Pancreatic Cancer--Investigation of an NLP System Portability.

PubMed

Mehrabi, Saeed; Krishnan, Anand; Roch, Alexandra M; Schmidt, Heidi; Li, DingCheng; Kesterson, Joe; Beesley, Chris; Dexter, Paul; Schmidt, Max; Palakal, Mathew; Liu, Hongfang

2015-01-01

In this study we have developed a rule-based natural language processing (NLP) system to identify patients with family history of pancreatic cancer. The algorithm was developed in a Unstructured Information Management Architecture (UIMA) framework and consisted of section segmentation, relation discovery, and negation detection. The system was evaluated on data from two institutions. The family history identification precision was consistent across the institutions shifting from 88.9% on Indiana University (IU) dataset to 87.8% on Mayo Clinic dataset. Customizing the algorithm on the the Mayo Clinic data, increased its precision to 88.1%. The family member relation discovery achieved precision, recall, and F-measure of 75.3%, 91.6% and 82.6% respectively. Negation detection resulted in precision of 99.1%. The results show that rule-based NLP approaches for specific information extraction tasks are portable across institutions; however customization of the algorithm on the new dataset improves its performance.

Service quality that improves customer satisfaction in a university: a case study in Institut Teknologi Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Theresia, L.; Bangun, R.

2017-12-01

Universities should provide better service quality to get more customers. The purpose of this study was to find service quality which has impact on the increasing of customer satisfaction in a university. This study is a case study in Institut Teknologi Indonesia (ITI). The result of the study will help ITI to improve its service quality to increase customer satisfaction. This study employs path analysis technique. The data were collected through questionnaires developed from the literature. Questionnaires have two parts namely 1) service quality and 2) customer satisfaction. Service quality is measured through 22 questions with five service quality dimensions: 1) Tangibles, 2) Reliability, 3) Responsiveness, 4) Assurance and 5) Empathy. Customer Satisfaction is measured through 4 questions. The data then are processed by SPSS. The results showed that the students preferred to tangible quality improvement than intangible aspect.

Improving the Service with the Servqual Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Midor, Katarzyna; Kučera, Marian

2018-03-01

At the time when economy is growing, there is strong competition in the market, and customers have increasingly higher expectations as regards quality of service and products. Under such conditions, organizations need to improve. One of the areas of improvement for an organization is to research the level of customer satisfaction. The article presents results of customer satisfaction surveys conducted by the Servqual method in a pharmaceutical service company. Use of this method allowed to improve the services provided by that pharmaceutical wholesaler, identify areas that need to be improved as soon as possible in order to improve the level of service provided.

Negative correlation learning for customer churn prediction: a comparison study.

PubMed

Rodan, Ali; Fayyoumi, Ayham; Faris, Hossam; Alsakran, Jamal; Al-Kadi, Omar

2015-01-01

Recently, telecommunication companies have been paying more attention toward the problem of identification of customer churn behavior. In business, it is well known for service providers that attracting new customers is much more expensive than retaining existing ones. Therefore, adopting accurate models that are able to predict customer churn can effectively help in customer retention campaigns and maximizing the profit. In this paper we will utilize an ensemble of Multilayer perceptrons (MLP) whose training is obtained using negative correlation learning (NCL) for predicting customer churn in a telecommunication company. Experiments results confirm that NCL based MLP ensemble can achieve better generalization performance (high churn rate) compared with ensemble of MLP without NCL (flat ensemble) and other common data mining techniques used for churn analysis.

At Their Service. Making Life Happier for Customers and Staff. The Helping Hand Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nash, Claire

This guide is intended to help persons employed in the hotel and catering industry to improve their customer relations skills. The following topics are discussed: the importance of customers and good customer relations in the hospitality industry; what customers want; what employees in hospitality occupations can give customers; and importance of…

Improving Customer Satisfaction: A People CMM Perspective

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-10-11

customers internal service quality Employee satisfaction in turn fuels employee loyalty , which raises employee productivity. Higher productivity means...greater external service value for customers – which enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty . Internal Service Quality Employee Loyalty ...Employee Productivity Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty “A mere 5% jump in customer loyalty can boost profits 25%”…or more.

Achieving Organizational Vision at the DeWitt Army Health Care System Through a Focus on Service Quality.

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-05-01

based upon the variables ’ service quality ’ and ’customer satisfaction.’ Service quality was operationally defined as a gap score by subtracting...regression analysis, a statistically significant relationship was shown to exist: (1) between customer satisfaction and service quality , t(387)=13.566... service quality , customer satisfaction and future choice behavior may assist in preparation for the TRICARE initiative.

Innovative Product Design Based on Comprehensive Customer Requirements of Different Cognitive Levels

PubMed Central

Zhao, Wu; Zheng, Yake; Wang, Rui; Wang, Chen

2014-01-01

To improve customer satisfaction in innovative product design, a topology structure of customer requirements is established and an innovative product approach is proposed. The topology structure provides designers with reasonable guidance to capture the customer requirements comprehensively. With the aid of analytic hierarchy process (AHP), the importance of the customer requirements is evaluated. Quality function deployment (QFD) is used to translate customer requirements into product and process design demands and pick out the technical requirements which need urgent improvement. In this way, the product is developed in a more targeted way to satisfy the customers. the theory of innovative problems solving (TRIZ) is used to help designers to produce innovative solutions. Finally, a case study of automobile steering system is used to illustrate the application of the proposed approach. PMID:25013862

Innovative product design based on comprehensive customer requirements of different cognitive levels.

PubMed

Li, Xiaolong; Zhao, Wu; Zheng, Yake; Wang, Rui; Wang, Chen

2014-01-01

To improve customer satisfaction in innovative product design, a topology structure of customer requirements is established and an innovative product approach is proposed. The topology structure provides designers with reasonable guidance to capture the customer requirements comprehensively. With the aid of analytic hierarchy process (AHP), the importance of the customer requirements is evaluated. Quality function deployment (QFD) is used to translate customer requirements into product and process design demands and pick out the technical requirements which need urgent improvement. In this way, the product is developed in a more targeted way to satisfy the customers. the theory of innovative problems solving (TRIZ) is used to help designers to produce innovative solutions. Finally, a case study of automobile steering system is used to illustrate the application of the proposed approach.

Testing of a long-term fall detection system incorporated into a custom vest for the elderly.

PubMed

Bourke, Alan K; van de Ven, Pepijn W J; Chaya, Amy E; OLaighin, Gearóid M; Nelson, John

2008-01-01

A fall detection system and algorithm, incorporated into a custom designed garment has been developed. The developed fall detection system uses a tri-axial accelerometer to detect impacts and monitor posture. This sensor is attached to a custom designed vest, designed to be worn by the elderly person under clothing. The fall detection algorithm was developed and incorporates both impact and posture detection capability. The vest and fall algorithm was tested by two teams of 5 elderly subjects who wore the sensor system in turn for 2 week each and were monitored for 8 hours a day. The system previously achieved sensitivity of >90% and a specificity of >99%, using young healthy subjects performing falls and normal activities of daily living (ADL). In this study, over 833 hours of monitoring was performed over the course of the four weeks from the elderly subjects, during normal daily activity. In this time no actual falls were recorded, however the system registered a total of the 42 fall-alerts however only 9 were received at the care taker site. A fall detection system incorporated into a custom designed garment has been developed which will help reduce the incidence of the long-lie, when falls occur in the elderly population. However further development is required to reduce the number of false-positives and improve the transmission of messages.

Using 3D Printing (Additive Manufacturing) to Produce Low-Cost Simulation Models for Medical Training.

PubMed

Lichtenberger, John P; Tatum, Peter S; Gada, Satyen; Wyn, Mark; Ho, Vincent B; Liacouras, Peter

2018-03-01

This work describes customized, task-specific simulation models derived from 3D printing in clinical settings and medical professional training programs. Simulation models/task trainers have an array of purposes and desired achievements for the trainee, defining that these are the first step in the production process. After this purpose is defined, computer-aided design and 3D printing (additive manufacturing) are used to create a customized anatomical model. Simulation models then undergo initial in-house testing by medical specialists followed by a larger scale beta testing. Feedback is acquired, via surveys, to validate effectiveness and to guide or determine if any future modifications and/or improvements are necessary. Numerous custom simulation models have been successfully completed with resulting task trainers designed for procedures, including removal of ocular foreign bodies, ultrasound-guided joint injections, nerve block injections, and various suturing and reconstruction procedures. These task trainers have been frequently utilized in the delivery of simulation-based training with increasing demand. 3D printing has been integral to the production of limited-quantity, low-cost simulation models across a variety of medical specialties. In general, production cost is a small fraction of a commercial, generic simulation model, if available. These simulation and training models are customized to the educational need and serve an integral role in the education of our military health professionals.

Preintervention Analysis and Improvement of Customer Greeting in A Restaurant

PubMed Central

2005-01-01

We examined customer greeting by employees at one location of a sandwich restaurant chain. First, a preintervention analysis was conducted to determine the conditions under which greeting a customer within 3 s of his or her entry into the restaurant did and did not occur. Results suggested that an appropriate customer greeting was most likely to occur when a door chime was used to indicate that a customer had entered the store and when the store manager was present behind the service counter. Next, a performance improvement intervention, which consisted of the combination of the use of a door chime and manager presence, was evaluated. Results showed that during baseline, a mean of 6% of customers were greeted; during intervention a mean of 63% of customers were greeted. The addition of manager-delivered verbal and graphic group feedback resulted in 100% of customers being greeted across two consecutive sessions. PMID:16270851

Preintervention analysis and improvement of customer greeting in a restaurant.

PubMed

Therrien, Kelly; Wilder, David A; Rodriguez, Manuel; Wine, Byron

2005-01-01

We examined customer greeting by employees at one location of a sandwich restaurant chain. First, a preintervention analysis was conducted to determine the conditions under which greeting a customer within 3 s of his or her entry into the restaurant did and did not occur. Results suggested that an appropriate customer greeting was most likely to occur when a door chime was used to indicate that a customer had entered the store and when the store manager was present behind the service counter. Next, a performance improvement intervention, which consisted of the combination of the use of a door chime and manager presence, was evaluated. Results showed that during baseline, a mean of 6% of customers were greeted; during intervention a mean of 63% of customers were greeted. The addition of manager-delivered verbal and graphic group feedback resulted in 100% of customers being greeted across two consecutive sessions.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

This strategic Plan was developed in keeping with the Department of Energy`s mission for partnership with its customers to contribute to our Nation`s welfare by providing the technical information and the scientific and educational foundation for the technology, policy and institutional leadership necessary to achieve efficiency in energy use, diversity in energy sources, a more productive and competitive economy, improved environmental quality, and a secure national defense. The Plan provides the concepts for realigning the Departments`s Hazardous Materials Spill Center (HSC) in achieving its vision of becoming the global leader in meeting the diverse HAZMAT needs in the areas ofmore » testing, training, and technology. Each of these areas encompass many facets and a multitude of functional and operational requirements at the Federal, state, tribal, and local government levels, as well as those of foreign governments and the private sector. The evolution of the limited dimensional Liquefied Gaseous Fuels Spill Test Facility into a multifaceted HAZMAT Spill Center will require us to totally redefine our way of thinking as related to our business approach, both within and outside of the Department. We need to establish and maintain a viable and vibrant outreach program through all aspects of the public (via government agencies) and private sectors, to include foreign partnerships. The HAZMAT Spill Center goals and objectives provide the direction for meeting our vision. This direction takes into consideration the trends and happenings identified in the {open_quotes}Strategic Outlook{close_quotes}, which includes valuable input from our stakeholders and our present and future customers. It is our worldwide customers that provide the essence of the strategic outlook for the HAZMAT Spill Center.« less

Improving Balance in TBI Using a Low-Cost Customized Virtual Reality Rehabilitation Tool

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-01

AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-14-2-0150 TITLE: Improving Balance in TBI Using a Low-Cost Customized Virtual Reality Rehabilitation Tool PRINCIPAL...AND SUBTITLE Improving Balance in TBI Using a Low-Cost Customized Virtual Reality Rehabilitation Tool 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER W81XWH...Distribution Unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT The proposed study will implement and evaluate a novel, low-cost, Virtual Reality (VR

Diverse task scheduling for individualized requirements in cloud manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Longfei; Zhang, Lin; Zhao, Chun; Laili, Yuanjun; Xu, Lida

2018-03-01

Cloud manufacturing (CMfg) has emerged as a new manufacturing paradigm that provides ubiquitous, on-demand manufacturing services to customers through network and CMfg platforms. In CMfg system, task scheduling as an important means of finding suitable services for specific manufacturing tasks plays a key role in enhancing the system performance. Customers' requirements in CMfg are highly individualized, which leads to diverse manufacturing tasks in terms of execution flows and users' preferences. We focus on diverse manufacturing tasks and aim to address their scheduling issue in CMfg. First of all, a mathematical model of task scheduling is built based on analysis of the scheduling process in CMfg. To solve this scheduling problem, we propose a scheduling method aiming for diverse tasks, which enables each service demander to obtain desired manufacturing services. The candidate service sets are generated according to subtask directed graphs. An improved genetic algorithm is applied to searching for optimal task scheduling solutions. The effectiveness of the scheduling method proposed is verified by a case study with individualized customers' requirements. The results indicate that the proposed task scheduling method is able to achieve better performance than some usual algorithms such as simulated annealing and pattern search.

New software system to improve AGU membership management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McEntee, Chris

2012-06-01

Almost 2 years ago, AGU began investigating how it could more efficiently manage member and customer records as well as support processes that currently run on multiple systems. I am pleased to announce that on 25 June, as the result of intense efforts, AGU will migrate to a new database software system that will house the majority of AGU operations. AGU staff will have more tools at their disposal to assist members, and members will have more intuitive and user-friendly options when using the online interface to update their profiles or make purchases. I am particularly excited about this major improvement to our infrastructure because it better positions AGU to achieve goals in its strategic plan.

Optimizing Hardware Compatibility for Scaling Up Superconducting Qubits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Michael; Campbell, Brooks; Chen, Zijun; Chiaro, Ben; Dunsworth, Andrew; Kelly, Julian; Megrant, Anthony; Neill, Charles; O'Malley, Peter; Quintana, Chris; Vainsencher, Amit; Wenner, Jim; White, Ted; Barends, Rami; Chen, Yu; Fowler, Austin; Jeffrey, Evan; Mutus, Josh; Roushan, Pedram; Sank, Daniel; Martinis, John

2015-03-01

Since quantum computation relies on the manipulation of fragile quantum states, qubit devices must be isolated from the noisy environment to prevent decoherence. Custom made components make isolation from thermal and infrared radiation possible, but have been unreliable, massive, and show sub-ideal microwave performance. Infrared isolation for large scale experiments (> 8 qubits) was achieved with compact impedance matched microwave filters which attenuate stray infrared signals on cryogenic cables with only -25 dB reflection up to 7.5 GHz. In addition, a thermal anchoring system was designed to effectively transfer unwanted heat from more than 100 coaxial cables in the dilution refrigerator and yielded a 33 percent improvement in base temperature and 50% improvement in hold time.

Creating world-class supply chains.

PubMed

Katzorke, M; Lee, W B

2000-08-01

This article will share knowledge in two areas: The elements of world-class supply chains and the linking processes from customers' customers to suppliers' suppliers and the management approaches needed to engage the people and the organization in an effective implementation process to achieve world-class status.

Customer Satisfaction with Training Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mulder, Martin

2001-01-01

A model for evaluating customer satisfaction with training programs was tested with training purchasers. The model confirmed two types of projects: training aimed at achieving learning results and at changing job performance. The model did not fit for training intended to support organizational change. (Contains 31 references.) (SK)

Converting customer expectations into achievable results.

PubMed

Landis, G A

1999-11-01

It is not enough in today's environment to just meet customers' expectations--we must exceed them. Therefore, one must learn what constitutes expectations. These needs have expanded during the past few years from just manufacturing the product and looking at the outcome from a provincial standpoint. Now we must understand and satisfy the entire supply chain. To manage this process and satisfy the customer, the process now involves the supplier, the manufacturer, and the entire distribution system.

A Strategic Decision Matrix for Analyzing Food Service Operations at Air Force Bases

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-01

substitute product can replace your product, for example high - fructose corn syrup can substitute for sugar. Substitutes may negatively affect...dining facility closed and receive BAS. Customers can be happy with customer service and the quality of the food (a high customer satisfaction level...Services squadron may achieve significant cost savings by pursuing the NAF MOA but must also weigh the dollar savings against the threat of high

Customer Dissatisfaction Index and its Improvement Costs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lvovs, Aleksandrs; Mutule, Anna

2010-01-01

The paper gives description of customer dissatisfaction index (CDI) that can be used as reliability level characterizing factor. The factor is directly joined with customer satisfaction of power supply and can be used for control of reliability level of power supply for residential customers. CDI relations with other reliability indices are shown. Paper also gives a brief overview of legislation of Latvia in power industry that is the base for CDI introduction. Calculations of CDI improvement costs are performed in the paper too.

An Analysis of the Hidden Costs of Competition in the Procurement of Spare Parts at the Navy Ships Parts Control Center: A Framework for Process Improvement

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-03-01

setting of sub- optimal goals and quotas, barriers between departments, and awarding contracts primarily on price are all anti-TQM practices that hinder...customer focus, the setting of sub- optimal goals and quotas, barriers between departments, and awarding contracts primarily on price are all anti-TQM/L...surveys are often required to determine if a lower competitive price could be achieved before exercising options. This requirement is a sub- optimal

Electronics for the STEREO experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

HÉLAINE, Victor; STEREO Collaboration

2017-09-01

The STEREO experiment, aiming to probe short baseline neutrino oscillations by precisely measuring reactor anti-neutrino spectrum, is currently under installation. It is located at short distance from the compact research reactor core of the Institut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble, France. Dedicated electronics, hosted in a single µTCA crate, were designed for this experiment. In this article, the electronics requirements, architecture and the performances achieved are described. It is shown how intrinsic Pulse Shape Discrimination properties of the liquid scintillator are preserved and how custom adaptable logic is used to improve the muon veto efficiency.

Customer care in the NHS.

PubMed

Ruddick, Fred

2015-01-20

Viewing individuals in need of NHS care as customers has the potential to refocus the way their care is delivered. This article highlights some of the benefits of reframing the nurse-patient relationship in terms of customer care, and draws parallels between good customer care and the provision of high quality patient care in the NHS. It explores lessons to be learned from those who have studied the customer experience, which can be adapted to enhance the customer care experience within the health service. Developing professional expertise in the knowledge and skills that underpin good-quality interpersonal encounters is essential to improve the customer experience in health care and should be prioritised alongside the development of more technical skills. Creating a culture where emotional intelligence, caring and compassion are essential requirements for all nursing staff will improve patient satisfaction.

Process of Continual Improvement in a School of Nursing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norman, Linda D.; Lutenbacher, Melanie

1996-01-01

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing used the Batalden model of systems improvement to change its program. The model analyzes services and products, customers, social community need, and customer knowledge to approach improvements in a systematic way. (JOW)

No More "Magic Aprons": Longitudinal Assessment and Continuous Improvement of Customer Service at the University of North Dakota Libraries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Karlene T.; Walker, Stephanie R.

2017-01-01

The University of North Dakota (UND) Libraries have developed a multi-award winning Customer Service Program (CSP) involving longitudinal assessment and continuous improvement. The CSP consists of iterative training modules; constant reinforcement of Customer Service Principles with multiple communication strategies and tools, and incentives that…

Improving TSA’s Public Image: Customer-Focused Initiatives to Encourage Public Trust and Confidence

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-01

INITIATIVES TO ENCOURAGE PUBLIC TRUST AND CONFIDENCE Patricia S. Bierle Customer Support and Quality Improvement Manager, Transportation Security...PUBLIC IMAGE: CUSTOMER-FOCUSED INITIATIVES TO ENCOURAGE PUBLIC TRUST AND CONFIDENCE by Patricia S. Bierle December 2013 Thesis Co-Advisors...33 e . Government Leaders Impact Public Opinion ........................35 f. Aviation Stakeholders Also Impact

Negative Correlation Learning for Customer Churn Prediction: A Comparison Study

PubMed Central

Faris, Hossam

2015-01-01

Recently, telecommunication companies have been paying more attention toward the problem of identification of customer churn behavior. In business, it is well known for service providers that attracting new customers is much more expensive than retaining existing ones. Therefore, adopting accurate models that are able to predict customer churn can effectively help in customer retention campaigns and maximizing the profit. In this paper we will utilize an ensemble of Multilayer perceptrons (MLP) whose training is obtained using negative correlation learning (NCL) for predicting customer churn in a telecommunication company. Experiments results confirm that NCL based MLP ensemble can achieve better generalization performance (high churn rate) compared with ensemble of MLP without NCL (flat ensemble) and other common data mining techniques used for churn analysis. PMID:25879060

An indoor positioning technology in the BLE mobile payment system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Tiantian; Ding, Lei

2017-05-01

Mobile payment system for large supermarkets, the core function is through the BLE low-power Bluetooth technology to achieve the amount of payment in the mobile payment system, can through an indoor positioning technology to achieve value-added services. The technology by collecting Bluetooth RSSI, the fingerprint database of sampling points corresponding is established. To get Bluetooth module RSSI by the AP. Then, to use k-Nearest Neighbor match the value of the fingerprint database. Thereby, to help businesses find customers through the mall location, combined settlement amount of the customer's purchase of goods, to analyze customer's behavior. When the system collect signal strength, the distribution of the sampling points of RSSI is analyzed and the value is filtered. The system, used in the laboratory is designed to demonstrate the feasibility.

RFID of next generation network for enhancing customer relationship management in healthcare industries.

PubMed

Alzahrani, Ahmed; Qureshi, Muhammad Shuaib; Thayananthan, Vijey

2017-10-23

This paper aims to analyze possible next generation of networked radio frequency identification (NGN-RFID) system for customer relationship management (CRM) in healthcare industries. Customer relationship and its management techniques in a specific healthcare industry are considered in this development. The key objective of using NGN-RFID scheme is to enhance the handling of patients' data to improve the CRM efficiency in healthcare industries. The proposed NGN-RFID system is one of the valid points to improve the ability of CRM by analyzing different prior and current traditional approaches. The legacy of customer relationship management will be improved by using this modern NGN-RFID technology without affecting the novelty.

Materials for a new generation of vehicles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grobstein, T.

1995-12-31

The Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) is a national initiative with three goals: first, to significantly improve national competitiveness in manufacturing; second, to implement commercially viable innovations from ongoing research on conventional vehicles, and third, to develop a vehicle to achieve up to three times the fuel efficiency of today`s comparable vehicle (i.e., the 1994 Chrysler Concorde, Ford Taurus, and Chevrolet Lumina). Note this vehicle will have the equivalent customer purchase price of today`s vehicles adjusted for economics, while meeting the customers` needs for quality, performance, and utility. Eight federal agencies are currently contributing to these goals,more » as well as the three principal US automobile manufacturers, numerous automotive component suppliers, research laboratories, and universities. Materials research and development is a significant effort within PNGV. The goals in this area include development of lightweight, recyclable materials for structural applications, high strength, long-life, high temperature materials for engine components, improved materials for alternative propulsion and energy storage systems, and cost-effective process technologies and component fabrication methods. Application of advanced materials to automobiles will involve consideration of diverse factors, including weight savings, affordability, recyclability, crashworthiness, repairability, and manufacturability.« less

[Quality management in a clinical research facility: Evaluation of changes in quality in-house figures and the appraisal of in-house quality indicators].

PubMed

Aden, Bile; Allekotte, Silke; Mösges, Ralph

2016-12-01

For long-term maintenance and improvement of quality within a clinical research institute, the implementation and certification of a quality management system is suitable. Due to the implemented quality management system according to the still valid DIN EN ISO 9001:2008 desired quality objectives are achieved effectively. The evaluation of quality scores and the appraisal of in-house quality indicators make an important contribution in this regard. In order to achieve this and draw quality assurance conclusions, quality indicators as sensible and sensitive as possible are developed. For this, own key objectives, the retrospective evaluation of quality scores, a prospective follow-up and also discussions establish the basis. In the in-house clinical research institute the measures introduced by the quality management led to higher efficiency in work processes, improved staff skills, higher customer satisfaction and overall to more successful outcomes in relation to the self-defined key objectives. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

Managing hospital quality performance in two related areas: patient care and customer service.

PubMed

Dwore, R B

1993-01-01

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization's new emphasis on continuous quality improvement provides hospitals with an opportunity to enhance both customer service as well as patient care. Both are expected by patients and delivered by providers. Patient care is the core product; customer service augments it by adding value and providing the opportunity for a competitive advantage. This article discusses issues for administrators to consider before including customer service as a component of continuous quality improvement and then presents methods for bringing about change.

Nonoperative treatment of symptomatic spondylolysis.

PubMed

Kurd, Mark F; Patel, Deepan; Norton, Robert; Picetti, George; Friel, Brian; Vaccaro, Alexander R

2007-12-01

Symptomatic spondylolysis resulting from a stress fracture of the pars interarticularis is a cause of low back pain in the juvenile and adolescent patient. Treatment is conservative in the majority of cases. To analyze the outcome of patients with symptomatic isthmic spondylolysis treated nonoperatively with a custom fit thoracolumbar orthosis and activity cessation for 3 months followed by an organized physical therapy program. Retrospective case series. Four hundred thirty-six juvenile and adolescent patients with spondylolysis. Pain improvement, hamstring flexibility, range of motion, resolution of back spasms, and return to previous activities. Retrospective review of 436 juvenile and adolescent patients with symptomatic spondylolysis confirmed by single-photon emission computed tomography or computed tomography. Clinical outcomes were assessed through patient history and physical examination. Ninety-five percent of patients achieved excellent results according to a modified Odom's Criteria. The remaining 5% of patients achieved good results as they required occasional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve pain. Back spasms were resolved and hamstring tightness and range of motion returned to normal in all patients. All patients returned to their preinjury activity level. No patients went on to surgery. Symptomatic juvenile and adolescent patients with an isthmus spondylolysis may be effectively managed with a custom fit thoracolumbar orthosis brace and activity cessation for approximately 3 months followed by an organized physical therapy program.

Tourism guide cloud service quality: What actually delights customers?

PubMed

Lin, Shu-Ping; Yang, Chen-Lung; Pi, Han-Chung; Ho, Thao-Minh

2016-01-01

The emergence of advanced IT and cloud services has beneficially supported the information-intensive tourism industry, simultaneously caused extreme competitions in attracting customers through building efficient service platforms. On response, numerous nations have implemented cloud platforms to provide value-added sightseeing information and personal intelligent service experiences. Despite these efforts, customers' actual perspectives have yet been sufficiently understood. To bridge the gap, this study attempts to investigate what aspects of tourism cloud services actually delight customers' satisfaction and loyalty. 336 valid survey questionnaire answers were analyzed using structural equation modeling method. The results prove positive impacts of function quality, enjoyment, multiple visual aids, and information quality on customers' satisfaction as well as of enjoyment and satisfaction on use loyalty. The findings hope to provide helpful references of customer use behaviors for enhancing cloud service quality in order to achieve better organizational competitiveness.

How to improve the promotion of Korean beef barbecue, bulgogi, for international customers. An application of quality function deployment.

PubMed

Park, So-Hyun; Ham, Sunny; Lee, Min-A

2012-10-01

Quality function deployment (QFD) is a product development technique that translates customer requirements into activities for the development of products and services. This study utilizes QFD to identify American customer's requirements for bulgogi, a popular Korean dish among international customers, and how to fulfill those requirements. A customer survey and an expert opinion survey were conducted for US customers. The top five customer requirements for bulgogi were identified as taste, freshness, flavor, tenderness, and juiciness; ease of purchase was included in the place of tenderness after calculating the weight requirements. Eighteen engineering characteristics were developed, and a 'localization of bulgogi menu' is strongly related to the other characteristics as well. The results from the calculation of relative importance of engineering characteristics identified that the 'control of marinating time', 'localization of bulgogi menu', 'improvement of cooking and serving process', 'development of recipe by parts of beef', and 'use of various seasonings' were the highest contributors to the overall improvement of bulgogi. The relative importance of engineering characteristics, correlation, and technical difficulties are ranked and integrated to develop the most effective strategy. The findings are discussed relative to industry implications. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Data Mining for CRM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thearling, Kurt

Data Mining technology allows marketing organizations to better understand their customers and respond to their needs. This chapter describes how Data Mining can be combined with customer relationship management to help drive improved interactions with customers. An example showing how to use Data Mining to drive customer acquisition activities is presented.

Effect of custom-made footwear on foot ulcer recurrence in diabetes: a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Bus, Sicco A; Waaijman, Roelof; Arts, Mark; de Haart, Mirjam; Busch-Westbroek, Tessa; van Baal, Jeff; Nollet, Frans

2013-12-01

Custom-made footwear is the treatment of choice to prevent foot ulcer recurrence in diabetes. This footwear primarily aims to offload plantar regions at high ulcer risk. However, ulcer recurrence rates are high. We assessed the effect of offloading-improved custom-made footwear and the role of footwear adherence on plantar foot ulcer recurrence. We randomly assigned 171 neuropathic diabetic patients with a recently healed plantar foot ulcer to custom-made footwear with improved and subsequently preserved offloading (∼20% peak pressure relief by modifying the footwear) or to usual care (i.e., nonimproved custom-made footwear). Primary outcome was plantar foot ulcer recurrence in 18 months. Secondary outcome was ulcer recurrence in patients with an objectively measured adherence of ≥80% of steps taken. On the basis of intention-to-treat, 33 of 85 patients (38.8%) with improved footwear and 38 of 86 patients (44.2%) with usual care had a recurrent ulcer (relative risk -11%, odds ratio 0.80 [95% CI 0.44-1.47], P = 0.48). Ulcer-free survival curves were not significantly different between groups (P = 0.40). In the 79 patients (46% of total group) with high adherence, 9 of 35 (25.7%) with improved footwear and 21 of 44 (47.8%) with usual care had a recurrent ulcer (relative risk -46%, odds ratio 0.38 [0.15-0.99], P = 0.045). Offloading-improved custom-made footwear does not significantly reduce the incidence of plantar foot ulcer recurrence in diabetes compared with custom-made footwear that does not undergo such improvement, unless it is worn as recommended.

Effect of Custom-Made Footwear on Foot Ulcer Recurrence in Diabetes

PubMed Central

Bus, Sicco A.; Waaijman, Roelof; Arts, Mark; de Haart, Mirjam; Busch-Westbroek, Tessa; van Baal, Jeff; Nollet, Frans

2013-01-01

OBJECTIVE Custom-made footwear is the treatment of choice to prevent foot ulcer recurrence in diabetes. This footwear primarily aims to offload plantar regions at high ulcer risk. However, ulcer recurrence rates are high. We assessed the effect of offloading-improved custom-made footwear and the role of footwear adherence on plantar foot ulcer recurrence. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We randomly assigned 171 neuropathic diabetic patients with a recently healed plantar foot ulcer to custom-made footwear with improved and subsequently preserved offloading (∼20% peak pressure relief by modifying the footwear) or to usual care (i.e., nonimproved custom-made footwear). Primary outcome was plantar foot ulcer recurrence in 18 months. Secondary outcome was ulcer recurrence in patients with an objectively measured adherence of ≥80% of steps taken. RESULTS On the basis of intention-to-treat, 33 of 85 patients (38.8%) with improved footwear and 38 of 86 patients (44.2%) with usual care had a recurrent ulcer (relative risk −11%, odds ratio 0.80 [95% CI 0.44–1.47], P = 0.48). Ulcer-free survival curves were not significantly different between groups (P = 0.40). In the 79 patients (46% of total group) with high adherence, 9 of 35 (25.7%) with improved footwear and 21 of 44 (47.8%) with usual care had a recurrent ulcer (relative risk −46%, odds ratio 0.38 [0.15–0.99], P = 0.045). CONCLUSIONS Offloading-improved custom-made footwear does not significantly reduce the incidence of plantar foot ulcer recurrence in diabetes compared with custom-made footwear that does not undergo such improvement, unless it is worn as recommended. PMID:24130357

Research on intelligent recommendation algorithm of e-commerce based on association rules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Jiajie; Cheng, Xianyi

2017-09-01

As the commodities of e-commerce are more and more rich, more and more consumers are willing to choose online shopping, because of these rich varieties of commodity information, customers will often appear aesthetic fatigue. Therefore, we need a recommendation algorithm according to the recent behavior of customers including browsing and consuming to predicate and intelligently recommend goods which the customers need, thus to improve the satisfaction of customers and to increase the profit of e-commerce. This paper first discusses recommendation algorithm, then improves Apriori. Finally, using R language realizes a recommendation algorithm of commodities. The result shows that this algorithm provides a certain decision-making role for customers to buy commodities.

The AskIT Service Desk: A Model for Improving Productivity and Reducing Costs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ashcraft, Phillip Lynn; Fogle, Blythe G.; Cummings, Susan M.

This was prepared for the business process improvement presentation to the Department of Energy. Los Alamos National Laboratory provides a single point of contact, the AskIT Service Desk, to address issues that impact customer productivity. At the most basic level, what customers want is for their calls to be received, to get a response from a knowledgeable analyst, and to have their issues resolved and their requests fulfilled. Providing a centralized, single point of contact service desk makes initiating technical or business support simple for the customer and improves the odds of immediately resolving the issue or correctly escalating themore » request to the next support level when necessary. Fulfilling customer requests through automated workflow also improves customer productivity and reduces costs. Finally, customers should be provided the option to solve their own problems through easy access to self-help resources such as frequently asked questions (FAQs) and how-to guides. To accomplish this, everyone who provides and supports services must understand how these processes and functions work together. Service providers and those who support services must “speak the same language” and share common objectives. The Associate Directorate for Business Innovation (ADBI) began the journey to improve services by selecting a known service delivery framework (Information Technology Infrastructure Library, or ITIL). From this framework, components that contribute significant business value were selected.« less

Linking hospital security to customer service: making the case for 'world class' security.

PubMed

Hill, Scott A

2011-01-01

The reluctance of many hospitals today to invest money and resources into security and safety while at the same time promoting customer good will is a fallacy that has to be corrected, according to the author. He demonstrates how high customer satisfaction scores, as well as regulatory compliance, can only be achieved if a hospital takes the steps necessary to provide adequate safety and security to patients, visitors, physicians and to all who come to the hospital.

Research on the precise positioning of customers in large data environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Xu; He, Lili

2018-04-01

Customer positioning has always been a problem that enterprises focus on. In this paper, FCM clustering algorithm is used to cluster customer groups. However, due to the traditional FCM clustering algorithm, which is susceptible to the influence of the initial clustering center and easy to fall into the local optimal problem, the short board of FCM is solved by the gray optimization algorithm (GWO) to achieve efficient and accurate handling of a large number of retailer data.

Manage your human sigma.

PubMed

Fleming, John H; Coffman, Curt; Harter, James K

2005-01-01

If sales and service organizations are to improve, they must learn to measure and manage the quality of the employee-customer encounter. Quality improvement methodologies such as Six Sigma are extremely useful in manufacturing contexts, but they're less useful when it comes to human interactions. To address this problem, the authors have developed a quality improvement approach they refer to as Human Sigma. It weaves together a consistent method for assessing the employee-customer encounter and a disciplined process for managing and improving it. There are several core principles for measuring and managing the employee-customer encounter: It's important not to think like an economist or an engineer when assessing interactions because emotions inform both sides' judgments and behavior. The employee-customer encounter must be measured and managed locally, because there are enormous variations in quality at the work-group and individual levels. And to improve the quality of the employee-customer interaction, organizations must conduct both short-term, transactional interventions and long-term, transformational ones. Employee engagement and customer engagement are intimately connected--and, taken together, they have an outsized effect on financial performance. They therefore need to be managed holistically. That is, the responsibility for measuring and monitoring the health of employee-customer relationships must reside within a single organizational structure, with an executive champion who has the authority to initiate and manage change. Nevertheless, the local manager remains the single most important factor in local group performance. A local manager whose work group shows suboptimal performance should be encouraged to conduct interventions, such as targeted training, performance reviews, action learning, and individual coaching.

Customers' Precedence for Service Quality Dimensions in Indian Private Healthcare Setting: A Ridit Approach.

PubMed

Panda, Rajeev Kumar; Kondasani, Rama Koteswara Rao

2017-01-01

Changes in demographic and sociocultural environment, improved health awareness, and information technology have considerably changed the outlook of healthcare sector in India. While both the public and the private healthcare sectors have priority of increasing access while minimizing costs, they try hard to achieve goals without letting the quality suffer. Customers with rising disposable income no longer have faith in the public healthcare system and are willing to migrate to the private healthcare sector, which is more professional, technology savvy, and trustworthy. However, there are enough loopholes in the private healthcare sector that are yet to be plugged. The purpose of this research study was to identify and assess the relative importance of the diverse service quality dimensions and prioritize them to draw meaningful conclusions. Survey responses from 370 customers were analyzed using factor analysis to find underlying relationships between the survey items. This allowed the individual items to be placed into related groups. Independently, a ridit analysis was conducted to determine the relative importance of each item to the survey respondents. Based on the ridit analysis a priority ranking was assigned to each item. An analysis was then undertaken of the degree to which the items grouped into each particular factor tended to have high or low priority rankings. The results of the study may be helpful to the managers of the private healthcare sector to focus their strategies and plan their efforts in line with the findings to gain superior customer satisfaction and retention.

Green innovation and sustainable industrial systems within sustainability and company improvement perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edi Nugroho Soebandrija, Khristian

2017-12-01

This paper comprises discussion of Green Innovation and Sustainable Industrial Systems within Sustainability and Company Improvement Perspective of beverage manufacturing company (BMC). The stakeholder theory is the grand theory for the company improvement perspective in this paper. The data processing in this paper is conducted through software which are SEM-PLS with SmartPLS 2.0 and SPSS 19. The specified objective of this paper has focus on sustainability as one of 6 variables, in lieu of those 6 variables as the big picture. The reason behind this focus on sustainability is the fact that there are assorted challenges in sustainability that is ranging from economic, environment and company perspectives. Those challenges in sustainability include the sustainable service supply chain management and its involvement of society. The overall objective is to analyze relationship hypothesis of 6 variables, 4 of them (leadership, organizational learning, innovation, and performance) are based on Malcolm Baldrige’s performance excellence concept to achieve sustainability and competitive advantage through company-competitor and customer questionnaire, and its relation to Total Quality Management (TQM) and Quality Management System (QMS). In conclusion, the spearheaded of company improvement in this paper is in term of consumer satisfaction through 99.997% quality standards. These can be achieved by ambidexterity through exploitation and exploration innovation. Furthermore, in this paper, TQM enables to obtain popularity brand index achievement that is greater than 45.9%. Subsequently, ISO22000 of food security standard encompasses quality standard of ISO9000 and HACCP. Through the ambidexterity of exploitation and exploration (Non Standard Product Inspection) NOSPI machine, the company improvement generates the achievement of 75% automation, 99.997% quality control standard and 80% of waste reduction.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration FY 02 Revised Final Annual Performance Plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

The Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) was passed by Congress and signed by the President in 1993. GPRA was enacted to improve the efficiency of all Federal agencies, with the following specific goals: (1) Improve Federal program management, effectiveness, and public accountability; (2) Improve Congressional decision making on where to commit the Nation's financial and human resources; and (3) Improve citizen confidence in government performance. GPRA directs Executive Branch agencies to develop a customer-focused strategic plan that aligns activities with concrete missions and goals. The Act directs agencies to manage and measure results to justify Congressional appropriations and authorizations. The Report Consolidation Act of 2000 directs agencies to provide a report on the degree of success in achieving the goals and performance measures defined in the strategic and performance plans one hundred and fifty days after the completion of the fiscal year.

NASA total quality management 1989 accomplishments report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tai, Betty P. (Editor); Stewart, Lynne M. (Editor)

1990-01-01

NASA and contractor employees achieved many notable improvements in 1989. The highlights of those improvements, described in this seventh annual Accomplishments Report, demonstrate that the people who support NASA's activities are getting more involved in quality and continuous improvement efforts. Their gains solidly support NASA's and this Nation's goal to remain a leader in space exploration and in world-wide market competition, and, when communicated to others through avenues such as this report, foster improvement efforts across government and industry. The principles in practice which led to these process refinements are important cultural elements to any organization's productivity and quality efforts. The categories in this report reflect NASA principles set forth in the 1980's and are more commonly known today as Total Quality Management (TQM): top management leadership and support; strategic planning; focus on the customer; employee training and recognition; employee empowerment and teamwork; measurement and analysis; and quality assurance.

Macroergomonics' contribution to the effectiveness of collaborative supply chains.

PubMed

Herrera, Sandra Mejias; Huatuco, Luisa Huaccho

2012-01-01

This article presents a conceptual model that combines Macroergonomics and Supply chain. The authors combine their expertise on these individual topics, building on their previous research. The argument of the paper is that human factors are key to achieve effective supplier-customer collaboration. A conceptual model is presented, its elements and their interactions are explained. The Content-Context-Process is applied as a departing point to this model. Macroergonomics aspects considered are: a systemic approach, participatory ergonomics, formation of ergonomics teams and evaluation of ergonomics projects. The expected outcomes are: (a) improvement of production and productivity levels, (b) improvement of the product quality, (c) Reduction of absenteeism, (d) Improvement in the quality of work life (from the employees' perspective), and (e) increase in the employees' contribution rate of ideas for improvement. A case study was carried out at a vitroplant production organisation incorporating environmental aspects to obtain sustainable benefits.

Outsourcing of generating assets as a competitive strategy for large electric customers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Giacalone, F.T.; Hocker, C.

The US electric power industry is at a transitional stage on the way to full competition at the retail level. A fundamental difference between wholesale and retail competition is that, with the latter, the end user will have a choice of suppliers. Large electric customers, such as industrial manufacturers, have traditionally had only two choices: to purchase from the local franchise utility or to self-generate. With retail competition, however, these same customers will have not only have many choices of suppliers to compare against the self-generation option, but also will have a new alternative to consider - that of outsourcingmore » their generating assets as a means of retaining effective control, but not necessarily ownership, of their electric supply. Outsourcing of generation assets means turning over complete or partial ownership of these assets to a third party, who then sells the electricity back to the customer at retail. This approach can be advantageous to a customer who wants to achieve one or more of the following benefits that are generally not available in the traditional ``make or buy'' paradigm: monetize (receive cash for) assets to pay down debt or redeploy into its core business; reduce operating and overhead costs; meet increasing power demand without making a significant capital expenditure; retain a significant degree of control over the operation of the assets, rather than turning its source of supply to a utility, independent generator, or power marketer; and move the assets off-balance sheet and off-credit as a means of improving its corporate financial position. Outsourcing of industrial generation, including most or all of the above benefits has already occurred successfully in a handful of cases, such as the James River and Stone Container mills discussed in this paper.« less

Marketing: Today's imperative. Marketing must be seen as the process by which a company creates, satisfies, and keeps customers. at a profit

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Murray, W.R.

While utilities are now much more market-oriented than in the past, marketing and sales budgets are still under attack at many gas and electric companies. Moreover, the marketing process is not being organized or managed for optimal effectiveness. To make the changes necessary to improve their competitive position, most utilities still need to address a variety of issues, such as: (1) Taking a more integrated, holistic approach to managing the various elements of the marketing process and achieving a position of competitive advantage; (2) Understanding customer/segment and product/service profitability; (3) Linking marketing plans and budgets with the utility's financial andmore » strategic plans, and using this to drive appropriate resource allocation decisions based on fact rather than guess; (4) Making the Marketing Department accountable for profit, not just sales; (5) Developing information-gathering capabilities and databases on customers, markets, and competitors that can be used to shape marketing strategies and tactics; and (6) Developing the analytical skill needed to understand differences in customer needs, buying economics, and ways a utility can effectively, efficiently, and profitably serve its customers. In the past, changes of this type would have been seen as unnecessary, perhaps even dangerous. However, until these actions are taken it will be difficult, if not impossible, for utilities to implement the new marketing imperative. Companies in other industries that have experienced similar regulatory changes have had to adapt in these ways to compete successfully, In general, the companies that took the lead have fared better than those that found themselves playing catch-up. It will be no different for utilities.« less

Supply chain management for small business--how to avoid being part of the food chain.

PubMed

Knechtges, J P; Watts, C A

2000-08-01

A supply chain is a series of customer and supplier relationships that extend throughout and beyond the company. It is an interwoven set of links that together form a chain supplying our customers in a seamless and integrated fashion delivering a high level of customer satisfaction. Supply chain management (SCM) integrates all activities so they are focused on customer satisfaction (both internally and externally). One of the things this article will attempt to accomplish is to provide a clear understanding of SCM's positive impact on customer service as well as on improving profitability, cash flow, product cycle times, and communication. Whether we go forward in the supply chain to the final end-user or backward in the supply chain to our supplier's suppliers, SCM will significantly improve our ability to serve our customers.

The Molecular Industrial Revolution: Automated Synthesis of Small Molecules

PubMed Central

Trobe, Melanie; Burke, Martin D.

2018-01-01

The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries marked a sweeping transition from manual to automated manufacturing on the macroscopic scale. This enabled an unmatched period of human innovation that helped drive the Industrial Revolution. The impact on society was transformative, ultimately yielding substantial improvements in living conditions and lifespan in many parts of the world. During the same time period, the first manual syntheses of organic molecules was achieved. Now, two centuries later, we are poised for an analogous transition from highly customized crafting of specific molecular targets by hand to the increasingly general and automated assembly of many different types of molecules with the push of a button. Automation of customized small molecule synthesis pathways is already enabling safer, more reproducible, and readily scalable production of specific targets, and general machines now exist for the synthesis of a wide range of different peptides, oligonucleotides, and oligosaccharides. Creating general machines that are similarly capable of making many different types of small molecules on-demand, akin to that which has been achieved on the macroscopic scale with 3D printers, has proven to be substantially more challenging. Yet important progress is being made toward this potentially transformative objective with two complementary approaches: (1) automation of customized synthesis routes to different targets via machines that enable use of many different reactions and starting materials, and (2) automation of generalized platforms that make many different targets using common coupling chemistry and building blocks. Continued progress in these exciting directions has the potential to shift the bottleneck in molecular innovation from synthesis to imagination, and thereby help drive a new industrial revolution on the molecular scale. PMID:29513400

An ILP based Algorithm for Optimal Customer Selection for Demand Response in SmartGrids

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kuppannagari, Sanmukh R.; Kannan, Rajgopal; Prasanna, Viktor K.

Demand Response (DR) events are initiated by utilities during peak demand periods to curtail consumption. They ensure system reliability and minimize the utility’s expenditure. Selection of the right customers and strategies is critical for a DR event. An effective DR scheduling algorithm minimizes the curtailment error which is the absolute difference between the achieved curtailment value and the target. State-of-the-art heuristics exist for customer selection, however their curtailment errors are unbounded and can be as high as 70%. In this work, we develop an Integer Linear Programming (ILP) formulation for optimally selecting customers and curtailment strategies that minimize the curtailmentmore » error during DR events in SmartGrids. We perform experiments on real world data obtained from the University of Southern California’s SmartGrid and show that our algorithm achieves near exact curtailment values with errors in the range of 10 -7 to 10 -5, which are within the range of numerical errors. We compare our results against the state-of-the-art heuristic being deployed in practice in the USC SmartGrid. We show that for the same set of available customer strategy pairs our algorithm performs 103 to 107 times better in terms of the curtailment errors incurred.« less

Customers First: Using Process Improvement To Improve Service Quality and Efficiency.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larson, Catherine A.

1998-01-01

Describes steps in a process-improvement project for reserve book services at the University of Arizona Library: (1) plan--identify process boundaries and customer requirements, gather/analyze data, prioritize problems; (2) do--encourage divergent thinking, reach convergent thinking, find solutions; (3) check--pilot solutions, compare costs; and…

Improving customer service. It's not just what's in the box.

PubMed

Redling, Robert

2003-08-01

Patient satisfaction scores can plummet when medical emergencies throw schedules into disarray or a receptionist ignores a patient at the front desk. Patients' expectations of good customer service have been shaped by technological conveniences and the concerted efforts of retailers, restaurants and other service providers. Physician leaders and administrators can improve customer service by paying more attention to organizational culture, physician behavior, staff incentives, hiring practices and team-building.

A Knowledge Management Approach to Support Software Process Improvement Implementation Initiatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montoni, Mariano Angel; Cerdeiral, Cristina; Zanetti, David; Cavalcanti da Rocha, Ana Regina

The success of software process improvement (SPI) implementation initiatives depends fundamentally of the strategies adopted to support the execution of such initiatives. Therefore, it is essential to define adequate SPI implementation strategies aiming to facilitate the achievement of organizational business goals and to increase the benefits of process improvements. The objective of this work is to present an approach to support the execution of SPI implementation initiatives. We also describe a methodology applied to capture knowledge related to critical success factors that influence SPI initiatives. This knowledge was used to define effective SPI strategies aiming to increase the success of SPI initiatives coordinated by a specific SPI consultancy organization. This work also presents the functionalities of a set of tools integrated in a process-centered knowledge management environment, named CORE-KM, customized to support the presented approach.

Differential Deposition for Surface Figure Corrections in Grazing Incidence X-Ray Optics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramsey, Brian D.; Kilaru, Kiranmayee; Atkins, Carolyn; Gubarev, Mikhail V.; Broadway, David M.

2015-01-01

Differential deposition corrects the low- and mid- spatial-frequency deviations in the axial figure of Wolter-type grazing incidence X-ray optics. Figure deviations is one of the major contributors to the achievable angular resolution. Minimizing figure errors can significantly improve the imaging quality of X-ray optics. Material of varying thickness is selectively deposited, using DC magnetron sputtering, along the length of optic to minimize figure deviations. Custom vacuum chambers are built that can incorporate full-shell and segmented Xray optics. Metrology data of preliminary corrections on a single meridian of full-shell x-ray optics show an improvement of mid-spatial frequencies from 6.7 to 1.8 arc secs HPD. Efforts are in progress to correct a full-shell and segmented optics and to verify angular-resolution improvement with X-ray testing.

A customer oriented systematic framework to extract business strategy in Indian electricity services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Satapathy, Suchismita; Mishra, Pravudatta

2013-11-01

Competition in the electric service industry is highlighting the importance of a number of issues affecting the nature and quality of customer service. The quality of service(s) provided to electricity customers may be enhanced by competition, if doing so offers service suppliers a competitive advantage. On the other hand, service quality offered to some consumers could decline if utilities focus their attention on those customers most likely to exercise choice, while reducing effort and investment to serve customers less likely to choose alternatives. Service quality is defined as the way in which the utility interacts with and responds to the needs of its customers. To achieve maximum consumer satisfaction in electricity service, This paper has designed a framework by QFD by measuring service quality of electricity utility sector in ANN and also find interrelationship between these design requirements by ISM.

Diffraction analysis of customized illumination technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, Chang-Moon; Kim, Seo-Min; Eom, Tae-Seung; Moon, Seung Chan; Shin, Ki S.

2004-05-01

Various enhancement techniques such as alternating PSM, chrome-less phase lithography, double exposure, etc. have been considered as driving forces to lead the production k1 factor towards below 0.35. Among them, a layer specific optimization of illumination mode, so-called customized illumination technique receives deep attentions from lithographers recently. A new approach for illumination customization based on diffraction spectrum analysis is suggested in this paper. Illumination pupil is divided into various diffraction domains by comparing the similarity of the confined diffraction spectrum. Singular imaging property of individual diffraction domain makes it easier to build and understand the customized illumination shape. By comparing the goodness of image in each domain, it was possible to achieve the customized shape of illumination. With the help from this technique, it was found that the layout change would not gives the change in the shape of customized illumination mode.

Manufacturing Bms/Iso System Review

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gomez, Yazmin

2004-01-01

The Quality Management System (QMS) is one that recognizes the need to continuously change and improve an organization s products and services as determined by system feedback, and corresponding management decisions. The purpose of a Quality Management System is to minimize quality variability of an organization's products and services. The optimal Quality Management System balances the need for an organization to maintain flexibility in the products and services it provides with the need for providing the appropriate level of discipline and control over the processes used to provide them. The goal of a Quality Management System is to ensure the quality of the products and services while consistently (through minimizing quality variability) meeting or exceeding customer expectations. The GRC Business Management System (BMS) is the foundation of the Center's ISO 9001:2000 registered quality system. ISO 9001 is a quality system model developed by the International Organization for Standardization. BMS supports and promote the Glenn Research Center Quality Policy and wants to ensure the customer satisfaction while also meeting quality standards. My assignment during this summer is to examine the manufacturing processes used to develop research hardware, which in most cases are one of a kind hardware, made with non conventional equipment and materials. During this process of observation I will make a determination, based on my observations of the hardware development processes the best way to meet customer requirements and at the same time achieve the GRC quality standards. The purpose of my task is to review the manufacturing processes identifying opportunities in which to optimize the efficiency of the processes and establish a plan for implementation and continuous improvement.

Development and realization of the open fault diagnosis system based on XPE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Hui; Wang, TaiYong; He, HuiLong; Xu, YongGang; Zeng, JuXiang

2005-12-01

To make the complex mechanical equipment work in good service, the technology for realizing an embedded open system is introduced systematically, including open hardware configuration, customized embedded operation system and open software structure. The ETX technology is adopted in this system, integrating the CPU main-board functions, and achieving the quick, real-time signal acquisition and intelligent data analysis with applying DSP and CPLD data acquisition card. Under the open configuration, the signal bus mode such as PCI, ISA and PC/104 can be selected and the styles of the signals can be chosen too. In addition, through customizing XPE system, adopting the EWF (Enhanced Write Filter), and realizing the open system authentically, the stability of the system is enhanced. Multi-thread and multi-task programming techniques are adopted in the software programming process. Interconnecting with the remote fault diagnosis center via the net interface, cooperative diagnosis is conducted and the intelligent degree of the fault diagnosis is improved.

Effects of Lambertian sources design on uniformity and measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cariou, Nadine; Durell, Chris; McKee, Greg; Wilks, Dylan; Glastre, Wilfried

2014-10-01

Integrating sphere (IS) based uniform sources are a primary tool for ground based calibration, characterization and testing of flight radiometric equipment. The idea of a Lambertian field of energy is a very useful tool in radiometric testing, but this concept is being checked in many ways by newly lowered uncertainty goals. At an uncertainty goal of 2% one needs to assess carefully uniformity in addition to calibration uncertainties, as even sources with a 0.5% uniformity are now substantial proportions of uncertainty budgets. The paper explores integrating sphere design options for achieving 99.5% and better uniformity of exit port radiance and spectral irradiance created by an integrating sphere. Uniformity in broad spectrum and spectral bands are explored. We discuss mapping techniques and results as a function of observed uniformity as well as laboratory testing results customized to match with customer's instrumentation field of view. We will also discuss recommendations with basic commercial instrumentation, we have used to validate, inspect, and improve correlation of uniformity measurements with the intended application.

Identification of Patients with Family History of Pancreatic Cancer - Investigation of an NLP System Portability

PubMed Central

Mehrabi, Saeed; Krishnan, Anand; Roch, Alexandra M; Schmidt, Heidi; Li, DingCheng; Kesterson, Joe; Beesley, Chris; Dexter, Paul; Schmidt, Max; Palakal, Mathew; Liu, Hongfang

2018-01-01

In this study we have developed a rule-based natural language processing (NLP) system to identify patients with family history of pancreatic cancer. The algorithm was developed in a Unstructured Information Management Architecture (UIMA) framework and consisted of section segmentation, relation discovery, and negation detection. The system was evaluated on data from two institutions. The family history identification precision was consistent across the institutions shifting from 88.9% on Indiana University (IU) dataset to 87.8% on Mayo Clinic dataset. Customizing the algorithm on the the Mayo Clinic data, increased its precision to 88.1%. The family member relation discovery achieved precision, recall, and F-measure of 75.3%, 91.6% and 82.6% respectively. Negation detection resulted in precision of 99.1%. The results show that rule-based NLP approaches for specific information extraction tasks are portable across institutions; however customization of the algorithm on the new dataset improves its performance. PMID:26262122

Internal Branding: Using Performance Technology To Create an Organization Focused on Customer Value.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tosti, Donald T.; Stotz, Rodger

2000-01-01

Presents a performance technology approach to revenue enhancement, with the goal of improving customer retention through building customer value. Topics include internal branding, a way to make sure that what the company delivers matches what's promised in the advertising; product versus service brands; and customer satisfaction, including…

Choice architecture to promote fruit and vegetable purchases by families participating in the Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC): randomized corner store pilot study

PubMed Central

Thorndike, Anne N.; Bright, Oliver-John M.; Dimond, Melissa A.; Fishman, Ronald; Levy, Douglas E.

2017-01-01

Objective Conduct a pilot study to determine if improving the visibility and quality of fresh produce (choice architecture) in corner stores would increase fruit/vegetable purchases by families participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). Design Six stores were randomly assigned to choice architecture intervention or control. Store-level WIC sales data were provided by the state. Primary outcomes were WIC fruit/vegetable voucher and non-fruit/vegetable voucher sales, comparing trends from baseline (December 2012–October 2013) to the five month intervention period (December 2013–April 2014). Secondary outcomes were differences in customer self-reported fruit/vegetable purchases between baseline and the end of intervention. Setting Chelsea, Massachusetts, a low-income urban community. Subjects 575 adult customers completing store exit interviews. Results During baseline, WIC fruit/vegetable and non-fruit/vegetable sales decreased in both the intervention and control stores by $16/month. During the intervention period, WIC fruit/vegetable sales increased in intervention stores by $40/month but decreased in control stores by $23/month (difference in trends $63/month, 95% CI, $4–121/month; p=0.036); WIC non-fruit/vegetable sales were not different (p=0.45). Comparing baseline to intervention period exit interview responses by customers participating in WIC (N=134), intervention store customers reported increased fruit/vegetable purchases compared to control store customers (18% vs. −2%), but this did not achieve statistical significance (p=0.11). Conclusions Placement of fruit/vegetables near the front of corner stores increased purchase of produce by customers using WIC. New policies that incentivize stores to stock and prominently display good quality produce could promote healthier food choices of low-income families. PMID:27890020

Development of a CFC Critical Area Response (CAR) package

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccain, J. Wayne

1995-01-01

During the past two years, the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has studied means to improve the transfer of technology from a major federal lab to a significant portion of an industrial segment. In the past, technology transfers had taken place with individual firms, or small groups of firms. This method of 'customized' transfer is often time consuming and can reduce the effectiveness of a response. Thus, a method was achieved to develop a standardized package on replacement of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) that could be sent out to a large number of firms with minimum follow-up.

Dual-thread parallel control strategy for ophthalmic adaptive optics.

PubMed

Yu, Yongxin; Zhang, Yuhua

To improve ophthalmic adaptive optics speed and compensate for ocular wavefront aberration of high temporal frequency, the adaptive optics wavefront correction has been implemented with a control scheme including 2 parallel threads; one is dedicated to wavefront detection and the other conducts wavefront reconstruction and compensation. With a custom Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor that measures the ocular wave aberration with 193 subapertures across the pupil, adaptive optics has achieved a closed loop updating frequency up to 110 Hz, and demonstrated robust compensation for ocular wave aberration up to 50 Hz in an adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope.

Dual-thread parallel control strategy for ophthalmic adaptive optics

PubMed Central

Yu, Yongxin; Zhang, Yuhua

2015-01-01

To improve ophthalmic adaptive optics speed and compensate for ocular wavefront aberration of high temporal frequency, the adaptive optics wavefront correction has been implemented with a control scheme including 2 parallel threads; one is dedicated to wavefront detection and the other conducts wavefront reconstruction and compensation. With a custom Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor that measures the ocular wave aberration with 193 subapertures across the pupil, adaptive optics has achieved a closed loop updating frequency up to 110 Hz, and demonstrated robust compensation for ocular wave aberration up to 50 Hz in an adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope. PMID:25866498

Effect of Custom-Molded Foot Orthoses on Foot Pain and Balance in Children With Symptomatic Flexible Flat Feet

PubMed Central

Lee, Hong-Jae; Lim, Kil-Byung; Yoo, JeeHyun; Yun, Hyun-Ju; Jeong, Tae-Ho

2015-01-01

Objective To evaluate the effect of custom-molded foot orthoses on foot pain and balance in children with symptomatic flexible flat foot 1 month and 3 months after fitting foot orthosis. Method A total of 24 children over 6 years old with flexible flat feet and foot pain for at least 6 months were recruited for this study. Their resting calcaneal stance position and calcaneal pitch angle were measured. Individual custom-molded rigid foot orthoses were prescribed using inverted orthotic technique to control foot overpronation. Pain questionnaire was used to obtain pain sites, degree, and frequency. Balancing ability was determined using computerized posturography. These evaluations were performed prior to custom-molded foot orthoses, 1 month, and 3 months after fitting foot orthoses. Result Of 24 children with symptomatic flexible flat feet recruited for this study, 20 completed the study. Significant (p<0.001) improvements in pain degree and frequency were noted after 1 and 3 months of custom-molded foot orthoses. In addition, significant (p<0.05) improvement in balancing ability was found after 3 months of custom-molded foot orthoses. Conclusion Short-term use of custom-molded foot orthoses significantly improved foot pain and balancing ability in children with symptomatic flexible flat foot. PMID:26798604

[Knee arthrodesis using a customized intramedullary nail: 14 cases].

PubMed

Volpi, R; Dehoux, E; Touchard, P; Mensa, C; Segal, P

2004-02-01

We report our experience with knee arthrodesis using a customized intramedullary nail implanted in 14 patients. Indications for knee arthrodesis were: recurrent prosthesis infection (n=11), post-traumatic septic arthritis (n=1), aseptic loosening of a hinge prosthesis (n=1), and nonunion (n=1). A two-stage procedure was used for the 12 patients with infected joints. Mean follow-up was 19 months. Weight bearing began during the first week after arthrodesis in 13 patients. First intention bone healing was achieved in 13 patients. Mean time to healing was three months. All patients rapidly recovered full independence. Complications were: one misinsertion of the tibial stem, one nonunion which fused after repeated grafting, and two recurrent infections (controlled chronic fistulae) which required skin flaps for cover. We have found that this customized nail is a useful method for achieving bone fusion in patients with difficult indications for arthrodesis, particularly recurrent prosthesis infection.

A systematic study of posterior cervical lymph node irradiation with electrons: Conventional versus customized planning.

PubMed

Jankowska, Petra J; Kong, Christine; Burke, Kevin; Harrington, Kevin J; Nutting, Christopher

2007-10-01

High dose irradiation of the posterior cervical lymph nodes usually employs applied electron fields to treat the target volume and maintain the spinal cord dose within tolerance. In the light of recent advances in elective lymph node localisation we investigated optimization of field shape and electron energy to treat this target volume. In this study, three sequential hypotheses were tested. Firstly, that customization of the electron fields based on the nodal PTV outlined gives better PTV coverage than conventional field delineation. Using the consensus guidelines, customization of the electron field shape was compared to conventional fields based on bony landmarks. Secondly, that selection of electron energy using DVHs for spinal cord and PTV improves the minimum dose to PTV. Electron dose-volume histograms (DVHs) for the PTV, spinal cord and para-vertebral muscles, were generated using the Monte Carlo electron algorithm. These DVHs were used to compare standard vs optimized electron energy calculations. Finally, that combination of field customization and electron energy optimization improves both the minimum and mean doses to PTV compared with current standard practice. Customized electron beam shaping based on the consensus guidelines led to fewer geographical misses than standard field shaping. Customized electron energy calculation led to higher minimum doses to the PTV. Overall, the customization of field shape and energy resulted in an improved mean dose to the PTV (92% vs 83% p=0.02) and a 27% improvement in the minimum dose delivered to the PTV (45% vs 18% p=0.0009). Optimization of electron field shape and beam energy based on current consensus guidelines led to significant improvement in PTV coverage and may reduce recurrence rates.

A Practical Guide for Managing Customer Service in Base Civil Engineering.

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-04-01

IMPROVING CUSTOMER SERVICE IN BASE CIVIL ENGINEERING Step One: Evaluate Present Service Quality .. ......... .11 Step Two: Develop and Clarify a...cross sectional viewpoint. In chapter three, specific steps will be presented for managers to evaluate and improve the present level of service quality in...customer service in base civil engineering or any other organization for that matter is to evaluate the present level of service quality (1:170). Data

Economy of Force: Continuous Process Improvement And The Air Service

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-01

a household goods move, viewed from the perspective of a customer when interacting with a service organization, assists in demonstrating this...improvement (CPI) as well. The components of a process that deliver a value-added effect to a consumer of the goods or services generated by the process...CPI is largely about the “voice of the customer ” and all organizations, service or production based, have customers and processes. There are value

Transmission and Distribution Efficiency Improvement Rearch and Development Survey.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brooks, C.L.; Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Advanced Systems Technology.

Purpose of this study was to identify and quantify those technologies for improving transmission and distribution (T and D) system efficiency that could provide the greatest benefits for utility customers in the Pacific Northwest. Improving the efficiency of transmission and distribution systems offers a potential source of conservation within the utility sector. An extensive review of this field resulted in a list of 49 state-of-the-art technologies and 39 future technologies. Of these, 15 from the former list and 7 from the latter were chosen as the most promising and then submitted to an evaluative test - a modeled sample systemmore » for Benton County PUD, a utility with characteristics typical of a BPA customer system. Reducing end-use voltage on secondary distribution systems to decrease the energy consumption of electrical users when possible, called ''Conservation Voltage Reduction,'' was found to be the most cost effective state-of-the-art technology. Voltampere reactive (var) optimization is a similarly cost effective alternative. The most significant reduction in losses on the transmission and distribution system would be achieved through the replacement of standard transformers with high efficiency transformers, such as amorphous steel transformers. Of the future technologies assessed, the ''Distribution Static VAR Generator'' appears to have the greatest potential for technological breakthroughs and, therefore in time, commercialization. ''Improved Dielectric Materials,'' with a relatively low cost and high potential for efficiency improvement, warrant R and D consideration. ''Extruded Three-Conductor Cable'' and ''Six- and Twelve-Phase Transmission'' programs provide only limited gains in efficiency and applicability and are therefore the least cost effective.« less

Process improvement by cycle time reduction through Lean Methodology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siva, R.; patan, Mahamed naveed khan; lakshmi pavan kumar, Mane; Purusothaman, M.; pitchai, S. Antony; Jegathish, Y.

2017-05-01

In present world, every customer needs their products to get on time with good quality. Presently every industry is striving to satisfy their customer requirements. An aviation concern trying to accomplish continuous improvement in all its projects. In this project the maintenance service for the customer is analyzed. The maintenance part service is split up into four levels. Out of it, three levels are done in service shops and the fourth level falls under customer’s privilege to change the parts in their aircraft engines at their location. An enhancement for electronics initial provisioning (eIP) is done for fourth level. Customers request service shops to get their requirements through Recommended Spare Parts List (RSPL) by eIP. To complete this RSPL for one customer, it takes 61.5 hours as a cycle time which is very high. By mapping current state VSM and takt time, future state improvement can be done in order to reduce cycle time using Lean tools such as Poke-Yoke, Jidoka, 5S, Muda etc.,

Conceptual framework of Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) cost of service (COS) model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zainudin, WNRA; Ishak, WWM; Sulaiman, NA

2017-09-01

One of Malaysia Electricity Supply Industry (MESI) objectives is to ensure Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) economic viability based on a fair economic electricity pricing. In meeting such objective, a framework that investigates the effect of cost of service (COS) on revenue is in great need. This paper attempts to present a conceptual framework that illustrate the distribution of the COS among TNB’s various cost centres which are subsequently redistributed in varying quantities among all of its customer categories. A deep understanding on the concepts will ensure optimal allocation of COS elements between different sub activities of energy production processes can be achieved. However, this optimal allocation needs to be achieved with respect to the imposed TNB revenue constraint. Therefore, the methodology used for this conceptual approach is being modelled into four steps. Firstly, TNB revenue requirement is being examined to ensure the conceptual framework addressed the requirement properly. Secondly, the revenue requirement is unbundled between three major cost centres or business units consist of generation, transmission and distribution and the cost is classified based on demand, energy and customers related charges. Finally, the classified costs are being allocated to different customer categories i.e. Household, Commercial, and Industrial. In summary, this paper proposed a conceptual framework on the cost of specific services that TNB currently charging its customers and served as potential input into the process of developing revised electricity tariff rates. On that purpose, the finding of this COS study finds cost to serve customer varies with the voltage level that customer connected to, the timing and the magnitude of customer demand on the system. This COS conceptual framework could potentially be integrated into a particular tariff structure and serve as a useful tool for TNB.

Preintervention Analysis and Improvement of Customer Greeting in a Restaurant

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Therrien, Kelly; Wilder, David A.; Rodriguez, Manuel; Wine, Byron

2005-01-01

We examined customer greeting by employees at one location of a sandwich restaurant chain. First, a preintervention analysis was conducted to determine the conditions under which greeting a customer within 3 s of his or her entry into the restaurant did and did not occur. Results suggested that an appropriate customer greeting was most likely to…

The Impact of IT Capability on Employee Capability, Customer Value, Customer Satisfaction, and Business Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chae, Ho-Chang

2009-01-01

This study empirically examines the impact of IT capability on firms' performance and evaluates whether firms' IT capabilities play a role in improving employee capability, customer value, customer satisfaction, and ultimately business performance. The results were based on comparing the business performance of the IT leader companies with that of…

The art of customer service.

PubMed

Williams, Jeni

2007-10-01

Strategies for improving the consumer service skills of finance staff include: Hire employees who have a customer service background. Work with your human resources department to provide customer service training. Monitor new hires extensively. Offer front-end employees scripted language for situations they may face on the job. Measure the quality of customer service provided. Provide incentives for performance.

How Does Target Know so Much about Its Customers? Utilizing Customer Analytics to Make Marketing Decisions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corrigan, Hope B.; Craciun, Georgiana; Powell, Allison M.

2014-01-01

Every time shoppers make a purchase at a store or browse a Web site, customer behavior is tracked, analyzed, and perhaps shared with other businesses. Target Corporation is a leader in analyzing vast amounts of data to identify buying patterns, improve customer satisfaction, predict future trends, select promotional strategies, and increase…

Broad-based visual benefits from training with an integrated perceptual-learning video game.

PubMed

Deveau, Jenni; Lovcik, Gary; Seitz, Aaron R

2014-06-01

Perception is the window through which we understand all information about our environment, and therefore deficits in perception due to disease, injury, stroke or aging can have significant negative impacts on individuals' lives. Research in the field of perceptual learning has demonstrated that vision can be improved in both normally seeing and visually impaired individuals, however, a limitation of most perceptual learning approaches is their emphasis on isolating particular mechanisms. In the current study, we adopted an integrative approach where the goal is not to achieve highly specific learning but instead to achieve general improvements to vision. We combined multiple perceptual learning approaches that have individually contributed to increasing the speed, magnitude and generality of learning into a perceptual-learning based video-game. Our results demonstrate broad-based benefits of vision in a healthy adult population. Transfer from the game includes; improvements in acuity (measured with self-paced standard eye-charts), improvement along the full contrast sensitivity function, and improvements in peripheral acuity and contrast thresholds. The use of this type of this custom video game framework built up from psychophysical approaches takes advantage of the benefits found from video game training while maintaining a tight link to psychophysical designs that enable understanding of mechanisms of perceptual learning and has great potential both as a scientific tool and as therapy to help improve vision. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Improving The Performance of Customer Loyalty of Online Ticketing in Indonesia's Showbiz Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dachyar, M.; Athory, E. S.

2015-06-01

Currently the entertainment industry is adopting online ticketing for supporting business from main products to profitability improvement. E-loyalty needs to be examined because are deals with less loyal customer characteristic. The sample are 249 customers whom have purchased for tickets online at least once. Data was gathered by questionnaires and analyzed by Path Analysis and Importance - Performance Analysis. The findings of the research indicate that satisfaction has the strongest relationship to e-loyalty. This study provides four improvement alternatives as a form of new business development strategy for showbiz industry in Indonesia.

Emergency department patient satisfaction: customer service training improves patient satisfaction and ratings of physician and nurse skill.

PubMed

Mayer, T A; Cates, R J; Mastorovich, M J; Royalty, D L

1998-01-01

Customer service initiatives in healthcare have become a popular way of attempting to improve patient satisfaction. This study investigates the effect of clinically focused customer service training on patient satisfaction in the setting of a 62,000-visit emergency department and level I trauma center. Analysis of patient complaints, patient compliments, and a statistically verified patient-satisfaction survey indicate that (1) all 14 key quality characteristics identified in the survey increased dramatically in the study period; (2) patient complaints decreased by over 70 percent from 2.6 per 1,000 emergency department (ED) visits to 0.6 per 1,000 ED visits following customer service training; and (3) patient compliments increased more than 100 percent from 1.1 per 1,000 ED visits to 2.3 per 1,000 ED visits. The most dramatic improvement in the patient satisfaction survey came in ratings of skill of the emergency physician, likelihood of returning, skill of the emergency department nurse, and overall satisfaction. These results show that clinically focused customer service training improves patient satisfaction and ratings of physician and nurse skill. They also suggest that such training may offer a substantial competitive market advantage, as well as improve the patients' perception of quality and outcome.

A Framework for the Design of Service Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Yao-Hua; Hofman, Wout; Gordijn, Jaap; Hulstijn, Joris

We propose a framework for the design and implementation of service systems, especially to design controls for long-term sustainable value co-creation. The framework is based on the software support tool e3-control. To illustrate the framework we use a large-scale case study, the Beer Living Lab, for simplification of customs procedures in international trade. The BeerLL shows how value co-creation can be achieved by reduction of administrative burden in international beer export due to electronic customs. Participants in the BeerLL are Heineken, IBM and Dutch Tax & Customs.

Airport electrotechnology resource guide. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Geba, V.; Nesbit, M.

1998-06-01

Electrotechnologies offer utilities a cutting edge marketing tool to work with airport customers to increase passenger comfort, and achieve environmental and economic goals. At the same time, utility objectives such as customer retention, and revenue and sales goals can be enhanced. This guide provides electric utility marketing staff with the necessary information to market electrotechnologies in airport applications. The airport industry is profiled and an overview of airport building, infrastructure technologies and electric vehicles is provided. In addition, the guide offers market strategies for customer targeting, market research, market plan development and development of trade ally partnerships.

Application of the airborne ocean color imager for commercial fishing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wrigley, Robert C.

1993-01-01

The objective of the investigation was to develop a commercial remote sensing system for providing near-real-time data (within one day) in support of commercial fishing operations. The Airborne Ocean Color Imager (AOCI) had been built for NASA by Daedalus Enterprises, Inc., but it needed certain improvements, data processing software, and a delivery system to make it into a commercial system for fisheries. Two products were developed to support this effort: the AOCI with its associated processing system and an information service for both commercial and recreational fisheries to be created by Spectro Scan, Inc. The investigation achieved all technical objectives: improving the AOCI, creating software for atmospheric correction and bio-optical output products, georeferencing the output products, and creating a delivery system to get those products into the hands of commercial and recreational fishermen in near-real-time. The first set of business objectives involved Daedalus Enterprises and also were achieved: they have an improved AOCI and new data processing software with a set of example data products for fisheries applications to show their customers. Daedalus' marketing activities showed the need for simplification of the product for fisheries, but they successfully marketed the current version to an Italian consortium. The second set of business objectives tasked Spectro Scan to provide an information service and they could not be achieved because Spectro Scan was unable to obtain necessary venture capital to start up operations.

The value of price transparency in residential solar photovoltaic markets

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

O'Shaughnessy, Eric; Margolis, Robert

Installed prices for residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems have declined significantly in recent years. However price dispersion and limited customer access to PV quotes prevents some prospective customers from obtaining low price offers. This study shows that improved customer access to prices - also known as price transparency - is a potential policy lever for further PV price reductions. We use customer search and strategic pricing theory to show that PV installation companies face incentives to offer lower prices in markets with more price transparency. We test this theoretical framework using a unique residential PV quote dataset. Our results showmore » that installers offer lower prices to customers that are expected to receive more quotes. Our study provides a rationale for policies to improve price transparency in residential PV markets.« less

The value of price transparency in residential solar photovoltaic markets

DOE PAGES

O'Shaughnessy, Eric; Margolis, Robert

2018-04-05

Installed prices for residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems have declined significantly in recent years. However price dispersion and limited customer access to PV quotes prevents some prospective customers from obtaining low price offers. This study shows that improved customer access to prices - also known as price transparency - is a potential policy lever for further PV price reductions. We use customer search and strategic pricing theory to show that PV installation companies face incentives to offer lower prices in markets with more price transparency. We test this theoretical framework using a unique residential PV quote dataset. Our results showmore » that installers offer lower prices to customers that are expected to receive more quotes. Our study provides a rationale for policies to improve price transparency in residential PV markets.« less

Promoters and Barriers to Implementation of Tracheal Intubation Airway Safety Bundle: A Mixed-Method Analysis.

PubMed

Finn Davis, Katherine; Napolitano, Natalie; Li, Simon; Buffman, Hayley; Rehder, Kyle; Pinto, Matthew; Nett, Sholeen; Jarvis, J Dean; Kamat, Pradip; Sanders, Ronald C; Turner, David A; Sullivan, Janice E; Bysani, Kris; Lee, Anthony; Parker, Margaret; Adu-Darko, Michelle; Giuliano, John; Biagas, Katherine; Nadkarni, Vinay; Nishisaki, Akira

2017-10-01

To describe promoters and barriers to implementation of an airway safety quality improvement bundle from the perspective of interdisciplinary frontline clinicians and ICU quality improvement leaders. Mixed methods. Thirteen PICUs of the National Emergency Airway Registry for Children network. Remote or on-site focus groups with interdisciplinary ICU staff. Two semistructured interviews with ICU quality improvement leaders with quantitative and qualitative data-based feedbacks. Bundle implementation success (compliance) was defined as greater than or equal to 80% use for tracheal intubations for 3 consecutive months. ICUs were classified as early or late adopters. Focus group discussions concentrated on safety concerns and promoters and barriers to bundle implementation. Initial semistructured quality improvement leader interviews assessed implementation tactics and provided recommendations. Follow-up interviews assessed degree of acceptance and changes made after initial interview. Transcripts were thematically analyzed and contrasted by early versus late adopters. Median duration to achieve success was 502 days (interquartile range, 182-781). Five sites were early (median, 153 d; interquartile range, 146-267) and eight sites were late adopters (median, 783 d; interquartile range, 773-845). Focus groups identified common "promoter" themes-interdisciplinary approach, influential champions, and quality improvement bundle customization-and "barrier" themes-time constraints, competing paperwork and quality improvement activities, and poor engagement. Semistructured interviews with quality improvement leaders identified effective and ineffective tactics implemented by early and late adopters. Effective tactics included interdisciplinary quality improvement team involvement (early adopter: 5/5, 100% vs late adopter: 3/8, 38%; p = 0.08); ineffective tactics included physician-only rollouts, lack of interdisciplinary education, lack of data feedback to frontline clinicians, and misconception of bundle as research instead of quality improvement intervention. Implementation of an airway safety quality improvement bundle with high compliance takes a long time across diverse ICUs. Both early and late adopters identified similar promoter and barrier themes. Early adopter sites customized the quality improvement bundle and had an interdisciplinary quality improvement team approach.

Passively-coupled, low-coherence interferometric duct profiling with an astigmatism-corrected conical mirror.

PubMed

Ford, Helen D; Tatam, Ralph P

2017-04-17

Duct-profiling in test samples up to 25 mm in diameter has been demonstrated using a passive, low-coherence probe head with a depth resolution of 7.8 μm, incorporating an optical-fibre-linked conical mirror addressed by a custom-built array of single-mode fibres. Zemax modelling, and experimental assessment of instrument performance, show that degradation of focus, resulting from astigmatism introduced by the conical mirror, is mitigated by the introduction of a novel lens element. This enables a good beam focus to be achieved at distances of tens of millimetres from the cone axis, not achievable when the cone is used alone. Incorporation of the additional lens element is shown to provide a four-fold improvement in lateral imaging resolution, when compared with reflection from the conical mirror alone.

Determining customer satisfaction in anatomic pathology.

PubMed

Zarbo, Richard J

2006-05-01

Measurement of physicians' and patients' satisfaction with laboratory services has become a standard practice in the United States, prompted by national accreditation requirements. Unlike other surveys of hospital-, outpatient care-, or physician-related activities, no ongoing, comprehensive customer satisfaction survey of anatomic pathology services is available for subscription that would allow continual benchmarking against peer laboratories. Pathologists, therefore, must often design their own local assessment tools to determine physician satisfaction in anatomic pathology. To describe satisfaction survey design that would elicit specific information from physician customers about key elements of anatomic pathology services. The author shares his experience in biannually assessing customer satisfaction in anatomic pathology with survey tools designed at the Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Mich. Benchmarks for physician satisfaction, opportunities for improvement, and characteristics that correlated with a high level of physician satisfaction were identified nationally from a standardized survey tool used by 94 laboratories in the 2001 College of American Pathologists Q-Probes quality improvement program. In general, physicians are most satisfied with professional diagnostic services and least satisfied with pathology services related to poor communication. A well-designed and conducted customer satisfaction survey is an opportunity for pathologists to periodically educate physician customers about services offered, manage unrealistic expectations, and understand the evolving needs of the physician customer. Armed with current information from physician customers, the pathologist is better able to strategically plan for resources that facilitate performance improvements in anatomic pathology laboratory services that align with evolving clinical needs in health care delivery.

Results of the Software Process Improvement Efforts of the Early Adopters in NAVAIR 4.0

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-01

and customer satisfaction. AIRSpeed utilizes a structured, problem solving methodology called DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control...widely used in business. DMAIC leads project teams through the logical steps from problem definition to problem resolution. Each phase has a specific set...costs and improving productivity and customer satisfaction. AIRSpeed utilizes the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) structured problem

SU-E-T-92: Achieving Desirable Lung Doses in Total Body Irradiation Based On in Vivo Dosimetry and Custom Tissue Compensation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cui, G; Shiu, A; Zhou, S

Purpose: To achieve desirable lung doses in total body irradiation (TBI) based on in vivo dosimetry and custom tissue compensation. Methods: The 15 MV photon beam of a Varian TrueBeam STx linac was used for TBI. Patients were positioned in the lateral decubitus position for AP/PA treatment delivery. Dose was calculated using the midpoint of the separation distance across the patient’s umbilicus. Patients received 200 cGy twice daily for 3 days. The dose rate at the patient’s midplane was approximately 10 cGy/min. Cerrobend blocks with a 5-HVL thickness were used for the primary lung shielding. A custom styrofoam holder formore » rice-flour filled bags was created based on the lung block cutouts. This was used to provide further lung shielding based on in vivo dose measurements. Lucite plates and rice-flour bags were placed in the head, neck, chest, and lower extremity regions during the treatment to compensate for the beam off-axis output variations. Two patients were included in the study. Patients 1 and 2 received a craniospinal treatment (1080 cGy) and a mediastinum treatment (2520 cGy), respectively, before the TBI. During the TBI nanoDot dosimeters were placed on the patient skin in the forehead, neck, umbilicus, and lung regions for dose monitoring. The doses were readout immediately after the treatment. Based on the readings, fine tuning of the thickness of the rice-flour filled bags was exploited to achieve the desirable lung doses. Results: For both patients the mean lung doses, which took into consideration all treatments, were controlled within 900 +/−10% cGy, as desired. Doses to the forehead, neck, and umbilicus were achieved within +/−10% of the prescribed dose (1200 cGy). Conclusion: A reliable and robust method was developed to achieve desirable lung doses and uniform body dose in TBI based on in vivo dosimetry and custom tissue compensator.« less

Seven Ways to Make Your Training Department One of the Best.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vander Linde, Karen; And Others

1997-01-01

Explains how training organizations in high-performance companies such as Motorola are different from those in low-performing ones. Identifies management practices: customer focus, training closer to customers, leadership, employee involvement, innovation, process improvement, improvement measurement, and change management. (JOW)

SU-E-T-760: Tolerance Design for Site-Specific Range in Proton Patient QA Process Using the Six Sigma Model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lah, J; Shin, D; Kim, G

Purpose: To show how tolerance design and tolerancing approaches can be used to predict and improve the site-specific range in patient QA process in implementing the Six Sigma. Methods: In this study, patient QA plans were selected according to 6 site-treatment groups: head &neck (94 cases), spine (76 cases), lung (89 cases), liver (53 cases), pancreas (55 cases), and prostate (121 cases), treated between 2007 and 2013. We evaluated a model of the Six Sigma that determines allowable deviations in design parameters and process variables in patient-specific QA, where possible, tolerance may be loosened, then customized if it necessary tomore » meet the functional requirements. A Six Sigma problem-solving methodology is known as DMAIC phases, which are used stand for: Define a problem or improvement opportunity, Measure process performance, Analyze the process to determine the root causes of poor performance, Improve the process by fixing root causes, Control the improved process to hold the gains. Results: The process capability for patient-specific range QA is 0.65 with only ±1 mm of tolerance criteria. Our results suggested the tolerance level of ±2–3 mm for prostate and liver cases and ±5 mm for lung cases. We found that customized tolerance between calculated and measured range reduce that patient QA plan failure and almost all sites had failure rates less than 1%. The average QA time also improved from 2 hr to less than 1 hr for all including planning and converting process, depth-dose measurement and evaluation. Conclusion: The objective of tolerance design is to achieve optimization beyond that obtained through QA process improvement and statistical analysis function detailing to implement a Six Sigma capable design.« less

Quality and customer satisfaction: A case study in Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barcellos, Paulo Fernando Pinto

The dissertation deals with the case of CEEE-Companhia Estadual de Energia Eletrica, an electric power utility located in Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of Brazil. Customer satisfaction with the services provided by CEEE is investigated within three groups of consumers: residential, commercial, and industrial. The purpose of the dissertation is to find answers to the following research questions: (1) What is service quality in public utilities, and particularly in an electric power company? (2) What service quality dimensions do customers want to be provided and favor the most? (3) How does the market measure service quality? (4) What should be done by companies, and particularly by an electric utility monopoly, to increase the performance of the rendered service? (5) How does this impact customer satisfaction, retention, and intention to recommend? and (6) How do we start a company-wide quality program provided that the resources are scarce and therefore priorities should be set forth? To investigate the posed questions, the study begins with an exploratory survey of CEEE's Board. The survey is followed by qualitative research of the three customer groups. After qualitative analysis of the data is concluded, questionnaires for the quantitative research, as well as hypothetical models, are developed. Dillman's "Total Design Method" is used to design the questionnaires. The basic ACSI (American Customer Satisfaction Model) is used to approach customer satisfaction. Data are processed by PLS (Partial Least Squares) which follows the procedure developed at the National Quality Research Center of the University of Michigan Business School. In summary, commercial customers are the most dissatisfied with the services provided by CEEE, while residential customers are the most satisfied. To improve quality, priority should be placed on commercial customers and include efforts to improve productivity gains throughout the company. Also, CEEE's image should be improved through a better communication process with the market and an intensive and extensive training of personnel. A special marketing campaign could help build a better image by explaining CEEE's goals to improve quality. Finally, a bottom line of satisfaction scores (as quality indicators) should be set for the entire company.

AFMC Customer Satisfaction Study at the Air Logistics Centers

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-03-01

research was guided by a previous Graduate Research Project (GRP) effort, which sought to determine how customer relationship management ( CRM ...and effectively. To accomplish this, AFMC is implementing Customer Relationship Management ( CRM ) as one of its initiatives. Problem Statement...for improvement. More than fifty-one percent of the participants were not aware that Customer Relationship Management ( CRM ) was a transformation

The power of virtual integration: an interview with Dell Computer's Michael Dell. Interview by Joan Magretta.

PubMed

Dell, M

1998-01-01

Michael Dell started his computer company in 1984 with a simple business insight. He could bypass the dealer channel through which personal computers were then being sold and sell directly to customers, building products to order. Dell's direct model eliminated the dealer's markup and the risks associated with carrying large inventories of finished goods. In this interview, Michael Dell provides a detailed description of how his company is pushing that business model one step further, toward what he calls virtual integration. Dell is using technology and information to blur the traditional boundaries in the value chain between suppliers, manufacturers, and customers. The individual pieces of Dell's strategy--customer focus, supplier partnerships, mass customization, just-in-time manufacturing--may be all be familiar. But Michael Dell's business insight into how to combine them is highly innovative. Direct relationships with customers create valuable information, which in turn allows the company to coordinate its entire value chain back through manufacturing to product design. Dell describes how his company has come to achieve this tight coordination without the "drag effect" of ownership. Dell reaps the advantages of being vertically integrated without incurring the costs, all the while achieving the focus, agility, and speed of a virtual organization. As envisioned by Michael Dell, virtual integration may well become a new organizational model for the information age.

The role of complaint management in the service recovery process.

PubMed

Bendall-Lyon, D; Powers, T L

2001-05-01

Patient satisfaction and retention can be influenced by the development of an effective service recovery program that can identify complaints and remedy failure points in the service system. Patient complaints provide organizations with an opportunity to resolve unsatisfactory situations and to track complaint data for quality improvement purposes. Service recovery is an important and effective customer retention tool. One way an organization can ensure repeat business is by developing a strong customer service program that includes service recovery as an essential component. The concept of service recovery involves the service provider taking responsive action to "recover" lost or dissatisfied customers and convert them into satisfied customers. Service recovery has proven to be cost-effective in other service industries. The complaint management process involves six steps that organizations can use to influence effective service recovery: (1) encourage complaints as a quality improvement tool; (2) establish a team of representatives to handle complaints; (3) resolve customer problems quickly and effectively; (4) develop a complaint database; (5) commit to identifying failure points in the service system; and (6) track trends and use information to improve service processes. Customer retention is enhanced when an organization can reclaim disgruntled patients through the development of effective service recovery programs. Health care organizations can become more customer oriented by taking advantage of the information provided by patient complaints, increasing patient satisfaction and retention in the process.

Customer relations data aids marketing efforts.

PubMed

Werronen, H J

1988-08-01

A customer relations information system can help improve a hospital's marketing performance. With such a system, the author writes, a medical center can easily redirect its information systems away from the traditional transaction-oriented approach toward the building of long-lasting relationship with customers.

Meeting the needs of customers with health CRM.

PubMed

Phillips, Jon; Panchal, Samir

2002-01-01

Customer relationship management (CRM) is a business strategy, supported by applications and technologies, that can fundamentally transform how healthcare delivery organizations manage patient and physician interactions, reduce cost, improve customer-facing processes, drive market and revenue growth, and manage regulatory compliance processes.

Patient satisfaction: focusing on "excellent".

PubMed

Otani, Koichiro; Waterman, Brian; Faulkner, Kelly M; Boslaugh, Sarah; Burroughs, Thomas E; Dunagan, W Claiborne

2009-01-01

In an emerging competitive market such as healthcare, managers should focus on achieving excellent ratings to distinguish their organization from others. When it comes to customer loyalty, "excellent" has a different meaning. Customers who are merely satisfied often do not come back. The purpose of this study was to find out what influences adult patients to rate their overall experience as "excellent." The study used patient satisfaction data collected from one major academic hospital and four community hospitals. After conducting a multiple logistic regression analysis, certain attributes were shown to be more likely than others to influence patients to rate their experiences as excellent. The study revealed that staff care is the most influential attribute, followed by nursing care. These two attributes are distinctively stronger drivers of overall satisfaction than are the other attributes studied (i.e., physician care, admission process, room, and food). Staff care and nursing care are under the control of healthcare managers. If improvements are needed, they can be accomplished through training programs such as total quality management or continuous quality improvement, through which staff employees and nurses learn to be sensitive to patients' needs. Satisfying patients' needs is the first step toward having loyal patients, so hospitals that strive to ensure their patients are completely satisfied are more likely to prosper.

Responding to health care reform by addressing the institute of medicine report on the future of nursing.

PubMed

Ellerbe, Suellyn; Regen, Debra

2012-01-01

The current health care environment has heightened the importance of achieving positive patient outcomes and excellent customer satisfaction. To remain competitive, health care organizations must adapt quickly to changing regulatory requirements, quality improvement initiatives, and customer expectations. To ensure nursing practice at the Saint Clare's Health System in Northwest New Jersey is at the forefront of leading change, the nursing staff has embraced the Institute of Medicine report The Future of Nursing: Leading Change. The empowered nursing team has applied Benner's Novice to Expert model and McCauley's Careful Nursing Theory as the foundation for nursing practice. The ability to apply evidence-based nursing research and cultivate professional development at the bedside has resulted in retention of expert nurses at the bedside. Engaging the nursing team has resulted in increased patient satisfaction and improved clinical outcomes. Advanced practice nurses play an important role to mentor the nursing staff and promote an interdisciplinary, collaborative relationship between all health care disciplines and community support programs. Nurses are recognized for their accomplishments and encouraged to obtain specialty certification, advanced degrees, and earn state and national recognition through professional organizations. The professional nurses at the Saint Clare's Health System are prepared to work in whatever environment the new normal creates.

Ready-Made Versus Custom-Made Mandibular Repositioning Devices in Sleep Apnea: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

PubMed

Johal, Ama; Haria, Priya; Manek, Seema; Joury, Easter; Riha, Renata

2017-02-15

To compare the effectiveness of a custom-made (MRDc) versus ready-made (MRDr) mandibular repositioning devices (MRD) in the management of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). A randomized crossover trial design was adopted in which patients with a confirmed diagnosis of OSA were randomly allocated to receive either a 3-month period of ready-made or custom-made MRD, with an intervening washout period of 2 weeks, prior to crossover. Treatment outcomes included both objective sleep monitoring and patient-centered measures (daytime sleepiness, partner snoring and quality of life). Twenty-five patients, with a mild degree of OSA (apnea-hypopnea index of 13.3 [10.9-25] events/h) and daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale of 11 [6-16]), completed both arms of the trial. The MRDc achieved a complete treatment response in 64% of participants, compared with 24% with the MRDr (p < 0.001). A significant difference was observed in treatment failures, when comparing the MRDr (36%) with the MRDc (4%). Excessive daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale ≥ 10) persisted in 33% (MRDc) and 66% (MRDr) of OSA subjects, following treatment. A statistically significant improvement was observed in quality of life scales following MRDc therapy only. Significant differences were observed in relation to both the number of nights per week (p = 0.004) and hours per night (p = 0.006) between the two different designs of device. The study demonstrates the significant clinical effectiveness of a custom-made mandibular repositioning device, particularly in terms of patient compliance and tolerance, in the treatment of OSA. © 2017 American Academy of Sleep Medicine

The receiving simplification partnership: a win-win approach to better service and higher profitability.

PubMed

Beech, W D; Berg, R C

1999-02-01

To achieve competitive advantage, customers and suppliers are increasingly forming logistics partnerships to improve supply chain performance and reduce costs. The partnerships are typically motivated by the need to solve a particular problem, but with attention and open communication, new program ideas can develop, sometimes even breakthrough concepts. During the course of their partnership, Avery Dennison and United Stationers created a program that dramatically simplifies and speeds receiving and put-away of shipments with the aim of reducing workloads, improving service, and increasing profitability. The program involves optimizing order quantity increments to full-pallet, layer, and case volumes based on demand and warehouse configurations. Within six weeks, the results included a 50 percent reduction in shipment line items and 92 percent fewer put-away pieces, despite unchanged inventory levels.

Achieving continuous improvement in laboratory organization through performance measurements: a seven-year experience.

PubMed

Salinas, Maria; López-Garrigós, Maite; Gutiérrez, Mercedes; Lugo, Javier; Sirvent, Jose Vicente; Uris, Joaquin

2010-01-01

Laboratory performance can be measured using a set of model key performance indicators (KPIs). The design and implementation of KPIs are important issues. KPI results from 7 years are reported and their implementation, monitoring, objectives, interventions, result reporting and delivery are analyzed. The KPIs of the entire laboratory process were obtained using Laboratory Information System (LIS) registers. These were collected automatically using a data warehouse application, spreadsheets and external quality program reports. Customer satisfaction was assessed using surveys. Nine model laboratory KPIs were proposed and measured. The results of some examples of KPIs used in our laboratory are reported. Their corrective measurements or the implementation of objectives led to improvement in the associated KPIs results. Measurement of laboratory performance using KPIs and a data warehouse application that continuously collects registers and calculates KPIs confirmed the reliability of indicators, indicator acceptability and usability for users, and continuous process improvement.

TQM in a test environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chambers, Gary D.; King, Elizabeth A.; Oleson, Keith

1992-01-01

In response to the changing aerospace economic climate, Martin Marietta Astronautics Group (MMAG) has adopted a Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy to maintain a competitive edge. TQM emphasizes continuous improvement of processes, motivation to improve from within, cross-functional involvement, people empowerment, customer satisfaction, and modern process control techniques. The four major initiatives of TQM are Product Excellence, Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP II), People Empowerment, and Subcontract Management. The Defense Space and Communications (DS&C) Test Lab's definition and implementation of the MRP II and people empowerment initiatives within TQM are discussed. The application of MRP II to environmental test planning and operations processes required a new and innovative approach. In an 18 month span, the test labs implemented MRP II and people empowerment and achieved a Class 'A' operational status. This resulted in numerous benefits, both tangible and intangible, including significant cost savings and improved quality of life. A detailed description of the implementation process and results are addressed.

TQM in a test environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chambers, Gary D.; King, Elizabeth A.; Oleson, Keith

1992-11-01

In response to the changing aerospace economic climate, Martin Marietta Astronautics Group (MMAG) has adopted a Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy to maintain a competitive edge. TQM emphasizes continuous improvement of processes, motivation to improve from within, cross-functional involvement, people empowerment, customer satisfaction, and modern process control techniques. The four major initiatives of TQM are Product Excellence, Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP II), People Empowerment, and Subcontract Management. The Defense Space and Communications (DS&C) Test Lab's definition and implementation of the MRP II and people empowerment initiatives within TQM are discussed. The application of MRP II to environmental test planning and operations processes required a new and innovative approach. In an 18 month span, the test labs implemented MRP II and people empowerment and achieved a Class 'A' operational status. This resulted in numerous benefits, both tangible and intangible, including significant cost savings and improved quality of life. A detailed description of the implementation process and results are addressed.

Core components of a comprehensive quality assurance program in anatomic pathology.

PubMed

Nakhleh, Raouf E

2009-11-01

In this article the core components of a comprehensive quality assurance and improvement plan are outlined. Quality anatomic pathology work comes with focus on accurate, timely, and complete reports. A commitment to continuous quality improvement and a systems approach with a persistent effort helps to achieve this end. Departments should have a quality assurance and improvement plan that includes a risk assessment of real and potential problems facing the laboratory. The plan should also list the individuals responsible for carrying out the program with adequate resources, a defined timetable, and annual assessment for progress and future directions. Quality assurance monitors should address regulatory requirements and be organized by laboratory division (surgical pathology, cytology, etc) as well as 5 segments (preanalytic, analytic, postanalytic phases of the test cycle, turn-around-time, and customer satisfaction). Quality assurance data can also be used to evaluate individual pathologists using multiple parameters with peer group comparison.

Practical performance and enabling technologies in immersion scanners for the double patterning generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishikawa, Jun; Kohno, Hirotaka; Sato, Shinji; Kosugi, Junichi; Shibazaki, Yuichi

2011-04-01

At SPIE2010, excellent performance of the cutting edge immersion lithography scanner, the NSR-S620D, which is based on the new "Streamlign" platform was demonstrated. Last year's work focused mainly on machine evaluation data[1]. Now, many S620Ds are employed at customers' sites and being used in device manufacturing. In this paper, the authors will introduce the latest factory data, as well as various techniques that enable superior yield and enhance productivity in IC manufacturing. It is well understood, that in order to achieve further device shrinks without using traditional techniques such as NA expansion or wavelength reduction, several practical issues must be overcome. Extremely tight overlay performance will be required for pitch splitting double patterning, for example. In addition, it is also necessary to control the image plane and the aberration of the optics much more carefully. Of course these improvements must also be achieved with sufficient productivity (throughput). In order to satisfy all of the requirements for mass production at customer factories, many variable factors must be dealt with. One of these variable factors is the characteristics of the processed wafers that include on-flatness, grid distortion, steep topology around the edge, or topography of the previous layers' patterns. These factors typically impact overlay and/or auto focus accuracy. Another variable is the difference in exposure conditions between layers, which include illumination conditions, dose, reticle transmittance, and the alignment marks. Exposure induced heating in particular is the key issue for today's enhanced throughput capabilities, with regards to achieving both optimal accuracy and productivity. In some IC production facilities, and often foundries, many different kinds of products are manufactured in parallel. However, in order to enhance performance and accuracy, it is sometimes necessary to optimize machine parameters for each product. Cleary this requires quick tuning capabilities to minimize overhead affects for each product. As discussed earlier, various techniques must be utilized to minimize the gap between machine inspection data and manufacturing performance at customer sites. This paper discusses such technologies and provides the supporting data.

75 FR 51877 - Proposed Collection: Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-23

... Customer Satisfaction Survey. DATES: Written comments should be received on or before October 16, 2010, to... INFORMATION: Title: Voluntary Customer Satisfaction Survey to Implement Executive Order 12862. OMB Number: 1535-0122. Abstract: The information from the survey will be used to improve customer service. Current...

Primary Health Care Reform in Portugal: Portuguese, modern and innovative.

PubMed

Biscaia, André Rosa; Heleno, Liliana Correia Valente

2017-03-01

The 2005 Portuguese primary health care (CSP) reform was one of the most successful reforms of the country's public services. The most relevant event was the establishment of Family Health Units (USF): voluntary and self-organized multidisciplinary teams that provide customized medical and nursing care to a group of people. Then, the remaining realms of CSP were reorganized with the establishment of Health Center Clusters (ACeS). Clinical governance was implemented aiming at achieving health gains by improving quality and participation and accountability of all. This paper aims to characterize the 2005 reform of Portuguese CSP with an analysis of its systemic and local realms. This is a case study of a CSP reform of a health system with documentary analysis and description of one of its facilities. This reform was Portuguese, modern and innovative. Portuguese by not breaking completely with the past, modern because it has adhered to technology and networking, and innovative because it broke with the traditional hierarchized model. It fulfilled the goal of a reform: it achieved improvements with greater satisfaction of all and health gains.

Power quality improvement by using STATCOM control scheme in wind energy generation interface to grid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirmani, Sheeraz; Kumar, Brijesh

2018-01-01

“Electric Power Quality (EPQ) is a term that refers to maintaining the near sinusoidal waveform of power distribution bus voltages and currents at rated magnitude and frequency”. Today customers are more aware of the seriousness that the power quality possesses, this prompt the utilities to assure good quality of power to their customer. The power quality is basically customer centric. Increased focus of utilities toward maintaining reliable power supply by employing power quality improvement tools has reduced the power outages and black out considerably. Good power quality is the characteristic of reliable power supply. Low power factor, harmonic pollution, load imbalance, fast voltage variations are some common parameters which are used to define the power quality. If the power quality issues are not checked i.e. the parameters that define power quality doesn't fall within the predefined standards than it will lead into high electricity bill, high running cost in industries, malfunctioning of equipments, challenges in connecting renewable. Capacitor banks, FACTS devices, harmonic filters, SVC’s (static voltage compensators), STATCOM (Static-Compensator) are the solutions to achieve the power quality. The performance of Wind turbine generators is affected by poor quality power, at the same time these wind power generating plant affects the power quality negatively. This paper presents the STATCOM-BESS (battery energy storage system) system and studies its impact on the power quality in a system which consists of wind turbine generator, non linear load, hysteresis controller for controlling the operation of STATCOM and grid. The model is simulated in the MATLAB/Simulink. This scheme mitigates the power quality issues, improves voltage profile and also reduces harmonic distortion of the waveforms. BESS level out the imbalances caused in real power due to intermittent nature of wind power available due to varying wind speeds.

An empirical research on customer satisfaction study: a consideration of different levels of performance.

PubMed

Lee, Yu-Cheng; Wang, Yu-Che; Lu, Shu-Chiung; Hsieh, Yi-Fang; Chien, Chih-Hung; Tsai, Sang-Bing; Dong, Weiwei

2016-01-01

Customer satisfaction is the key factor for successful and depends highly on the behaviors of frontline service providers. Customers should be managed as assets, and that customers vary in their needs, preferences, and buying behavior. This study applied the Taiwan Customer Satisfaction Index model to a tourism factory to analyze customer satisfaction and loyalty. We surveyed 242 customers served by one tourism factory organizations in Taiwan. A partial least squares was performed to analyze and test the theoretical model. The results show that perceived quality had the greatest influence on the customer satisfaction for satisfied and dissatisfied customers. In addition, in terms of customer loyalty, the customer satisfaction is more important than image for satisfied and dissatisfied customers. The contribution of this paper is to propose two satisfaction levels of CSI models for analyzing customer satisfaction and loyalty, thereby helping tourism factory managers improve customer satisfaction effectively. Compared with traditional techniques, we believe that our method is more appropriate for making decisions about allocating resources and for assisting managers in establishing appropriate priorities in customer satisfaction management.

Mental health and debt collection: a story of progress? Exploring changes in debt collectors' attitudes and practices when working with customers with mental health problems, 2010-2016.

PubMed

Evans, Jamie; Fitch, Christopher; Collard, Sharon; Henderson, Claire

2018-04-27

In recent years, the UK debt collection industry has taken steps to improve its policies and practices in relation to customers with mental health problems. Little data, however, have been collected to evidence change. This paper examines whether the reported attitudes and practices of debt collection staff when working with customers with mental health problems have changed between 2010 and 2016. This paper draws on descriptive and regression analyses of two cross-sectional surveys of debt collection staff: one conducted in 2010 and one conducted in 2016. All variables analysed show statistically significant changes between 2010 and 2016 indicative of improved reported attitudes and practices. While results suggest an improvement in attitudes and practice may have occurred between 2010 and 2016, research is required to understand this potential shift, its likely causes, and concrete impact on customers.

Lessons Learned on Quality (of) Standards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerlich, Rainer; Gerlich, Ralf

2011-08-01

Standards are used to describe and ensure the quality of products, services and processes throughout almost all branches of industry, including the field of software engineering. Contractors and suppliers are obligated by their customers and certification authorities to follow a certain set of standards during development. For example, a customer can easier actively participate in and control the contractor's process when enforcing a standard process..However, as with any requirement, a standard may also impede the contractor or supplier in assuring actual quality of the product in the sense of fitness for the purpose intended by the customer.This is the case when a standard defines specific quality assurance activities requiring a considerable amount of effort while other more efficient but equivalent or even superior approaches are blocked. Then improvement of the ratio between cost and quality exceeding miniscule advances is heavily impeded.While in some parts being too specific in defining the mechanisms of the enforced process, standards are sometimes too weak in defining the principles or goals on control of product quality.Therefore this paper addresses the following issues: (1) Which conclusions can be drawn on the quality and efficiency of a standard? (2) If and how is it possible to improve or evolve a standard? (3) How well does a standard guide a user towards high quality of the end product?One conclusion is that the analyzed standards do interfere with technological innovation, though the standards leave a lot of freedom for concretization and are understood as technology-independent.Another conclusion is that standards are not only a matter of quality but also a matter of competitiveness of the industry depending on resulting costs and time-to- market. When the costs induced by a standard are not adequate to the achievable quality, industry encounters a significant disadvantage.

From People to Profits.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barber, L.; Hayday, S.; Bevan, S.

An empirical test of the service-profit chain in a large United Kingdom retail business explored how employee attitudes and behavior can improve customer retention and, consequently, company sales performance. Data were collected from 65,000 employees and 25,000 customers from almost 100 stores. The business collected customer satisfaction for…

Six Lessons We Learned Applying Six Sigma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carroll, Napoleon; Casleton, Christa H.

2005-01-01

As Chief Financial Officer of Kennedy Space Center (KSC), I'm not only responsible for financial planning and accounting but also for building strong partnerships with the CFO customers, who include Space Shuttle and International Space Station operations as well all who manage the KSC Spaceport. My never ending goal is to design, manage and continuously improve our core business processes so that they deliver world class products and services to the CFO's customers. I became interested in Six Sigma as Christa Casleton (KSC's first Six Sigma Black belt) applied Six Sigma tools and methods to our Plan and Account for Travel Costs Process. Her analysis was fresh, innovative and thorough but, even more impressive, was her approach to ensure ongoing, continuous process improvement. Encouraged by the results, I launched two more process improvement initiatives aimed at applying Six Sigma principles to CFO processes that not only touch most of my employees but also have direct customer impact. As many of you know, Six Sigma is a measurement scale that compares the output of a process with customer requirements. That's straight forward, but demands that you not only understand your processes but also know your products and the critical customer requirements. The objective is to isolate and eliminate the causes of process variation so that the customer sees consistently high quality.

The chiller`s role within a utility`s marketing strategy: Using chiller related products and services to win and retain customers. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1998-04-01

Commercial chillers are used in space and industrial process cooling. Approximately 3% of commercial buildings, representing 19% of all commercial floor space, are cooled by chillers. Consequently, every chiller represents significant electric (or gas) consumption. Chillers can comprise as much as 30% of a large office building`s electrical load. The selection decisions (electric versus gas, standard versus high efficiency, thermal storage or no thermal storage, etc.) for a new or replacement chiller will affect the customer`s energy consumption for twenty to thirty years. Consequently, this decision can play a major role in the customer`s relationship with the energy provider. However,more » even though these chiller decisions have a significant impact on the utility, today the utility has limited influence over these decisions. EPRI commissioned this study to develop understanding that will help utilities increase their influence over chiller decisions. To achieve this objective, this study looks at the customer`s behavior -- how they make chiller decisions, how the customer`s behavior and decisions are influenced today, and how these decisions might change in the future due to the impact of deregulation and changes in customer goals. The output of this project includes a list of product and service offerings that utilities and EPRI could offer to increase their influence over chiller decisions.« less

Market opportunity assessment for the Eastern Shore short line rail in Maryland with a focus on potential new customers : research summary.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the market feasibility of improved short line rail service on Marylands Eastern Shore and to explore the potential of an improved short line to attract additional businesses as new customers.

The role of service recovery in HMO satisfaction.

PubMed

Sarel, D; Marmorstein, H

1999-01-01

Complaint handling and service recovery by HMOs may be more efficient to implement and more determinant of customer satisfaction and retention than other approaches such as improving access to care. The current findings are consistent with research on recovery efforts in other industries. Complaint handling systems must achieve rapid and comprehensive identification and resolution of HMO member problems. Both cultural change and appropriate incentives to re-educate employees within HMO organizations are additional requisites to effective service recovery. The benefits to the HMO of expenditures on service recovery should be more immediate and sustainable than the benefits derived from other methods of increasing member satisfaction.

Quality assurance and management in microelectronics companies: ISO 9000 versus Six Sigma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lupan, Razvan; Kobi, Abdessamad; Robledo, Christian; Bacivarov, Ioan; Bacivarov, Angelica

2009-01-01

A strategy for the implementation of the Six Sigma method as an improvement solution for the ISO 9000:2000 Quality Standard is proposed. Our approach is focused on integrating the DMAIC cycle of the Six Sigma method with the PDCA process approach, highly recommended by the standard ISO 9000:2000. The Six Sigma steps applied to each part of the PDCA cycle are presented in detail, giving some tools and training examples. Based on this analysis the authors conclude that applying Six Sigma philosophy to the Quality Standard implementation process is the best way to achieve the optimal results in quality progress and therefore in customers satisfaction.

Information technology as a key enabler in preparing for competition: ComEd`s Kincaid Generating Station, a work in progress

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Borth, F.C. III; Thompson, J.W.; Mishaga, J.M.

1996-11-01

Through ComEd Fossil (Generating) Division`s Competitive Action Plan (CAP) evaluation changes have been identified which are necessary to improve generating station performance. These changes are intended to improve both station reliability and financial margins, and are essential for stations to be successful in a competitive marketplace. Plant upgrades, advanced equipment stewardship, and personnel reductions have been identified as necessary steps in achieving industry leadership and competitive advantage. To deal effectively with plant systems and contend in the competitive marketplace Information Technology (IT) solutions to business problems are being developed. Data acquisition, storage, and retrieval are being automated through use ofmore » state-of-the-art Data Historians. Total plant, high resolution, long term process information will be accessed through Local/Wide Area Networks (LAN/WAN) connections from desktop PC`s. Generating unit Thermal Performance Monitors accessing the Data Historian will analyze plant and system performance enabling reductions in operating costs, and improvements in process control. As inputs to proactive maintenance toolsets this data allows anticipation of equipment service needs, advanced service scheduling, and cost/benefit analysis. The ultimate goal is to optimize repair needs with revenue generation. Advanced applications building upon these foundations will bring knowledge of the costs associated with all the products a generating station offers its customer(s). An overall design philosophy along with preliminary results is presented; these results include shortfalls, lessons learned, and future options.« less

Running Head: Improving Pharmacy Customer Satisfaction

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-06-29

superior service and excellent outcomes. Nursing Management , 34, 11, 26 - 30. 71 Fairweather, A. (n.d.). Customers - hold onto what you’ve got. Retrieved...from 7http://www.customerservicemanger.com/ customers -hold-onto-what-youve-got.htm, on September 30, 2005. Fedoroff, P. (2006). 12 MANAGE Rigor and...and management fj strategies. Drug Trend Benefits, 16, 7, 380-392. 7Schueler, J. (2000). Customer service through leadership: the Disney way. Training

The Development of a Total Quality Management Plan for David Grant USAF Medical Center Travis Air Force Base, California

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-12-01

customer satisfaction (DOD, 1988). While the application of TQM in the manufacturing industry and the military acquisition system has been successful, the...improvement of products and services. The overriding objective of TOM is to increase customer satisfaction (DOD, 1988). While the application of TOM in the...25 Description of the Organization ................... 26 Internal Customers ..................... ....... 30 External Customers

20 CFR 666.120 - What are the procedures for negotiating annual levels of performance?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... performance for each core indicator and the customer satisfaction indicators. In negotiating these levels, the... customer satisfaction; (3) The extent to which the levels of performance promote continuous improvement and... Governor must reach agreement on levels of performance for each core indicator and the customer...

The Relationship Between the Customer Relationship Management and Patients' Loyalty to Hospitals.

PubMed

Hajikhani, Shadi; Tabibi, Seyed Jamaledin; Riahi, Leila

2015-06-25

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) with its various components has been considered as a tool causing customers' loyalty. The present study aims to investigate the relationship between the various components of customer relationship management and patients' loyalty to the place of their treatment. This cross sectional and descriptive-analytical study was conducted among nurses and hospitalized patients in inpatient wards in selected hospitals in 2014. Using the stratified random sampling method, 224 valid and reliable researcher-drafted questionnaires were completed for CRM by nurses and 359 questionnaires were completed by patients for patients' loyalty in the studied wards. Data were analyzed using the SPSS(20) software. There was no statistically significant relationship between the level of patients' loyalty and organizational indicators, information technology and knowledge management (P Value>0.05). However, there was a statistically significant relationship between loyalty and the dimensions of the service process (P Value=0.04), human resources (P Value=0.002) and CRM (P Value=0.038). The strength of these relationships were 34, 40 and 36 percent, respectively all of which were positive. Customer Relationship Management is a tool for improving influencing factors on patients' satisfaction and loyalty. Therefore, attempts to implement customer relationship management as a process for improving hospitals performance and improving communication between service providers in hospitals and customers leading to enhance patients' loyalty should be taken into account by managers and policy makers in the health sectors.

Creating a table of authorization to empower staff.

PubMed

Freed, D H

1997-11-01

Empowering frontline managers to make and accept accountability for decisions poses a significant challenge, especially for integrated delivery systems (IDSs) where multiple organizational layers and complex management structures can create confusion about roles and responsibilities. Without a clear set of guidelines for independent action, attempts to achieve staff empowerment are likely to fail. To achieve its empowerment goals, Overlook Hospital in Summit, New Jersey, a part of the Atlantic Health System, a New Jersey-based IDS, developed the "Table of Authorization for the Commitment or Expenditure of the System's Physical or Financial Resources." This management tool clarifies the degree to which frontline managers may make decisions and initiate actions without the need for senior management or board approval. The table provides an effective means of promoting a uniform basis for decision making across the system and encourages improved customer service vital in competitive markets.

Water Utility Management Strategies in Turkey: The current situation and the challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alp, E.; Aksoy, M. N.; Koçer, B.

2013-12-01

As the effects of climate change becomes more prominent, current challenges related to water and wastewater management is becoming more serious. Providing water that satisfies environmental and safety standards in terms of quantity and quality is needed to maintain human life without compromising the need of future generations. Besides providing safe and affordable water, necessary treatment should be achieved according to several important factors such as receiving body standards, discharge standards, water reuse options. Therefore, management of water becomes more crucial than ever that states have to provide accessibility of safe water with affordable cost to its citizens with the means of effective utility management, including water treatment facilities, wastewater treatment facilities, water supply facilities and water distribution systems. Water utilities encounter with several challenges related to cost, infrastructure, population, legislation, workforce and resource. This study aims to determine the current situation and the necessary strategies to improve utility management in Turkish municipalities in a sustainable manner. US Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has formed a tool on effective utility management that assists utilities to provide a solution for both current and future challenges. In this study, we used EPA's guidelines and developed a survey consists of 60 questions under 10 sub-topics (Product Quality, Employee & Leadership Development, Stakeholder Understanding & Support, Operational Optimization, Infrastructure Stability, Financial Viability, Community Sustainability, Customer Satisfaction, Operational Resiliency, and Water Resource Adequacy). This survey was sent to the managers of 25 metropolitan municipalities in Turkey to assess the current condition of municipalities. After the evaluation of the survey results for each topic, including the importance given by managers, facilities were rated according to their level of achievement. The scores were given for Rate Achievement from 1 to 5 and Rank Importance from 1 to 10 to the survey outcomes for each topic. Then, rating and ranking matrix was constructed according to score ranges. Results show that Product Quality, Stakeholder Understanding & Support, Infrastructure Stability and Customer Satisfaction are the major topics that needs to be improved according to the utility managers in Turkey. According to the outcomes of the study, water losses and unbilled unmetered consumption of water appeared to be the most important issues with the utility management. The utility managers also think there is still room for improvement to satisfy the needs of the users. Even though the rehabilitation of the infrastructure is a costly investment, it can be compensated with the help of the increased revenues as a result of improvement in water loss and unbilled water use. Suggestions given as a result of this study aim to aid decision makers and local authorities to overcome the significant problems faced during management and to achieve a sustainable utility management.

Developing World-Class Customer Service at Navy Field Contracting Activities: An Assessment of the FISC San Diego Regional Contracts Department.

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-06-01

service quality benchmark is determined and then applied to HSC San Diego Regional Contracts Department to assess service ability and identify areas for possible improvement. This assessment process highlights the recent emphasis on improved service quality both in the Federal Government and the private sector. The thesis defines world-class customer service and then describes various aspects of service quality including the customer’s perspective on service, how service is delivered, how to effectively communicate with the

Evaluation of a pilot healthy eating intervention in restaurants and food stores of a rural community: a randomized community trial.

PubMed

Martínez-Donate, Ana P; Riggall, Ann Josie; Meinen, Amy M; Malecki, Kristen; Escaron, Anne L; Hall, Bev; Menzies, Anne; Garske, Gary; Nieto, F Javier; Nitzke, Susan

2015-02-12

Research suggests that the food environment influences individual eating practices. To date, little is known about effective interventions to improve the food environment of restaurants and food stores and promote healthy eating in rural communities. We tested "Waupaca Eating Smart " (WES), a pilot intervention to improve the food environment and promote healthy eating in restaurants and supermarkets of a rural community. WES focused on labeling, promoting, and increasing the availability of healthy foods. We conducted a randomized community trial, with two Midwestern U.S. communities randomly assigned to serve as intervention or control site. We collected process and outcome data using baseline and posttest owner and customer surveys and direct observation methods. The RE-AIM framework was used to guide the evaluation and organize the results. Seven of nine restaurants and two of three food stores invited to participate in WES adopted the intervention. On a 0-4 scale, the average level of satisfaction with WES was 3.14 (SD=0.69) for restaurant managers and 3 (SD=0.0) for store managers. On average, 6.3 (SD=1.1) out of 10 possible intervention activities were implemented in restaurants and 9.0 (SD=0.0) out of 12 possible activities were implemented in food stores. One month after the end of the pilot implementation period, 5.4 (SD=1.6) and 7.5 (SD=0.7) activities were still in place at restaurants and food stores, respectively. The intervention reached 60% of customers in participating food outlets. Restaurant food environment scores improved from 13.4 to 24.1 (p < 0.01) in the intervention community and did not change significantly in the control community. Food environment scores decreased slightly in both communities. No or minimal changes in customer behaviors were observed after a 10-month implementation period. The intervention achieved high levels of reach, adoption, implementation, and maintenance, suggesting the feasibility and acceptability of restaurant-and food store-based interventions in rural communities. Pilot outcome data indicated very modest levels of effectiveness, but additional research adequately powered to test the impact of this intervention on food environment scores and customer behaviors needs to be conducted in order to identify its potential to promote healthy eating in rural community settings.

The Qualitative Measurement towards Emotional Feeling of Design for Product Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syaifoelida, Fevi; Megat Hamdan, M. A. M.; Murrad, M.; Aminuddin, Hazim

2018-04-01

To compete in today’s ever-growing technology market, a product needs to be well presentable to the customers. It is a challenge to design a product that is able to attract customer’s attention and to build their loyalty towards the product. A product needs to be designed with focus to give the maximum level of satisfaction to the end user which is the customer. That is the focus of this paper, to achieve customer’s satisfaction, by studying feelings and emotional value related to product designs using Kansei Engineering (KE) and to test how important that product element (level of satisfaction) by using Kano Method (KM). KE is a method of translating human emotions and feelings into product development. The method studies the human interaction and responses when a customer sees a product, then translates it into a new improved design. However, KE cannot stand on its own. It did not specify in which extends the feeling or emotions is important in a product. After we had the design appearance parameters from KE and existing design evaluation, it need to be classified which is more important than the other is. That is why Kano Method (KM) will also be used. Since this scope of study towards an emotional feeling of design (existing part/appearance) in Kano categories not in deep function of technical requirement, so KM will help to classify parts of product into categories, which part will give fully satisfaction while using it. It studies the more important attributes considered by the customers for improvement. The objective is to find out the design priority guide that can be used to maximize customer’s satisfaction. Therefore, in order to apply the qualitative measurement idea into the real situation, the headphone product is chosen (popular among students) as the product (the appearance of part, feeling when use it) domain for this study. As the results progressed, it was found out that the headband part of headphone is the most important part of the product. It needs to be durable and comfortably designed to give full satisfaction while using (Kano-functional). The research and development (R&D), and designing process of a product can be improved greatly to increase the customer’s satisfaction by capturing their emotional feeling in physiological design.

Custom therapeutic insoles based on both foot shape and plantar pressure measurement provide enhanced pressure relief.

PubMed

Owings, Tammy M; Woerner, Julie L; Frampton, Jason D; Cavanagh, Peter R; Botek, Georgeanne

2008-05-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether custom insoles tailored to contours of the barefoot pressure distribution and shape of a patient's foot can reduce plantar pressures in the metatarsal head (MTH) region to a greater extent than conventional custom insoles. Seventy regions of elevated barefoot pressures (mean peak 834 kPa under MTHs) were identified in 20 subjects with diabetes. Foam box impressions of their feet were sent to three different orthotic supply companies for fabrication of custom insoles. One company was also given plantar pressure data, which were incorporated into the insole design. Measurements of in-shoe plantar pressures were recorded during gait for the three custom insoles in a flexible and a rocker-bottom shoe. Peak pressure and force-time integral were extracted for analysis. In 64 of 70 regions, the shape-plus-pressure-based insole in the flexible shoe achieved superior unloading compared with the two shape-based insoles. On average, peak pressure was reduced by 32 and 21% (both P

eShopper modeling and simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrushin, Valery A.

2001-03-01

The advent of e-commerce gives an opportunity to shift the paradigm of customer communication into a highly interactive mode. The new generation of commercial Web servers, such as the Blue Martini's server, combines the collection of data on a customer behavior with real-time processing and dynamic tailoring of a feedback page. The new opportunities for direct product marketing and cross selling are arriving. The key problem is what kind of information do we need to achieve these goals, or in other words, how do we model the customer? The paper is devoted to customer modeling and simulation. The focus is on modeling an individual customer. The model is based on the customer's transaction data, click stream data, and demographics. The model includes the hierarchical profile of a customer's preferences to different types of products and brands; consumption models for the different types of products; the current focus, trends, and stochastic models for time intervals between purchases; product affinity models; and some generalized features, such as purchasing power, sensitivity to advertising, price sensitivity, etc. This type of model is used for predicting the date of the next visit, overall spending, and spending for different types of products and brands. For some type of stores (for example, a supermarket) and stable customers, it is possible to forecast the shopping lists rather accurately. The forecasting techniques are discussed. The forecasting results can be used for on- line direct marketing, customer retention, and inventory management. The customer model can also be used as a generative model for simulating the customer's purchasing behavior in different situations and for estimating customer's features.

Build loyalty in business markets.

PubMed

Narayandas, Das

2005-09-01

Companies often apply consumer marketing solutions in business markets without realizing that such strategies only hamper the acquisition and retention of profitable customers. Unlike consumers, business customers inevitably need customized products, quantities, or prices. A company in a business market must therefore manage customers individually, showing how its products or services can help solve each buyer's problems. And it must learn to reap the enormous benefits of loyalty by developing individual relationships with customers. To achieve these ends, the firm's marketers must become aware of the different types of benefits the company offers and convey their value to the appropriate executives in the customer company. It's especially important to inform customers about what the author calls nontangible nonfinancial benefits-above-and-beyond efforts, such as delivering supplies on holidays to keep customers' production lines going. The author has developed a simple set of devices-the benefit stack and the decision-maker stack-to help marketers communicate their firm's myriad benefits. The vendor lists the benefits it offers, then lists the customer's decision makers, specifying their concerns, motivations, and power bases. By linking the two stacks, the vendor can systematically communicate how it will meet each decision-maker's needs. The author has also developed a tool called a loyalty ladder, which helps a company determine how much time and money to spend on relationships with various customers. As customers become increasingly loyal, they display behaviors in a predictable sequence, from growing the relationship and providing word-of-mouth endorsements to investing in the vendor company. The author has found that customers follow the same sequence of loyalty behaviors in all business markets.

Are hospital quality improvement and public accountability compatible?

PubMed

Panzer, R J

1994-07-01

The goals of public accountability and quality improvement are compatible in theory but not necessarily in practice. Both concepts emphasize the customer. However, those working toward these two goals design systems with quite different roles and relationships between the providers and consumers of health care. Superficial interactions obstruct meaningful dialogue about how to build a better system meeting both sets of goals. Current practices of public accountability and quality improvement have fundamentally different paradigms concerning the roles and responsibilities of those who provide and those who consume health care. There are at least three ways to improve the current relationship between public accountability and quality improvement. First, optimizing the design and performance of each effort would be an improvement since the goals are highly compatible. Neither ideal currently meets its own expectations, creating distrust among the proponents of each when reality falls short. Second, the two efforts could be coordinated through joint community-level planning and sharing. Finally and optimally, the two concepts could be made part of the same community-level cooperative system, an approach that offers the greatest opportunity for achieving shared goals.

EUV lithography: NXE platform performance overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peeters, Rudy; Lok, Sjoerd; Mallman, Joerg; van Noordenburg, Martijn; Harned, Noreen; Kuerz, Peter; Lowisch, Martin; van Setten, Eelco; Schiffelers, Guido; Pirati, Alberto; Stoeldraijer, Judon; Brandt, David; Farrar, Nigel; Fomenkov, Igor; Boom, Herman; Meiling, Hans; Kool, Ron

2014-04-01

The first NXE3300B systems have been qualified and shipped to customers. The NXE:3300B is ASML's third generation EUV system and has an NA of 0.33. It succeeds the NXE:3100 system (NA of 0.25), which has allowed customers to gain valuable EUV experience. Good overlay and imaging performance has been shown on the NXE:3300B system in line with 22nm device requirements. Full wafer CDU performance of <1.5nm for 22nm dense and iso lines at a dose of ~16mJ/cm2 has been achieved. Matched machine overlay (NXE to immersion) of around 3.5nm has been demonstrated on multiple systems. Dense lines have been exposed down to 13nm half pitch, and contact holes down to 17nm half pitch. 10nm node Metal-1 layers have been exposed with a DOF of 120nm, and using single spacer assisted double patterning flow a resolution of 9nm has been achieved. Source power is the major challenge to overcome in order to achieve cost-effectiveness in EUV and enable introduction into High Volume Manufacturing. With the development of the MOPA+prepulse operation of the source, steps in power have been made, and with automated control the sources have been prepared to be used in a preproduction fab environment. Flexible pupil formation is under development for the NXE:3300B which will extend the usage of the system in HVM, and the resolution for the full system performance can be extended to 16nm. Further improvements in defectivity performance have been made, while in parallel full-scale pellicles are being developed. In this paper we will discuss the current NXE:3300B performance, its future enhancements and the recent progress in EUV source performance.

Application of Gray Relational Analysis Method in Comprehensive Evaluation on the Customer Satisfaction of Automobile 4S Enterprises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cenglin, Yao

The car sales enterprises could continuously boost sales and expand customer groups, an important method is to enhance the customer satisfaction. The customer satisfaction of car sales enterprises (4S enterprises) depends on many factors. By using the grey relational analysis method, we could perfectly combine various factors in terms of customer satisfaction. And through the vertical contrast, car sales enterprises could find specific factors which will improve customer satisfaction, thereby increase sales volume and benefits. Gray relational analysis method has become a kind of good method and means to analyze and evaluate the enterprises.

A proof-of-concept study for measuring gait speed, steadiness, and dynamic balance under various footwear conditions outside of the gait laboratory.

PubMed

Wrobel, James S; Edgar, Sarah; Cozzetto, Dana; Maskill, James; Peterson, Paul; Najafi, Bijan

2010-01-01

This pilot study examined the effect of custom and prefabricated foot orthoses on self-selected walking speed, walking speed variability, and dynamic balance in the mediolateral direction. The gait of four healthy participants was analyzed with a body-worn sensor system across a distance of at least 30 m outside of the gait laboratory. Participants walked at their habitual speed in four conditions: barefoot, regular shoes, prefabricated foot orthoses, and custom foot orthoses. In the custom foot orthoses condition, gait speed was improved on average 13.5% over the barefoot condition and 9.8% over the regular shoe condition. The mediolateral range of motion of center of mass was reduced 55% and 56% compared with the shoes alone and prefabricated foot orthoses conditions, respectively. This may suggest better gait efficiency and lower energy cost with custom foot orthoses. This tendency remained after normalizing center of mass by gait speed, suggesting that irrespective of gait speed, custom foot orthoses improve center of mass motion in the mediolateral direction compared with other footwear conditions. Gait intercycle variability, measured by intercycle coefficient of variation of gait speed, was decreased on average by 25% and 19% compared with the barefoot and shoes-alone conditions, respectively. The decrease in gait unsteadiness after wearing custom foot orthoses may suggest improved proprioception from the increased contact area of custom foot orthoses versus the barefoot condition. These findings may open new avenues for objective assessment of the impact of prescribed footwear on dynamic balance and spatiotemporal parameters of gait and assess gait adaptation after use of custom foot orthoses.

Platelet-rich plasma: combinational treatment modalities for musculoskeletal conditions.

PubMed

Andia, Isabel; Abate, Michele

2018-04-01

Current research on common musculoskeletal problems, including osteoarticular conditions, tendinopathies, and muscle injuries, focuses on regenerative translational medicine. Platelet-rich plasma therapies have emerged as a potential approach to enhance tissue repair and regeneration. Platelet-rich plasma application aims to provide supraphysiological concentrations of platelets and optionally leukocytes at injured/pathological tissues mimicking the initial stages of healing. However, the efficacy of platelet-rich plasma is controversial in chronic diseases because patients' outcomes show partial improvements. Platelet-rich plasma can be customized to specific conditions by selecting the most appropriate formulation and timing for application or by combining platelet-rich plasma with synergistic or complementary treatments. To achieve this goal, researchers should identify and enhance the main mechanisms of healing. In this review, the interactions between platelet-rich plasma and healing mechanisms were addressed and research opportunities for customized treatment modalities were outlined. The development of combinational platelet-rich plasma treatments that can be used safely and effectively to manipulate healing mechanisms would be valuable and would provide insights into the processes involved in physiological healing and pathological failure.

Healthy bodegas: increasing and promoting healthy foods at corner stores in New York City.

PubMed

Dannefer, Rachel; Williams, Donya A; Baronberg, Sabrina; Silver, Lynn

2012-10-01

We assessed the effectiveness of an initiative to increase the stock and promotion of healthy foods in 55 corner stores in underserved neighborhoods. We evaluated the intervention through in-store observations and preintervention and postintervention surveys of all 55 store owners as well as surveys with customers at a subset of stores. We observed an average of 4 changes on a 15-point criteria scale. The most common were placing refrigerated water at eye level, stocking canned fruit with no sugar added, offering a healthy sandwich, and identifying healthier items. Forty-six (84%) store owners completed both surveys. Owners reported increased sales of healthier items, but identified barriers including consumer demand and lack of space and refrigeration. The percentage of customers surveyed who purchased items for which we promoted a healthier option (low-sodium canned goods, low-fat milk, whole-grain bread, healthier snacks and sandwiches) increased from 5% to 16%. Corner stores are important vehicles for access to healthy foods. The approach described here achieved improvements in participating corner stores and in some consumer purchases and may be a useful model for other locales.

Customized atomic force microscopy probe by focused-ion-beam-assisted tip transfer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Andrew; Butte, Manish J., E-mail: manish.butte@stanford.edu

2014-08-04

We present a technique for transferring separately fabricated tips onto tipless atomic force microscopy (AFM) cantilevers, performed using focused ion beam-assisted nanomanipulation. This method addresses the need in scanning probe microscopy for certain tip geometries that cannot be achieved by conventional lithography. For example, in probing complex layered materials or tall biological cells using AFM, a tall tip with a high-aspect-ratio is required to avoid artifacts caused by collisions of the tip's sides with the material being probed. We show experimentally that tall (18 μm) cantilever tips fabricated by this approach reduce squeeze-film damping, which fits predictions from hydrodynamic theory, andmore » results in an increased quality factor (Q) of the fundamental flexural mode. We demonstrate that a customized tip's well-defined geometry, tall tip height, and aspect ratio enable improved measurement of elastic moduli by allowing access to low-laying portions of tall cells (T lymphocytes). This technique can be generally used to attach tips to any micromechanical device when conventional lithography of tips cannot be accomplished.« less

Stochastic optimization of broadband reflecting photonic structures.

PubMed

Estrada-Wiese, D; Del Río-Chanona, E A; Del Río, J A

2018-01-19

Photonic crystals (PCs) are built to control the propagation of light within their structure. These can be used for an assortment of applications where custom designed devices are of interest. Among them, one-dimensional PCs can be produced to achieve the reflection of specific and broad wavelength ranges. However, their design and fabrication are challenging due to the diversity of periodic arrangement and layer configuration that each different PC needs. In this study, we present a framework to design high reflecting PCs for any desired wavelength range. Our method combines three stochastic optimization algorithms (Random Search, Particle Swarm Optimization and Simulated Annealing) along with a reduced space-search methodology to obtain a custom and optimized PC configuration. The optimization procedure is evaluated through theoretical reflectance spectra calculated by using the Equispaced Thickness Method, which improves the simulations due to the consideration of incoherent light transmission. We prove the viability of our procedure by fabricating different reflecting PCs made of porous silicon and obtain good agreement between experiment and theory using a merit function. With this methodology, diverse reflecting PCs can be designed for any applications and fabricated with different materials.

Practical Approaches to Quality Improvement for Radiologists.

PubMed

Kelly, Aine Marie; Cronin, Paul

2015-10-01

Continuous quality improvement is a fundamental attribute of high-performing health care systems. Quality improvement is an essential component of health care, with the current emphasis on adding value. It is also a regulatory requirement, with reimbursements increasingly being linked to practice performance metrics. Practice quality improvement efforts must be demonstrated for credentialing purposes and for certification of radiologists in practice. Continuous quality improvement must occur for radiologists to remain competitive in an increasingly diverse health care market. This review provides an introduction to the main approaches available to undertake practice quality improvement, which will be useful for busy radiologists. Quality improvement plays multiple roles in radiology services, including ensuring and improving patient safety, providing a framework for implementing and improving processes to increase efficiency and reduce waste, analyzing and depicting performance data, monitoring performance and implementing change, enabling personnel assessment and development through continued education, and optimizing customer service and patient outcomes. The quality improvement approaches and underlying principles overlap, which is not surprising given that they all align with good patient care. The application of these principles to radiology practices not only benefits patients but also enhances practice performance through promotion of teamwork and achievement of goals. © RSNA, 2015.

Breaking down IT silos: a "connected" way to improve customer experience and the bottom line.

PubMed

Hallowell, Bruce; Turisco, Frances

2009-03-01

Hospitals can provide customer service like Amazon.com without purchasing new technology. Making technology interactive requires sharing patient data across applications and enhancing existing IT with decision support. Breaking down technology silos between hospital and outpatient care provider systems significantly improves efficiency, lowers costs, and speeds care delivery.

78 FR 13157 - Recruitment Notice for the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-26

... issues that affect taxpayers, and make suggestions for improving IRS service and customer satisfaction... year, and a desire to help improve IRS customer service. To the extent possible, the TAP Director will... taxpayers'' are broadly defined to include U.S. citizens working, living, or doing business abroad or in a U...

Continuous Improvement in Business Education: Insights from the For-Profit Sector and Business School Deans.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bailey, Allan R.; Chow, Chee W.; Hadad, Kamal M.

1999-01-01

The balanced scorecard, a customer-based continuous improvement system, can be applied to business schools. Business deans (n=38) suggested goals and measures for a customer perspective, including such factors as stakeholders, program and service quality, public image, teaching/learning excellence, curriculum excellence, fund raising, and human…

The ability of older adults to use customized online medical databases to improve their health-related knowledge.

PubMed

Freund, Ophir; Reychav, Iris; McHaney, Roger; Goland, Ella; Azuri, Joseph

2017-06-01

Patient compliance with medical advice and recommended treatment depends on perception of health condition, medical knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy. This study investigated how use of customized online medical databases, intended to improve knowledge in a variety of relevant medical topics, influenced senior adults' perceptions. Seventy-nine older adults in residence homes completed a computerized, tablet-based questionnaire, with medical scenarios and related questions. Following an intervention, control group participants answered questions without online help while an experimental group received internet links that directed them to customized, online medical databases. Medical knowledge and test scores among the experimental group significantly improved from pre- to post-intervention (p<0.0001) and was higher in comparison with the control group (p<0.0001). No significant change occurred in the control group. Older adults improved their knowledge in desired medical topic areas using customized online medical databases. The study demonstrated how such databases help solve health-related questions among older adult population members, and that older patients appear willing to consider technology usage in information acquisition. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An Electronic Service Quality Reference Model for Designing E-Commerce Websites Which Maximizes Customer Satisfaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaheen, Amer N.

2011-01-01

This research investigated Electronic Service Quality (E-SQ) features that contribute to customer satisfaction in an online environment. The aim was to develop an approach which improves E-CRM processes and enhances online customer satisfaction. The research design adopted mixed methods involving qualitative and quantitative methods to…

Effect of E-Service Quality on Customer Online Repurchase Intentions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Tung-Hsuan

2012-01-01

In the early years of online retailing, having an online presence and low prices were believed to be key drivers of success. More recently, electronic service quality has become essential as an online marketing strategy. Online stores provide higher service quality to create online customer loyalty, improve customer satisfaction, and keep a…

78 FR 16743 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; BOX Options Exchange LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-18

... interests of investors to have lower Auction Transaction costs for non-Professional, Public Customers, and that the BOX fee structure will continue to attract this customer order flow to these auction... simple fact that price improvement occurs in the PIP. Since the PIP began in 2004, customers have...

78 FR 69018 - Improving the Resiliency of Mobile Wireless Communications Networks; Reliability and Continuity...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-18

... offer their customers an increasing array of ``smartphones'' and data-centric devices, such as tablets... basis to provide service to their customers? 38. Additionally, the proposal would allow providers to... customers with comparable levels of service within that county? 40. Second, will consumers find this metric...

75 FR 77931 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-14

... Exchange, Inc. (``CBOE'') currently charges a marketing fee of up to $0.65 per contract for customer orders... a Public Customer Order in the Exchange's Price Improvement Mechanism (``PIM''). For competitive reasons, the Exchange now proposes to apply its PFOF fee for Public Customer Orders executed in the...

Bayesian modeling of consumer behavior in the presence of anonymous visits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novak, Julie Esther

Tailoring content to consumers has become a hallmark of marketing and digital media, particularly as it has become easier to identify customers across usage or purchase occasions. However, across a wide variety of contexts, companies find that customers do not consistently identify themselves, leaving a substantial fraction of anonymous visits. We develop a Bayesian hierarchical model that allows us to probabilistically assign anonymous sessions to users. These probabilistic assignments take into account a customer's demographic information, frequency of visitation, activities taken when visiting, and times of arrival. We present two studies, one with synthetic and one with real data, where we demonstrate improved performance over two popular practices (nearest-neighbor matching and deleting the anonymous visits) due to increased efficiency and reduced bias driven by the non-ignorability of which types of events are more likely to be anonymous. Using our proposed model, we avoid potential bias in understanding the effect of a firm's marketing on its customers, improve inference about the total number of customers in the dataset, and provide more precise targeted marketing to both previously observed and unobserved customers.

Application Processing | Distributed Generation Interconnection

Science.gov Websites

delivering swift customer service. The rapid rise of distributed generation (DG) PV interconnection speed processing, reduce paperwork, and improve customer service. Webinars and publications are

A process to help assure successful commercial space ventures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mihara, Sam K.

1999-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to describe a process for successful space business ventures-a methodology used by highly successful commercial ventures, but relatively new to space business enterprises. What do highly successful commercial business ventures have in common? How do these companies differ from most commercial space ventures? The answer is the implementation of a state-of-the-art customer satisfaction process. Take the case of the latest winners of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. What did they do that helped to achieve this performance? The answer is they implemented an effective process that measures and achieves the highest possible level of customer satisfaction. The same process can be implemented by space enterprises to achieve comparable commercial results. This paper describes the six-step process, including examples of each step. It concludes with the strong recommendation that this process be implemented to assure success in the commercial space world.

Thinking strategically about capitation.

PubMed

Boland, P

1997-05-01

All managed care stakeholders--health plan members, employers, providers, community organizations, and government entitites--share a common interest in reducing healthcare costs while improving the quality of care health plan members receive. Although capitation is a usually thought of primarily as a payment mechanism, it can be a powerful tool providers and health plans can use to accomplish these strategic objectives and others, such as restoring and maintaining the health of plan members or improving a community's health status. For capitation to work effectively as a strategic tool, its use must be tied to a corporate agenda of partnering with stakeholders to achieve broader strategic goals. Health plans and providers must develop a partnership strategy in which each stakeholder has well-defined roles and responsibilities. The capitation structure must reinforce interdependence, shift focus from meeting organizational needs to meeting customer needs, and develop risk-driven care strategies.

Carrots and Sticks: A Comprehensive Business Model for the Successful Achievement of Energy Efficiency Resource Standards Environmental Energy Technologies DivisionMarch 2011

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Satchwell, Andrew; Cappers, Peter; Goldman, Charles

2011-03-22

Energy efficiency resource standards (EERS) are a prominent strategy to potentially achieve rapid and aggressive energy savings goals in the U.S. As of December 2010, twenty-six U.S. states had some form of an EERS with savings goals applicable to energy efficiency (EE) programs paid for by utility customers. The European Union has initiated a similar type of savings goal, the Energy End-use Efficiency and Energy Services Directive, where it is being implemented in some countries through direct partnership with regulated electric utilities. U.S. utilities face significant financial disincentives under traditional regulation which affects the interest of shareholders and managers inmore » aggressively pursuing cost-effective energy efficiency. Regulators are considering some combination of mandated goals ('sticks') and alternative utility business model components ('carrots' such as performance incentives) to align the utility's business and financial interests with state and federal energy efficiency public policy goals. European countries that have directed their utilities to administer EE programs have generally relied on non-binding mandates and targets; in the U.S., most state regulators have increasingly viewed 'carrots' as a necessary condition for successful achievement of energy efficiency goals and targets. In this paper, we analyze the financial impacts of an EERS on a large electric utility in the State of Arizona using a pro-forma utility financial model, including impacts on utility earnings, customer bills and rates. We demonstrate how a viable business model can be designed to improve the business case while retaining sizable ratepayer benefits. Quantifying these concerns and identifying ways they can be addressed are crucial steps in gaining the support of major stakeholder groups - lessons that can apply to other countries looking to significantly increase savings targets that can be achieved from their own utility-administered EE programs.« less

The impact of the customer relationship management on organizational productivity, customer trust and satisfaction by using the structural equation model: A study in the Iranian hospitals.

PubMed

Yaghoubi, Maryam; Asgari, Hamed; Javadi, Marzieh

2017-01-01

One of the challenges in the fiercely competitive space of health organizations is responding to customers and building trust and satisfaction in them in the shortest time, with best quality and highest productivity. Hence the aim of this study is to survey the impact of customer relationship management (CRM) on organizational productivity, customer loyalty, satisfaction and trust in selected hospitals of Isfahan (in Iran). This study is a correlation descriptive research. Study population was the nurses in selected hospitals of Isfahan and the sampling has been conducted using stratified random method. Data collection tool is a researcher-made questionnaire of CRM and its effects (organizational productivity, customer loyalty, satisfaction and trust) which its validity and reliability has been confirmed by researchers. Structural equation method was used to determine the impact of variables. Data analysis method was structural equation modeling and the software used was SPSS version 16 (IBM, SPSS, 2007 Microsoft Corp., Bristol, UK) and AMOS version 18 (IBM, SPSS, 2010 Microsoft Corp, Bristol, UK). Among the dimensions of CRM, diversification had the highest impact (0.83) and customer acquisition had the lowest (0.57) CRM, had the lowest impact on productivity (0.59) and the highest effect on customer satisfaction (0.83). For the implementation of CRM, it is necessary that the studied hospitals improve strategies of acquiring information about new customers, attracting new customers and keeping them and communication with patients outside the hospital and improve the system of measuring patient satisfaction and loyalty.

The balanced scorecard--measures that drive performance.

PubMed

Kaplan, R S; Norton, D P

1992-01-01

Frustrated by the inadequacies of traditional performance measurement systems, some managers have abandoned financial measures like return on equity and earnings per share. "Make operational improvements and the numbers will follow," the argument goes. But managers do not want to choose between financial and operational measures. Executives want a balanced presentation of measures that allow them to view the company from several perspectives simultaneously. During a year-long research project with 12 companies at the leading edge of performance measurement, the authors developed a "balanced scorecard," a new performance measurement system that gives top managers a fast but comprehensive view of the business. The balanced scorecard includes financial measures that tell the results of actions already taken. And it complements those financial measures with three sets of operational measures having to do with customer satisfaction, internal processes, and the organization's ability to learn and improve--the activities that drive future financial performance. Managers can create a balanced scorecard by translating their company's strategy and mission statements into specific goals and measures. To create the part of the scorecard that focuses on the customer perspective, for example, executives at Electronic Circuits Inc. established general goals for customer performance: get standard products to market sooner, improve customers' time-to-market, become customers' supplier of choice through partnerships, and develop innovative products tailored to customer needs. Managers translated these elements of strategy into four specific goals and identified a measure for each.

Measuring public understanding on Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) electricity bills using ordered probit model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zainudin, WNRA; Ramli, NA

2017-09-01

In 2016, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) had introduced an upgrade in its Billing and Customer Relationship Management (BCRM) as part of its long-term initiative to provide its customers with greater access to billing information. This includes information on real and suggested power consumption by the customers and further details in their billing charges. This information is useful to help TNB customers to gain better understanding on their electricity usage patterns and items involved in their billing charges. Up to date, there are not many studies done to measure public understanding on current electricity bills and whether this understanding could contribute towards positive impacts. The purpose of this paper is to measure public understanding on current TNB electricity bills and whether their satisfaction towards energy-related services, electricity utility services, and their awareness on the amount of electricity consumed by various appliances and equipment in their home could improve this understanding on the electricity bills. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods are used to achieve these objectives. A total of 160 respondents from local universities in Malaysia participated in a survey used to collect relevant information. Using Ordered Probit model, this paper finds respondents that are highly satisfied with the electricity utility services tend to understand their electricity bills better. The electric utility services include management of electricity bills and the information obtained from utility or non-utility supplier to help consumers manage their energy usage or bills. Based on the results, this paper concludes that the probability to understand the components in the monthly electricity bill increases as respondents are more satisfied with their electric utility services and are more capable to value the energy-related services.

Toward Mass Customization in the Age of Information: The Case for Open Engineering Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simpson, Timothy W.; Lautenschlager, Uwe; Mistree, Farrokh

1997-01-01

In the Industrial Era, manufacturers used "dedicated" engineering systems to mass produce their products. In today's increasingly competitive markets, the trend is toward mass customization, something that becomes increasingly feasible when modern information technologies are used to create open engineering systems. Our focus is on how designers can provide enhanced product flexibility and variety (if not fully customized products) through the development of open engineering systems. After presenting several industrial examples, we anchor our new systems philosophy with two real engineering applications. We believe that manufacturers who adopt open systems will achieve competitive advantage in the Information Age.

A study on reliability of power customer in distribution network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Liyuan; Ouyang, Sen; Chen, Danling; Ma, Shaohua; Wang, Xin

2017-05-01

The existing power supply reliability index system is oriented to power system without considering actual electricity availability in customer side. In addition, it is unable to reflect outage or customer’s equipment shutdown caused by instantaneous interruption and power quality problem. This paper thus makes a systematic study on reliability of power customer. By comparing with power supply reliability, reliability of power customer is defined and extracted its evaluation requirements. An indexes system, consisting of seven customer indexes and two contrast indexes, are designed to describe reliability of power customer from continuity and availability. In order to comprehensively and quantitatively evaluate reliability of power customer in distribution networks, reliability evaluation method is proposed based on improved entropy method and the punishment weighting principle. Practical application has proved that reliability index system and evaluation method for power customer is reasonable and effective.

PLATO[R] Achieve Now. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2010

2010-01-01

"PLATO[R] Achieve Now" is a software-based curriculum for the elementary and middle school grades. Instructional content is delivered via the PlayStation Portable (PSP[R]) system, allowing students to access learning materials in various settings. Software-based assessments are used to customize individual instruction, allowing students…

Feasibility study of using statistical process control to customized quality assurance in proton therapy.

PubMed

Rah, Jeong-Eun; Shin, Dongho; Oh, Do Hoon; Kim, Tae Hyun; Kim, Gwe-Ya

2014-09-01

To evaluate and improve the reliability of proton quality assurance (QA) processes and, to provide an optimal customized tolerance level using the statistical process control (SPC) methodology. The authors investigated the consistency check of dose per monitor unit (D/MU) and range in proton beams to see whether it was within the tolerance level of the daily QA process. This study analyzed the difference between the measured and calculated ranges along the central axis to improve the patient-specific QA process in proton beams by using process capability indices. The authors established a customized tolerance level of ±2% for D/MU and ±0.5 mm for beam range in the daily proton QA process. In the authors' analysis of the process capability indices, the patient-specific range measurements were capable of a specification limit of ±2% in clinical plans. SPC methodology is a useful tool for customizing the optimal QA tolerance levels and improving the quality of proton machine maintenance, treatment delivery, and ultimately patient safety.

Full-custom design of split-set data weighted averaging with output register for jitter suppression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jubay, M. C.; Gerasta, O. J.

2015-06-01

A full-custom design of an element selection algorithm, named as Split-set Data Weighted Averaging (SDWA) is implemented in 90nm CMOS Technology Synopsys Library. SDWA is applied in seven unit elements (3-bit) using a thermometer-coded input. Split-set DWA is an improved DWA algorithm which caters the requirement for randomization along with long-term equal element usage. Randomization and equal element-usage improve the spectral response of the unit elements due to higher Spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) and without significantly degrading signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Since a full-custom, the design is brought to transistor-level and the chip custom layout is also provided, having a total area of 0.3mm2, a power consumption of 0.566 mW, and simulated at 50MHz clock frequency. On this implementation, SDWA is successfully derived and improved by introducing a register at the output that suppresses the jitter introduced at the final stage due to switching loops and successive delays.

The Application of Waiting Lines System in Improving Customer Service Management: The Examination of Malaysia Fast Food Restaurants Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ismail, Zurina; Shokor, Shahrul Suhaimi AB

2016-03-01

Rapid life time change of the Malaysian lifestyle had served the overwhelming growth in the service operation industry. On that occasion, this paper will provide the idea to improve the waiting line system (WLS) practices in Malaysia fast food chains. The study will compare the results in between the single server single phase (SSSP) and the single server multi-phase (SSMP) which providing Markovian Queuing (MQ) to be used for analysis. The new system will improve the current WLS, plus intensifying the organization performance. This new WLS were designed and tested in a real case scenario and in order to develop and implemented the new styles, it need to be focusing on the average number of customers (ANC), average number of customer spending time waiting in line (ACS), and the average time customers spend in waiting and being served (ABS). We introduced new WLS design and there will be prompt discussion upon theories of benefits and potential issues that will benefit other researchers.

Toyota's tips drive dramatic ED improvements.

PubMed

2002-11-01

The Toyota Motor Corp.'s key concepts of allowing workers to make changes, putting the customer first, and reducing waste can have a dramatic impact when implemented in emergency departments. Staff should be empowered to make changes to improve quality. A chain of events should be set in motion for each customer request. Identify and eliminate roadblocks that cause delays.

The truth about patient experience: what we can learn from other industries, and how three ps can improve health outcomes, strengthen brands, and delight customers.

PubMed

Needham, Brian R

2012-01-01

Improving the patient experience is an issue many healthcare organizations face. However, it is the opinion of this author that the focus on patient satisfaction scores alone is short-sighted and that the most successful organizations will adopt best practices from other industries to deliver a more complete patient experience. This article presents an extensive review of best practices in customer experience from numerous customer-centric industries and postulates as to how the healthcare field might apply them. A new framework for improving patient experience is proposed--one that moves beyond the traditional focus on satisfaction scores to embrace the core differentiating characteristics of the organization.

Balanced scorecard as a framework for driving performance in managed care organizations.

PubMed

Sahney, V K

1998-01-01

Managed care organizations in a highly competitive environment constantly face the pressure of improving their financial performance. At the same time, customers of the organization expect the organization to deliver high-quality outcomes and improve customer service. Payers expect the organization to develop innovative new products to meet their needs. This article presents an approach called "Balanced Scorecard" for measurement, development of strategy, and performance improvement in a managed care organization.

Can there be mutual support between hospital marketing and continuous quality improvement?

PubMed

Weiland, D E

1992-01-01

Marketing the results of continuous quality improvement in hospitals builds a growing bank of loyal customers in an increasingly competitive and quality-oriented environment: If healthcare institutions want to survive and flourish, they must develop a lasting relationship with their customers. The long-term goal of CQI is to provide quality products and services. If marketing managers can sell these improved services, hospitals will build a solid client foundation.

Increasing customer service behaviors using manager-delivered task clarification and social praise.

PubMed

Rice, Anna; Austin, John; Gravina, Nicole

2009-01-01

This project assessed an intervention to improve employee customer service behaviors (correct greetings and closing behaviors). A combination of task clarification and manager-delivered social praise resulted in increased correct greeting from 11.5% to 66% and correct closing from 8% to 70%. The effect was maintained at a 48-week follow-up for employees who were present during the initial study period, but not for more recently hired employees. The results suggest that task clarification combined with manager-delivered social praise is an effective way to improve employee customer service behaviors.

Reinventing information services to increase customer satisfaction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Madison, J.E.

1993-12-01

In this paper, the author presents her view of the role of an information service and proposes means of improving information customer service and satisfaction. The emphasis of the paper is on placing the primary value on the information customer rather than on the information itself. After receiving a request for information, the information service should strive for speed and accuracy of service to provide full-text sources in a language and format convenient to the customer. The author stresses that information professionals need to re-evaluate their roles to correctly assess and rectify customers` information deficiencies.

76 FR 58065 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NASDAQ OMX BX, Inc.; Suspension of and Order Instituting...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-19

... fee structure provides incentives for market participants to submit customer order flow to BOX and... an agency order on behalf of a customer for price improvement, paired with a contra-order... guaranteed 40% of the order (after public customers) at the final price for the PIP order, assuming it is at...

Service Learning for Improvement of Customer Service Education in LIS

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colón-Aguirre, Mónica

2017-01-01

This work explores the ways in which academic librarians specializing in areas related to user services consider the courses they took as part of obtaining their library and information science (LIS) degree prepared them to deal with issues of customer service in their current work. Effective customer service is a central aspect of accomplishing…

The Customer Is Always Right: What the Business World Can Teach Us about Problem Patrons.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Rebecca

2002-01-01

Discussion of problem patrons in libraries focuses on how businesses handle customer complaints, namely regarding them as opportunities to improve customer service and satisfaction. Suggests libraries need to provide channels for patrons to make complaints, follow up on them, and train staff to deal with user dissatisfaction. (Author/LRW)

Reengineering a cardiovascular surgery service.

PubMed

Tunick, P A; Etkin, S; Horrocks, A; Jeglinski, G; Kelly, J; Sutton, P

1997-04-01

Reengineering, involving the radical redesign of business processes, has been used successfully in a variety of health care settings. In 1994 New York University (NYU) Medical Center (MC) launched its first reengineering team, whose purpose was to redesign the entire process of caring for patients-from referral to discharge-on the cardiovascular (CV) surgery service. REENIGINEERING TEAM: The multidisciplinary CV Surgery Reengineering Team was charged with two goals: improving customer (patient, family, and referring physician) satisfaction and improving profitability. The methodology to be used was based on a reengineering philosophy-discarding basic assumptions and designing the patient care process from the ground up. THE TRANSFER-IN INITIATIVE: A survey of NYU cardiologists, distributed in April 1994, suggested that the organization was considered a difficult place to transfer patients. The team's recommendations led to a new, streamlined transfer-in policy. The average waiting time from when a referring physician requested a patient transfer and the time when an NYUMC physician accepted the transfer decreased from an average of 9 hours under the old system to immediate acceptance. Three customer satisfaction task forces implemented multiple programs to make the service more user friendly. In addition, referrals increased and length of stay decreased, without an adverse impact on the mortality rate. For the first time at NYUMC, a multidisciplinary team was given the mandate to achieve major changes in an entire patient care process. Similar projects are now underway.

Design Control Systems of Human Machine Interface in the NTVS-2894 Seat Grinder Machine to Increase the Productivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ardi, S.; Ardyansyah, D.

2018-02-01

In the Manufacturing of automotive spare parts, increased sales of vehicles is resulted in increased demand for production of engine valve of the customer. To meet customer demand, we carry out improvement and overhaul of the NTVS-2894 seat grinder machine on a machining line. NTVS-2894 seat grinder machine has been decreased machine productivity, the amount of trouble, and the amount of downtime. To overcome these problems on overhaul the NTVS-2984 seat grinder machine include mechanical and programs, is to do the design and manufacture of HMI (Human Machine Interface) GP-4501T program. Because of the time prior to the overhaul, NTVS-2894 seat grinder machine does not have a backup HMI (Human Machine Interface) program. The goal of the design and manufacture in this program is to improve the achievement of production, and allows an operator to operate beside it easier to troubleshoot the NTVS-2894 seat grinder machine thereby reducing downtime on the NTVS-2894 seat grinder machine. The results after the design are HMI program successfully made it back, machine productivity increased by 34.8%, the amount of trouble, and downtime decreased 40% decrease from 3,160 minutes to 1,700 minutes. The implication of our design, it could facilitate the operator in operating machine and the technician easer to maintain and do the troubleshooting the machine problems.

Effective interventions on service quality improvement in a physiotherapy clinic.

PubMed

Gharibi, Farid; Tabrizi, JafarSadegh; Eteraf Oskouei, MirAli; AsghariJafarabadi, Mohammad

2014-01-01

Service quality is considered as a main domain of quality associ-ated with non-clinical aspect of healthcare. This study aimed to survey and im-proves service quality of delivered care in the Physiotherapy Clinic affiliated with the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. A quasi experimental interventional study was conducted in the Physiotherapy Clinic, 2010-2011. Data were collected using a validated and reli-able researcher made questionnaire with participation of 324 patients and their coadjutors. The study questionnaire consisted of 7 questions about demographic factors and 38 questions for eleven aspects of service quality. Data were then analyzed using paired samples t-test by SPSS16. In the pre intervention phase, six aspects of service quality including choice of provider, safety, prevention and early detection, dignity, autonomy and availability achieved non-acceptable scores. Following interventions, all aspects of the service quality improved and also total service quality score improved from 8.58 to 9.83 (P<0.001). Service quality can be improved by problem implementation of appropriate interventions. The acquired results can be used in health system fields to create respectful environments for healthcare customers.

Offering memorable patient experience through creative, dynamic marketing strategy

PubMed Central

Raţiu, M; Purcărea, T

2008-01-01

Creative, dynamic strategies are the ones that identify new and better ways of uniquely offering the target customers what they want or need. A business can achieve competitive advantage if it chooses a marketing strategy that sets the business apart from anyone else. Healthcare services companies have to understand that the customer should be placed in the centre of all specific marketing operations. The brand message should reflect the focus on the patient. Healthcare products and services offered must represent exactly the solutions that customers expect. The touchpoints with the patients must be well mastered in order to convince them to accept the proposed solutions. Healthcare service providers must be capable to look beyond customer's behaviour or product and healthcare service aquisition. This will demand proactive and far–reaching changes, including focusing specifically on customer preference, quality, and technological interfaces; rewiring strategy to find new value from existing and unfamiliar sources; disintegrating and radically reassembling operational processes; and restructuring the organization to accommodate new typess of work and skill. PMID:20108466

Offering memorable patient experience through creative, dynamic marketing strategy.

PubMed

Purcărea, Victor Lorín; Raţíu, Monica; Purcărea, Theodor; Davila, Carol

2008-01-01

Creative, dynamic strategies are the ones that identify new and better ways of uniquely offering the target customers what they want or need. A business can achieve competitive advantage if it chooses a marketing strategy that sets the business apart from anyone else. Healthcare services companies have to understand that the customer should be placed in the centre of all specific marketing operations. The brand message should reflect the focus on the patient. Healthcare products and services offered must represent exactly the solutions that customers expect. The touchpoints with the patients must be well mastered in order to convince them to accept the proposed solutions. Healthcare service providers must be capable to look beyond customer's behaviour or product and healthcare service aquisition. This will demand proactive and far-reaching changes, including focusing specifically on customer preference, quality, and technological interfaces; rewiring strategy to find new value from existing and unfamiliar sources: disintegrating and radically reassembling operational processes: and restructuring the organization to accommodate new types of work and skill.

ScanImage: flexible software for operating laser scanning microscopes.

PubMed

Pologruto, Thomas A; Sabatini, Bernardo L; Svoboda, Karel

2003-05-17

Laser scanning microscopy is a powerful tool for analyzing the structure and function of biological specimens. Although numerous commercial laser scanning microscopes exist, some of the more interesting and challenging applications demand custom design. A major impediment to custom design is the difficulty of building custom data acquisition hardware and writing the complex software required to run the laser scanning microscope. We describe a simple, software-based approach to operating a laser scanning microscope without the need for custom data acquisition hardware. Data acquisition and control of laser scanning are achieved through standard data acquisition boards. The entire burden of signal integration and image processing is placed on the CPU of the computer. We quantitate the effectiveness of our data acquisition and signal conditioning algorithm under a variety of conditions. We implement our approach in an open source software package (ScanImage) and describe its functionality. We present ScanImage, software to run a flexible laser scanning microscope that allows easy custom design.

Integration of QFD, AHP, and LPP methods in supplier development problems under uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shad, Zahra; Roghanian, Emad; Mojibian, Fatemeh

2014-04-01

Quality function deployment (QFD) is a customer-driven approach, widely used to develop or process new product to maximize customer satisfaction. Last researches used linear physical programming (LPP) procedure to optimize QFD; however, QFD issue involved uncertainties, or fuzziness, which requires taking them into account for more realistic study. In this paper, a set of fuzzy data is used to address linguistic values parameterized by triangular fuzzy numbers. Proposed integrated approach including analytic hierarchy process (AHP), QFD, and LPP to maximize overall customer satisfaction under uncertain conditions and apply them in the supplier development problem. The fuzzy AHP approach is adopted as a powerful method to obtain the relationship between the customer requirements and engineering characteristics (ECs) to construct house of quality in QFD method. LPP is used to obtain the optimal achievement level of the ECs and subsequently the customer satisfaction level under different degrees of uncertainty. The effectiveness of proposed method will be illustrated by an example.

The Resource. Spring 2000

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-01-01

One Is Best? 8 Meet Your Customer Assistance Team 20 ERDC MSRC Computer Systems Are Gems 25 ERDC MSRC Contributions to SC99 15 2 ERDC MSRC The... Customer Assistance Center (CAC) for several years and has achieved a reputation as an onsite Kerberos and portable batch system (PBS) expert within...Laboratory to send its mobile unit to obtain blood donations for a young woman in the Vicksburg community who was in desperate need of blood in January

3D electroplated inductors with thickness variation for improved broadband performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farm-Guoo Tseng, Victor; Bedair, Sarah S.; Lazarus, Nathan

2017-01-01

The performance of an RF spiral inductor is based on the balance between ohmic losses in the outer turns and eddy current losses dominant in the inner turns where the magnetic field is the strongest. In this work, air-core spiral inductors with winding trace thicknesses decreasing towards the center are demonstrated, achieving quality factor improvement over a wide frequency range compared to uniform thickness inductors. A custom 3D copper electroplating process was used to produce spiral inductors with varying winding thicknesses in a single plating step, with patterned gaps in a seed layer used to create delays in the vertical plating. The fabricated center-lowered coil inductors were 80 nH within a one square millimeter area with thickness varying from 60 µm to 10 µm from outer to inner winding. Within the 16 MHz-160 MHz range, the center-lowered inductors were shown to have a maximum to minimum quality factor improvement of 90%-10% when compared to uniform thickness inductors with thicknesses ranging from 60 µm to 10 µm. Compared to the 20 µm uniform thickness inductor which has the optimal performance among all uniform thickness inductors in this frequency range, the center-lowered inductors were shown to achieve a maximum quality factor improvement of 20% at the edge frequencies of 16 MHz and 160 MHz, and a minimum quality factor improvement of 10% near the geometric mean center frequency of 46 MHz.

Flexible forecasts: a key to better customer service.

PubMed

Neuhaus, C A

1997-05-01

Good customer service requires companies to keep their fingers on their customers' pulse and develop intelligent forecasts with their needs built in. As even the smallest factories today are placing at least some emphasis on lead time reductions to improve flexibility and the speed of response to customer requirements, the role of the forecast, now more than ever, is to provide at all times the best, most recent, and most accurate picture of what exactly will be required and when.

The Customer Relationship Management in Terms of Business Practice in Slovakia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urdziková, Jana; Jakábová, Martina; Saniuk, Sebastian

2012-12-01

The aim of the article is to present the results of the research on focus on the customer in relation to the use of customer relationship management in selected business subjects in Slovakia. The main goal of the research is the mapping of current state to ensure the principle of customer orientation and utilizing of CRM in organizations and industrial enterprises in Slovakia. This is the mapping of the current situation of that problem in practical conditions and determines potential opportunities for improvement.

The impact of the customer relationship management on organizational productivity, customer trust and satisfaction by using the structural equation model: A study in the Iranian hospitals

PubMed Central

Yaghoubi, Maryam; Asgari, Hamed; Javadi, Marzieh

2017-01-01

Context: One of the challenges in the fiercely competitive space of health organizations is responding to customers and building trust and satisfaction in them in the shortest time, with best quality and highest productivity. Hence the aim of this study is to survey the impact of customer relationship management (CRM) on organizational productivity, customer loyalty, satisfaction and trust in selected hospitals of Isfahan (in Iran). Materials and Methods: This study is a correlation descriptive research. Study population was the nurses in selected hospitals of Isfahan and the sampling has been conducted using stratified random method. Data collection tool is a researcher-made questionnaire of CRM and its effects (organizational productivity, customer loyalty, satisfaction and trust) which its validity and reliability has been confirmed by researchers. Structural equation method was used to determine the impact of variables. Data analysis method was structural equation modeling and the software used was SPSS version 16 (IBM, SPSS, 2007 Microsoft Corp., Bristol, UK) and AMOS version 18 (IBM, SPSS, 2010 Microsoft Corp, Bristol, UK). Results: Among the dimensions of CRM, diversification had the highest impact (0.83) and customer acquisition had the lowest (0.57) CRM, had the lowest impact on productivity (0.59) and the highest effect on customer satisfaction (0.83). Conclusions: For the implementation of CRM, it is necessary that the studied hospitals improve strategies of acquiring information about new customers, attracting new customers and keeping them and communication with patients outside the hospital and improve the system of measuring patient satisfaction and loyalty. PMID:28546971

Optical, mechanical and electronic design and integration of POMM, a polarimeter for the Observatoire du mont Mégantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leclerc, Melanie R.; Côté, Patrice; Duchesne, François; Bastien, Pierre; Hernandez, Olivier; Colonna d'Istria, Pierre; Demers, Mathieu; Girard, Marc; Savard, Maxime; Lemieux, Dany; Thibault, Simon; Brousseau, Denis

2014-08-01

A polarimeter, to observe exoplanets in the visible and infrared, was built for the "Observatoire du Mont Mégantic" (OMM) to replace an existing instrument and reach 10-6 precision, a factor 100 improvement. The optical and mechanical designs are presented, with techniques used to precisely align the optical components and rotation axes to achieve the targeted precision. A photo-elastic modulator (PEM) and a lock-in amplifier are used to measure the polarization. The typical signal is a high DC superimposed to a very faint sinusoidal oscillation. Custom electronics was developed to measure the AC and DC amplitudes, and characterization results are presented.

Feeling of competition may raise utility efficiency

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1983-05-01

In an attempt to provide the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) with a means of encouragement to regulated but non-competitive utilities to offer their customers the lowest possible rates, the Resources Consulting Group Inc. (RCG) devised an incentive regulation program that would award payments to those utilities that are able to reduce the level of and growth in rates. The program has the advantages of promoting the minimization of costs better than traditional regulation does; cost cuts are encouraged in consideration of both long- and short-term resource production and utilization; and ratepayers are able to achieve the greatest possible sharemore » of economic benefits associated with improved performance.« less

Lewis Research Center: Commercialization Success Stories

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heyward, Ann O.

1996-01-01

The NASA Lewis Research Center, located in Cleveland, Ohio, has a portfolio of research and technology capabilities and facilities that afford opportunities for productive partnerships with industry in a broad range of industry sectors. In response to the President's agenda in the area of technology for economic growth (Clinton/Gore 1993), the National Performance Review (1993), NASA's Agenda for Change (1994), and the needs of its customers, NASA Lewis Research Center has sought and achieved significant successes in technology transfer and commercialization. This paper discusses a sampling of Lewis Research Center's successes in this area, and lessons learned that Lewis Research Center is applying in pursuit of continuous improvement and excellence in technology transfer and commercialization.

A method of designing smartphone interface based on the extended user's mental model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Wei; Li, Fengmin; Bian, Jiali; Pan, Juchen; Song, Song

2017-01-01

The user's mental model is the core guiding theory of product design, especially practical products. The essence of practical product is a tool which is used by users to meet their needs. Then, the most important feature of a tool is usability. The design method based on the user's mental model provides a series of practical and feasible theoretical guidance for improving the usability of the product according to the user's awareness of things. In this paper, we propose a method of designing smartphone interface based on the extended user's mental model according to further research on user groups. This approach achieves personalized customization of smartphone application interface and enhance application using efficiency.

A multiarchitecture parallel-processing development environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Townsend, Scott; Blech, Richard; Cole, Gary

1993-01-01

A description is given of the hardware and software of a multiprocessor test bed - the second generation Hypercluster system. The Hypercluster architecture consists of a standard hypercube distributed-memory topology, with multiprocessor shared-memory nodes. By using standard, off-the-shelf hardware, the system can be upgraded to use rapidly improving computer technology. The Hypercluster's multiarchitecture nature makes it suitable for researching parallel algorithms in computational field simulation applications (e.g., computational fluid dynamics). The dedicated test-bed environment of the Hypercluster and its custom-built software allows experiments with various parallel-processing concepts such as message passing algorithms, debugging tools, and computational 'steering'. Such research would be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve on shared, commercial systems.

Gaining competitive advantage in personal dosimetry services through ISO 9001 certification.

PubMed

Noriah, M A

2007-01-01

This paper discusses the advantage of certification process in the quality assurance of individual dose monitoring in Malaysia. The demand by customers and the regulatory authority for a higher degree of quality service requires a switch in emphasis from a technically focused quality assurance program to a comprehensive quality management for service provision. Achieving the ISO 9001:2000 certification by an accredited third party demonstrates acceptable recognition and documents the fact that the methods used are capable of generating results that satisfy the performance criteria of the certification program. It also offers a proof of the commitment to quality and, as a benchmark, allows measurement of the progress for continual improvement of service performance.

X Marks the Spot: Creating and Managing a Single Service Point to Improve Customer Service and Maximize Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Venner, Mary Ann; Keshmiripour, Seti

2016-01-01

This article will describe how merging service points in an academic library is an opportunity to improve customer service and utilize staffing resources more efficiently. Combining service points provides libraries with the ability to create a more positive library experience for patrons by minimizing the ping-pong effect for assistance. The…

SNAVA-A real-time multi-FPGA multi-model spiking neural network simulation architecture.

PubMed

Sripad, Athul; Sanchez, Giovanny; Zapata, Mireya; Pirrone, Vito; Dorta, Taho; Cambria, Salvatore; Marti, Albert; Krishnamourthy, Karthikeyan; Madrenas, Jordi

2018-01-01

Spiking Neural Networks (SNN) for Versatile Applications (SNAVA) simulation platform is a scalable and programmable parallel architecture that supports real-time, large-scale, multi-model SNN computation. This parallel architecture is implemented in modern Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) devices to provide high performance execution and flexibility to support large-scale SNN models. Flexibility is defined in terms of programmability, which allows easy synapse and neuron implementation. This has been achieved by using a special-purpose Processing Elements (PEs) for computing SNNs, and analyzing and customizing the instruction set according to the processing needs to achieve maximum performance with minimum resources. The parallel architecture is interfaced with customized Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) to configure the SNN's connectivity, to compile the neuron-synapse model and to monitor SNN's activity. Our contribution intends to provide a tool that allows to prototype SNNs faster than on CPU/GPU architectures but significantly cheaper than fabricating a customized neuromorphic chip. This could be potentially valuable to the computational neuroscience and neuromorphic engineering communities. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Succeeding with Struggling Students: A Planning Resource for Raising Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson, Marti T.

2006-01-01

Schools today are working harder than ever to help ensure that "all" children "can" learn and achieve high standards. Marti Richardson, a recognized leader in professional and curriculum development, delivers an innovative, classroom-tested program with planning tools to customize it for any school or district's data-based needs. Designed around a…

ThedaCare's business performance system: sustaining continuous daily improvement through hospital management in a lean environment.

PubMed

Barnas, Kim

2011-09-01

For 2003-2008, ThedaCare, a community health system in Wisconsin, achieved significant improvements in quality and the elimination of waste through the development of an improvement system, which included Value Stream analysis, rapid improvement events, and projects applied to specific processes. However, to meet its continuous daily improvement goals, particularly the goal of increasing productivity by 10% annually, ThedaCare needed to change the way its managers and leaders (in its hospital division) conduct and manage their daily work. Accordingly, it developed its Business Performance System (BPS) to achieve and sustain continuous daily improvement. BUILDING THE BPS: ThedaCare devised a multipart pilot project, consisting of "learning to see" and then, "problem solving." On completion of the 15-week alpha phase (6 units) in July 2009, the BPS was spread to the beta pilot (12 units; September 2009-January 2010) and then to cohort 3 (10 units; September 2010-January 2011). Each alpha unit improved performance on (1) the key driver metric of increasing productivity from 2008 to year-end 2009 (by 1%-11%) and (2) its respective safety/ quality drivers over the respective 2008 baselines. For 2010, improvements across the alpha, beta, and cohort 3 units were found for 11 of the 14 safety/quality drivers-85% of the 11 customer satisfaction drivers, 83% of 6 people engagement drivers; and 48% of 23 financial stewardship drivers. The tools developed for the BPS have enabled teams to see, prioritize, and pursue continuous daily improvement opportunities. Unit leaders now have a structured management reporting system to reduce variation in their management styles. Leaders all now follow leadership standard work, and their daily work is now consistently aligned with the hospital and system strategy.

76 FR 39953 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; BATS Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing of Amendment No. 2 and Order...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-07

... importance of providing effective opportunities for customer order flow in listed options to receive... improvement to less informed customer order flow, which would inure to the benefit of investors. One of the... becomes aware of a customer order from an affiliated broker-dealer or desk within the same broker-dealer...

Mass Customization of Teaching and Training in Organizations: Design Principles and Prototype Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nistor, Nicolae; Dehne, Anina; Drews, Frank Thomas

2010-01-01

In search of methods that improve the efficiency of teaching and training in organizations, several authors point out that mass customization (MC) is a principle that covers individual needs of knowledge and skills and, at the same time limits the development costs of customized training to those of mass training. MC is proven and established in…

Customer Service at MVD Field Offices.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-06-01

Through the Arizona Transportation Research Center, the Arizona Department of Transportation requested that research be performed to determine how Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) office customer service could be improved and wait times could be reduced....

Customizing national models for a medical center's population to rapidly identify patients at high risk of 30-day all-cause hospital readmission following a heart failure hospitalization.

PubMed

Cox, Zachary L; Lai, Pikki; Lewis, Connie M; Lindenfeld, JoAnn; Collins, Sean P; Lenihan, Daniel J

2018-05-28

Nationally-derived models predicting 30-day readmissions following heart failure (HF) hospitalizations yield insufficient discrimination for institutional use. Develop a customized readmission risk model from Medicare-employed and institutionally-customized risk factors and compare the performance against national models in a medical center. Medicare patients age ≥ 65 years hospitalized for HF (n = 1,454) were studied in a derivation cohort and in a separate validation cohort (n = 243). All 30-day hospital readmissions were documented. The primary outcome was risk discrimination (c-statistic) compared to national models. A customized model demonstrated improved discrimination (c-statistic 0.72; 95% CI 0.69 - 0.74) compared to national models (c-statistics of 0.60 and 0.61) with a c-statistic of 0.63 in the validation cohort. Compared to national models, a customized model demonstrated superior readmission risk profiling by distinguishing a high-risk (38.3%) from a low-risk (9.4%) quartile. A customized model improved readmission risk discrimination from HF hospitalizations compared to national models. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Analysis of public quality reports for home care and long-term care with respect to their usefulness for the customer].

PubMed

Sünderkamp, Susanne; Weiß, Christian; Rothgang, Heinz

2014-10-01

Public quality reports, based on new legislative regulations of 2008, were supposed to offer potential customers the possibility to make a well-informed choice of a care provider. This empirical study on marks for long-term care is based on the public quality reports of the Medical Service of the Health Insurance Companies (MDK), of 11 884 home care services and 10 310 nursing homes, which corresponds to a comprehensive survey of almost all care providers in Germany. Descriptive statistical methods and discussion of the results concerning the customer benefit. The analysis of transparency reports reveals a limited value for customers, which is particularly caused by very good quality results with low scattering. In addition, a high amount of missing data - especially in the area of home care providers - leads to a growing influence of service criteria on the final grade. Though deficits in nursing might be compensated by good marks in service criteria, it rarely occurs. At present, a more detailed look at risk criteria hardly improves the customer benefit. The marks for nursing need to be improved to increase their informative value for the customer.

The Relationship Between the Customer Relationship Management and Patients’ Loyalty to Hospitals

PubMed Central

Hajikhani, Shadi; Tabibi, Seyed Jamaledin; Riahi, Leila

2016-01-01

Background and Aim: Customer Relationship Management (CRM) with its various components has been considered as a tool causing customers’ loyalty. The present study aims to investigate the relationship between the various components of customer relationship management and patients’ loyalty to the place of their treatment. Methods: This cross sectional and descriptive-analytical study was conducted among nurses and hospitalized patients in inpatient wards in selected hospitals in 2014. Using the stratified random sampling method, 224 valid and reliable researcher-drafted questionnaires were completed for CRM by nurses and 359 questionnaires were completed by patients for patients’ loyalty in the studied wards. Data were analyzed using the SPSS20 software. Results: There was no statistically significant relationship between the level of patients’ loyalty and organizational indicators, information technology and knowledge management (P Value>0.05). However, there was a statistically significant relationship between loyalty and the dimensions of the service process (P Value=0.04), human resources (P Value=0.002) and CRM (P Value=0.038). The strength of these relationships were 34, 40 and 36 percent, respectively all of which were positive. Conclusion: Customer Relationship Management is a tool for improving influencing factors on patients’ satisfaction and loyalty. Therefore, attempts to implement customer relationship management as a process for improving hospitals performance and improving communication between service providers in hospitals and customers leading to enhance patients’ loyalty should be taken into account by managers and policy makers in the health sectors. PMID:26493416

[Training 5th-Year Clinical Pharmacy Students to Collect and Evaluate Information from Original Articles].

PubMed

Esumi, Satoru; Kawasaki, Yoichi; Ida, Hiromi; Kitamura, Yoshihisa; Sendo, Toshiaki

2018-01-01

　Pharmacists are required to contribute to evidence-based medicine (EBM) by providing drug information, which can be collected from various sources such as books, websites, and original articles. In particular, information from original articles is needed in some situations. For example, original articles by international researchers are used to aid the management of novel in-hospital preparations on which little knowledge is available. We introduced an information evaluation program, the Okayama University Hospital EBM Model, into the clinical training of 5th-year pharmacy students. It aims to enable students to evaluate the validity of novel in-hospital preparations using original articles. This program has improved students' knowledge of EBM, and the satisfaction level of those enrolled was high. In addition, customer satisfaction analysis revealed that the overall degree of student satisfaction was related to their understanding of the necessity for EBM and the difficulty of practical training. In addition, students' achievements were evaluated using rubrics, and that method allowed the achievements of each student to be assessed appropriately. We hope to revise this program with the aim of improving students' understanding of EBM.

Determination of rate of customer focus in educational programs at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(1) based on students' viewpoints.

PubMed

Shams, Assadollah; Yarmohammadian, Mohammad Hosein; Abbarik, Hadi Hayati

2012-01-01

Today, the challenges of quality improvement and customer focus as well as systems development are important and inevitable matters in higher education institutes. There are some highly competitive challenges among educational institutes, including accountability to social needs, increasing costs of education, diversity in educational methods and centers and their consequent increasing competition, and the need for adaptation of new information and knowledge to focus on students as the main customers. Hence, the purpose of this study was to determine the rate of costumer focus based on Isfahan University of Medical Sciences students' viewpoints and to suggest solutions to improve this rate. This was a cross-sectional study carried out in 2011. The statistical population included all the students of seven faculties of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. According to statistical formulae, the sample size consisted of 384 subjects. Data collection tools included researcher-made questionnaire whose reliability was found to be 87% by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Finally, using the SPSS statistical software and statistical methods of independent t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Likert scale based data were analyzed. The mean of overall score for customer focus (student-centered) of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences was 46.54. Finally, there was a relation between the mean of overall score for customer focus and gender, educational levels, and students' faculties. Researcher suggest more investigation between Medical University and others. It is a difference between medical sciences universities and others regarding the customer focus area, since students' gender must be considered as an effective factor in giving healthcare services quality. In order to improve the customer focus, it is essential to take facilities, field of study, faculties, and syllabus into consideration.

Impact of customized videotape education on quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

PubMed

Petty, Thomas L; Dempsey, Edward C; Collins, Timothy; Pluss, William; Lipkus, Isaac; Cutter, Gary R; Chalmers, Robin; Mitchell, Amy; Weil, Kenneth C

2006-01-01

To compare the impact of a library of pulmonary rehabilitation videotapes versus an older videotape and usual care on quality of life and ability to perform activities of daily living in persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Two hundred fourteen patients diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema, or chronic bronchitis were recruited and randomized to receive customized videotapes, standard videotapes, or usual care. Outcome measures included the Fatigue Impact Scale, Seattle Obstructive Lung Disease Questionnaire, and the SF-36(R) Health Survey. Differences in coping skills and emotional functioning on the Seattle Obstructive Lung Disease Questionnaire were found among the 174 subjects who completed the study. The customized videotape group improved by 8.6 and 4.8 points, respectively, whereas the score of the other groups decreased by less than 1 point for the coping skills, and the scores of the standard video and the control groups decreased by 3.0 and 2.1 points, respectively, for emotional functioning (P < .05, all comparisons). The scores using the Fatigue Impact Scale also improved for the customized videotape group, whereas the scores of the others remained unchanged. Videotape users demonstrated better conversion to and retention of exercise habits, with over 80% of customized videotape subjects who reported exercise habits at baseline continuing the habits as compared with 40% in the usual care group. Sedentary subjects at baseline were more likely to begin and maintain exercise if randomized to videotapes. These findings demonstrate increased quality of life, lower fatigue, and better compliance with a prescribed exercise regimen among subjects using the customized videotapes. There was a significant improvement in emotional functioning and coping skills among customized videotape subjects.

Determination of rate of customer focus in educational programs at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences1 based on students’ viewpoints

PubMed Central

Shams, Assadollah; Yarmohammadian, Mohammad Hosein; Abbarik, Hadi Hayati

2012-01-01

Background: Today, the challenges of quality improvement and customer focus as well as systems development are important and inevitable matters in higher education institutes. There are some highly competitive challenges among educational institutes, including accountability to social needs, increasing costs of education, diversity in educational methods and centers and their consequent increasing competition, and the need for adaptation of new information and knowledge to focus on students as the main customers. Hence, the purpose of this study was to determine the rate of costumer focus based on Isfahan University of Medical Sciences students’ viewpoints and to suggest solutions to improve this rate. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study carried out in 2011. The statistical population included all the students of seven faculties of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. According to statistical formulae, the sample size consisted of 384 subjects. Data collection tools included researcher-made questionnaire whose reliability was found to be 87% by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Finally, using the SPSS statistical software and statistical methods of independent t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Likert scale based data were analyzed. Results: The mean of overall score for customer focus (student-centered) of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences was 46.54. Finally, there was a relation between the mean of overall score for customer focus and gender, educational levels, and students’ faculties. Researcher suggest more investigation between Medical University and others. Conclusion: It is a difference between medical sciences universities and others regarding the customer focus area, since students’ gender must be considered as an effective factor in giving healthcare services quality. In order to improve the customer focus, it is essential to take facilities, field of study, faculties, and syllabus into consideration. PMID:23555127

Evaluation of customer satisfaction at the Department of Paediatric Dentistry of "Sapienza" University of Rome.

PubMed

Ierardo, G; Luzzi, V; Vestri, A; Sfasciotti, G L; Polimeni, A

2008-03-01

Healthcare facility management requires the optimisation of the quality of services offered. The Authors adopted a questionnaire as a means to assess customer satisfaction and needs. The Questionnaire has been designed to address adults, i.e., parents or guardians of children attending the Paediatric unit as patients. To estimate their degree of satisfaction, either regarding the environment where children are treated or about the direct interactions between the parents and the structure (waiting room, waiting time, treatment time and time needed to make the payments, costs, etc.), the questionnaire was submitted to a sample of approximately 600 customers, between March and June of 2005. On one hand results provide a pleasant confirmation on customers' perception of the service, especially regarding the direct relationship between the parties; on the other, they highlight aspects that could be improved (waiting room, optimisation of waiting time), distinguishing between factors that need extra funding to be implemented, and those that, instead, could be simply improved through a better and more efficient organisation of labour and time. The present analysis and previous experiences confirm that appraisal of the degree of customers' satisfaction by means of questionnaires is a valid and necessary instrument for the quality improvement of a healthcare service. Doing so, economic and human resources can be more efficiently allocated.

Ideas for Future GPS Timing Improvements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hutsell, Steven T.

1996-01-01

Having recently met stringent criteria for full operational capability (FOC) certification, the Global Positioning System (GPS) now has higher customer expectations than ever before. In order to maintain customer satisfaction, and the meet the even high customer demands of the future, the GPS Master Control Station (MCS) must play a critical role in the process of carefully refining the performance and integrity of the GPS constellation, particularly in the area of timing. This paper will present an operational perspective on several ideas for improving timing in GPS. These ideas include the desire for improving MCS - US Naval Observatory (USNO) data connectivity, an improved GPS-Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) prediction algorithm, a more robust Kalman Filter, and more features in the GPS reference time algorithm (the GPS composite clock), including frequency step resolution, a more explicit use of the basic time scale equation, and dynamic clock weighting. Current MCS software meets the exceptional challenge of managing an extremely complex constellation of 24 navigation satellites. The GPS community will, however, always seek to improve upon this performance and integrity.

The supervisor's performance appraisal: evaluating the evaluator.

PubMed

McConnell, C R

1993-04-01

The focus of much performance appraisal in the coming decade or so will likely be on the level of customer satisfaction achieved through performance. Ultimately, evaluating the evaluator--that is, appraising the supervisor--will likely become a matter of assessing how well the supervisor's department meets the needs of its customers. Since meeting the needs of one's customers can well become the strongest determinant of organizational success or failure, it follows that relative success in ensuring these needs are met can become the primary indicator of one's relative success as a supervisor. This has the effect of placing the emphasis on supervisory performance exactly at the point it belongs, right on the bottom-line results of the supervisor's efforts.

Customer Loyalty in Virtual Environments: An Empirical Study in e-Bank

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chao, Yu; Lee, Gin-Yuan; Ho, Yung-Ching

2009-08-01

The advent of e-commerce has increased the importance of consumer financing operations. Internet banking helps banks to develop relationship marketing, thus improve customer loyalty. This study proposes a research framework to examine the relationships among e-service quality, customer satisfaction, customer trust and e-loyalty in e-bank in Taiwan. Data are collected through a survey using a structured questionnaire. The 442 valid respondents who have experience with e-bank are analyzed by partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method. The managerial implication is e-bank must focus on e-service quality to increase customer satisfaction and trust for obtaining the e-loyalty.

Customizing Laboratory Information Systems: Closing the Functionality Gap.

PubMed

Gershkovich, Peter; Sinard, John H

2015-09-01

Highly customizable laboratory information systems help to address great variations in laboratory workflows, typical in Pathology. Often, however, built-in customization tools are not sufficient to add all of the desired functionality and improve systems interoperability. Emerging technologies and advances in medicine often create a void in functionality that we call a functionality gap. These gaps have distinct characteristics—a persuasive need to change the way a pathology group operates, the general availability of technology to address the missing functionality, the absence of this technology from your laboratory information system, and inability of built-in customization tools to address it. We emphasize the pervasive nature of these gaps, the role of pathology informatics in closing them, and suggest methods on how to achieve that. We found that a large number of the papers in the Journal of Pathology Informatics are concerned with these functionality gaps, and an even larger proportion of electronic posters and abstracts presented at the Pathology Informatics Summit conference each year deal directly with these unmet needs in pathology practice. A rapid, continuous, and sustainable approach to closing these gaps is critical for Pathology to provide the highest quality of care, adopt new technologies, and meet regulatory and financial challenges. The key element of successfully addressing functionality gaps is gap ownership—the ability to control the entire pathology information infrastructure with access to complementary systems and components. In addition, software developers with detailed domain expertise, equipped with right tools and methodology can effectively address these needs as they emerge.

Eight Kilowatt Hall Thruster System Characterization

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-08-01

divergence13,14 and maximize thrust efficiency. Electrical isolation of the anode from the propellant line is achieved with a custom high voltage ceramic ... Electric Co., Inc. 55 A, 730 V (40 kW) (+) (-) Hall Effect Thruster Hollow Cathode b h k Figure 4. T8 test facility and nominal power supply diagram...may be 700-V or higher. Electrical isolation of the anode from the propellant line is provided by a custom ceramic break developed by Busek. The

'You can't just hit a button': an ethnographic study of strategies to repurpose data from advanced clinical information systems for clinical process improvement.

PubMed

Morrison, Cecily; Jones, Matthew; Jones, Rachel; Vuylsteke, Alain

2013-04-10

Current policies encourage healthcare institutions to acquire clinical information systems (CIS) so that captured data can be used for secondary purposes, including clinical process improvement. Such policies do not account for the extra work required to repurpose data for uses other than direct clinical care, making their implementation problematic. This paper aims to analyze the strategies employed by clinical units to use data effectively for both direct clinical care and clinical process improvement. Ethnographic methods were employed. A total of 54 contextual interviews with health professionals spanning various disciplines and 18 hours of observation were carried out in 5 intensive care units in England using an advanced CIS. Case studies of how the extra work was achieved in each unit were derived from the data and then compared. We found that extra work is required to repurpose CIS data for clinical process improvement. Health professionals must enter data not required for clinical care and manipulation of this data into a machine-readable form is often necessary. Ambiguity over who should be responsible for this extra work hindered CIS data usage for clinical process improvement. We describe 11 strategies employed by units to accommodate this extra work, distributing it across roles. Seven of these motivated data entry by health professionals and four addressed the machine readability of data. Many of the strategies relied heavily on the skill and leadership of local clinical customizers. To realize the expected clinical process improvements by the use of CIS data, clinical leaders and policy makers need to recognize and support the redistribution of the extra work that is involved in data repurposing. Adequate time, funding, and appropriate motivation are needed to enable units to acquire and deliver the necessary skills in CIS customization.

Developing Custom Fire Behavior Fuel Models for Mediterranean Wildland-Urban Interfaces in Southern Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elia, Mario; Lafortezza, Raffaele; Lovreglio, Raffaella; Sanesi, Giovanni

2015-09-01

The dramatic increase of fire hazard in wildland-urban interfaces (WUIs) has required more detailed fuel management programs to preserve ecosystem functions and human settlements. Designing effective fuel treatment strategies allows to achieve goals such as resilient landscapes, fire-adapted communities, and ecosystem response. Therefore, obtaining background information on forest fuel parameters and fuel accumulation patterns has become an important first step in planning fuel management interventions. Site-specific fuel inventory data enhance the accuracy of fuel management planning and help forest managers in fuel management decision-making. We have customized four fuel models for WUIs in southern Italy, starting from forest classes of land-cover use and adopting a hierarchical clustering approach. Furthermore, we provide a prediction of the potential fire behavior of our customized fuel models using FlamMap 5 under different weather conditions. The results suggest that fuel model IIIP (Mediterranean maquis) has the most severe fire potential for the 95th percentile weather conditions and the least severe potential fire behavior for the 85th percentile weather conditions. This study shows that it is possible to create customized fuel models directly from fuel inventory data. This achievement has broad implications for land managers, particularly forest managers of the Mediterranean landscape, an ecosystem that is susceptible not only to wildfires but also to the increasing human population and man-made infrastructures.

Developing Custom Fire Behavior Fuel Models for Mediterranean Wildland-Urban Interfaces in Southern Italy.

PubMed

Elia, Mario; Lafortezza, Raffaele; Lovreglio, Raffaella; Sanesi, Giovanni

2015-09-01

The dramatic increase of fire hazard in wildland-urban interfaces (WUIs) has required more detailed fuel management programs to preserve ecosystem functions and human settlements. Designing effective fuel treatment strategies allows to achieve goals such as resilient landscapes, fire-adapted communities, and ecosystem response. Therefore, obtaining background information on forest fuel parameters and fuel accumulation patterns has become an important first step in planning fuel management interventions. Site-specific fuel inventory data enhance the accuracy of fuel management planning and help forest managers in fuel management decision-making. We have customized four fuel models for WUIs in southern Italy, starting from forest classes of land-cover use and adopting a hierarchical clustering approach. Furthermore, we provide a prediction of the potential fire behavior of our customized fuel models using FlamMap 5 under different weather conditions. The results suggest that fuel model IIIP (Mediterranean maquis) has the most severe fire potential for the 95th percentile weather conditions and the least severe potential fire behavior for the 85th percentile weather conditions. This study shows that it is possible to create customized fuel models directly from fuel inventory data. This achievement has broad implications for land managers, particularly forest managers of the Mediterranean landscape, an ecosystem that is susceptible not only to wildfires but also to the increasing human population and man-made infrastructures.

Control of lower incisor inclination with a completely customized lingual appliance for dentoalveolar compensation of class III malocclusion.

PubMed

Lossdörfer, Stefan; Schwestka-Polly, Rainer; Wiechmann, Dirk

2013-09-01

Bracket slots and orthodontic archwires offering high dimensional precision are needed for fully customized lingual appliances. We aimed to investigate whether high-precision appliances of this type enable dentoalveolar compensation of class III malocclusion so that lower incisor inclination at the end of treatment will closely match the anticipated situation as defined in a pretreatment setup. This retrospective study included a total of 34 consecutive patients who had worn a fully customized lingual appliance to achieve dentoalveolar compensation for class III malocclusion by intermaxillary elastics, or proximal enamel reduction, or extraction of teeth in one or both jaws. Casts fabricated at different points in time were three-dimensionally scanned to analyze how precisely the lower incisor inclinations envisioned in the setup were implemented in clinical practice. Aside from minor deviations of ±3.75°, the lower incisor inclinations were clinically implemented as planned even in patients with major sagittal discrepancies. Treatment goals predefined in a setup of dentoalveolar compensation for class III malocclusion can be very precisely achieved via a customized lingual appliance. Correct planning can prevent undesirable lingual tipping of the lower incisors. This finding should not encourage a more liberal use of dentoalveolar compensation, but it should heighten clinicians' awareness of how essential it is to sufficiently consider the individual anatomy of the dentoalveolar complex during treatment planning.

Design of a high-speed digital processing element for parallel simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Milner, E. J.; Cwynar, D. S.

1983-01-01

A prototype of a custom designed computer to be used as a processing element in a multiprocessor based jet engine simulator is described. The purpose of the custom design was to give the computer the speed and versatility required to simulate a jet engine in real time. Real time simulations are needed for closed loop testing of digital electronic engine controls. The prototype computer has a microcycle time of 133 nanoseconds. This speed was achieved by: prefetching the next instruction while the current one is executing, transporting data using high speed data busses, and using state of the art components such as a very large scale integration (VLSI) multiplier. Included are discussions of processing element requirements, design philosophy, the architecture of the custom designed processing element, the comprehensive instruction set, the diagnostic support software, and the development status of the custom design.

The Study on the Preferences of Customer Personal Values with Chinese Culture Background in Services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yi; Zhao, Hong; Yang, Yue

Customer personal values are the important factors which affect customer behaviors, and they guide and decide the customer's attitudes and behaviors on the products or the services. The paper thinks there are only several important customer personal values to guide customer's decisions, and these values will have -strong cultural differences. This study focuses on discussing the preferences of customer personal values with Chinese culture background when customers consume service and analyzes on the customer preferences of customer personal values with the deep interview method. After interviewing 16 responders with the semi-structured questionnaires, the study finds out some interesting results: (1) Some customers have recognized the existent of customer personal values, even though customer perceived values still have the strong influences on customer behaviors. (2) As they pursue to high quality lives, customers enjoy the lives in easy and pleasure way and care about the safe of the family. Quick response, simple and professional services contribute to enhance the experiences of easy and pleasure lives. (3) Non-rational consumers need the respect from the staff and the companies seriously. In comparison, the rational customers care less about the respect. (4) The sociable requirements have become a common consuming psychology of the customers. More and more customers try to gain the friends by consuming some services. (5) The preferences of customer personal values have a close relationship with the Chinese culture, such as collective values, family conception and "face" culture. The results benefit for service companies improving service brands and service quality.

Implementing the Customer Contact Center: An Opportunity to Create a Valid Measurement System for Assessing and Improving a Library's Telephone Services

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Sarah Anne; Cerqua, Judith

2012-01-01

A customer contact center offers academic libraries the ability to consistently improve their telephone, e-mail, and IM services. This paper discusses the establishment of a contact center and the benefits of implementing the contact center model at this institution. It then introduces a practical methodology for developing a valid measurement…

On the Path to SunShot. The Role of Advancements in Solar Photovoltaic Efficiency, Reliability, and Costs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Woodhouse, Michael; Jones-Albertus, Rebecca; Feldman, David

2016-05-01

This report examines the remaining challenges to achieving the competitive photovoltaic (PV) costs and large-scale deployment envisioned under the U.S. Department of Energy's SunShot Initiative. Solar-energy cost reductions can be realized through lower PV module and balance-of-system (BOS) costs as well as improved system efficiency and reliability. Numerous combinations of PV improvements could help achieve the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) goals because of the tradeoffs among key metrics like module price, efficiency, and degradation rate as well as system price and lifetime. Using LCOE modeling based on bottom-up cost analysis, two specific pathways are mapped to exemplify the manymore » possible approaches to module cost reductions of 29%-38% between 2015 and 2020. BOS hardware and soft cost reductions, ranging from 54%-77% of total cost reductions, are also modeled. The residential sector's high supply-chain costs, labor requirements, and customer-acquisition costs give it the greatest BOS cost-reduction opportunities, followed by the commercial sector, although opportunities are available to the utility-scale sector as well. Finally, a future scenario is considered in which very high PV penetration requires additional costs to facilitate grid integration and increased power-system flexibility--which might necessitate even lower solar LCOEs. The analysis of a pathway to 3-5 cents/kWh PV systems underscores the importance of combining robust improvements in PV module and BOS costs as well as PV system efficiency and reliability if such aggressive long-term targets are to be achieved.« less

Feasibility study of using statistical process control to customized quality assurance in proton therapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rah, Jeong-Eun; Oh, Do Hoon; Shin, Dongho

Purpose: To evaluate and improve the reliability of proton quality assurance (QA) processes and, to provide an optimal customized tolerance level using the statistical process control (SPC) methodology. Methods: The authors investigated the consistency check of dose per monitor unit (D/MU) and range in proton beams to see whether it was within the tolerance level of the daily QA process. This study analyzed the difference between the measured and calculated ranges along the central axis to improve the patient-specific QA process in proton beams by using process capability indices. Results: The authors established a customized tolerance level of ±2% formore » D/MU and ±0.5 mm for beam range in the daily proton QA process. In the authors’ analysis of the process capability indices, the patient-specific range measurements were capable of a specification limit of ±2% in clinical plans. Conclusions: SPC methodology is a useful tool for customizing the optimal QA tolerance levels and improving the quality of proton machine maintenance, treatment delivery, and ultimately patient safety.« less

Becoming customer-driven: one health system's story.

PubMed

Bagnell, A

1998-01-01

Market research was done by Crozer-Keystone Health System to better understand the new health care consumer. The information will assist in developing, promoting, and delivering products and services of maximum value to current and prospective consumers. The system is responding by bundling and delivering products and services around consumer-based dimensions, developing new and better ways to improve customer convenience, access, and service. Operationalizing these initiatives for change involves building an information infrastructure of extensive content and customer databases, using new technologies to customize communications and ultimately service components.

Analysing Customer Opinions with Text Mining Algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Consoli, Domenico

2009-08-01

Knowing what the customer thinks of a particular product/service helps top management to introduce improvements in processes and products, thus differentiating the company from their competitors and gain competitive advantages. The customers, with their preferences, determine the success or failure of a company. In order to know opinions of the customers we can use technologies available from the web 2.0 (blog, wiki, forums, chat, social networking, social commerce). From these web sites, useful information must be extracted, for strategic purposes, using techniques of sentiment analysis or opinion mining.

TH-AB-207A-09: Tailoring TCM Schemes to a Task: Evaluating the Impact of Customized TCM Profiles On Detection of Lung Nodules in Simulated CT Lung Cancer Screening

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hoffman, J; McNitt-Gray, M; Noo, F

Purpose: Recent work has shown that current TCM profile designs boost detection of low-contrast lung lesions in the lung apices, but yield reduced detection performance in the mid and lower lung regions relative to fixed tube current cases. This observed imbalance suggests that the TCM scheme might be tailored in new ways to maximize nodule detection throughout the entire lung. In this work, we begin a preliminary investigation into custom TCM profiles in an attempt to achieve uniform lesion detection throughout the extent of the lung. Methods: Low-contrast (25HU), 6mm nodules representing ground glass opacities were simulated at 1mm intervalsmore » over the length the lungs in a voxelized model of the XCAT phantom, one nodule per lung, per simulated scan. Voxel values represented attenuation values at 80keV. CT projection data was created by simulating a finite focal spot and using Joseph’s method for forward projection; scanner geometry was that of the Siemens Sensation 64 and the X-ray source was simulated as an 80keV monochromatic beam. Noise realizations were created using Poisson statistics, a realistic bowtie filter and varying tube current. 500 noise realizations were created for the custom TCM designs. All reconstruction was done with FreeCT-wFBP. An SKE/BKE task was used in conjunction with a 2D Hotelling Observer to calculate area-under-the-curve (AUC) as a proxy for “detectability.” AUC was plotted as a function of nodule Z-location to create a “detectability map.” The detectability map for the custom TCM curve was qualitatively assessed relative to previous results for the fixed TC and clinical TCM cases for uniformity. Results: Detection uniformity was improved throughout the mid and lower lungs, however detection remained disproportionately high in the upper lung region. Conclusion: Detection uniformity was improved with a custom TC profile. Future work will incorporate an analytic, task-specific approach to optimize the TC scheme for nodule detection. J. Hoffman: Part-time intern, Toshiba Medical Research Institute; M. McNitt-Gray: Institutional research agreement, Siemens Healthcare; Past recipient, research grant support, Siemens Healthcare; Consultant, Toshiba America Medical Systems; Consultant, Samsung Electronics; F. Noo: Institutional research agreement, Siemens Healthcare; Receives research funding from Siemens Healthcare.« less

Recent trends in robot-assisted therapy environments to improve real-life functional performance after stroke.

PubMed

Johnson, Michelle J

2006-12-18

Upper and lower limb robotic tools for neuro-rehabilitation are effective in reducing motor impairment but they are limited in their ability to improve real world function. There is a need to improve functional outcomes after robot-assisted therapy. Improvements in the effectiveness of these environments may be achieved by incorporating into their design and control strategies important elements key to inducing motor learning and cerebral plasticity such as mass-practice, feedback, task-engagement, and complex problem solving. This special issue presents nine articles. Novel strategies covered in this issue encourage more natural movements through the use of virtual reality and real objects and faster motor learning through the use of error feedback to guide acquisition of natural movements that are salient to real activities. In addition, several articles describe novel systems and techniques that use of custom and commercial games combined with new low-cost robot systems and a humanoid robot to embody the " supervisory presence" of the therapy as possible solutions to exercise compliance in under-supervised environments such as the home.

Recent trends in robot-assisted therapy environments to improve real-life functional performance after stroke

PubMed Central

Johnson, Michelle J

2006-01-01

Upper and lower limb robotic tools for neuro-rehabilitation are effective in reducing motor impairment but they are limited in their ability to improve real world function. There is a need to improve functional outcomes after robot-assisted therapy. Improvements in the effectiveness of these environments may be achieved by incorporating into their design and control strategies important elements key to inducing motor learning and cerebral plasticity such as mass-practice, feedback, task-engagement, and complex problem solving. This special issue presents nine articles. Novel strategies covered in this issue encourage more natural movements through the use of virtual reality and real objects and faster motor learning through the use of error feedback to guide acquisition of natural movements that are salient to real activities. In addition, several articles describe novel systems and techniques that use of custom and commercial games combined with new low-cost robot systems and a humanoid robot to embody the " supervisory presence" of the therapy as possible solutions to exercise compliance in under-supervised environments such as the home. PMID:17176474

Customer service at MVD field offices : final report 544.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-06-01

Through the Arizona Transportation Research Center, the Arizona Department of Transportation requested that research be performed to determine how Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) office customer service could be improved and wait times could be reduced....

Study protocol: using the Q-STEPS to assess and improve the quality of physical activity programmes for the elderly.

PubMed

Marques, Ana I; Rosa, Maria J; Amorim, Marlene; Soares, Pedro; Oliveira-Tavares, António; Santos, Rute; Mota, Jorge; Carvalho, Joana

2012-07-09

Aging is one of the most important and obvious phenomenon observed in our society. In the past years, there has been a growing concern in designing physical activity (PA) programmes for elderly people, because evidence suggests that such health promotion interventions may reduce the deleterious effects of the ageing process. Accordingly, a growing body of literature points to the importance of a sound approach to planning and evaluation in order to improve the quality of PA programmes. However, while numerous PA programmes have been designed for the elderly in recent years, their evaluation has been scarce. Quality management processes and tools provide a practical way for organisations to assess, identify and shed light on the areas requiring improvement. The Quality Self-assessment Tool for Exercise Programmes for Seniors (Q-STEPS) seems to provide a framework tailored to evaluate PA programmes for the elderly. The primary purpose of this study is 1) to determine feasibility, acceptability and usability of the Q-STEPS. Secondary purposes of the study are: 2) to examine the quality of the PA programmes for elderly people developed by the Portuguese Local Administration over a three-year period of self-assessments in terms of: a) Enabler domains (Leadership, Policy and Strategy, People, Partnership and Resources, Processes); b) Result domains (Customer Results, People Results, Society Results and Key Performance Results); 3) to estimate the association between the use of Q-STEPS and some indicators relating to the elderly participants, during the three self-assessments, such as: attendance rates, physical fitness, health-related quality of life and the elderly's perceived quality of the programme. The study will be conducted in PA programmes for elderly adults from mainland Portuguese municipalities over a three-year period. The project will adopt a participative quality improvement approach that features annual learning cycles of: 1) self-assessment with the Q-STEPS; 2) feedback to and interpretation of results involving programme's staff; 3) action planning to achieve system changes; 4) implementation of strategies for change; and 5) review process through further self-assessment. The study will collect a range of process and outcome data that will be used to achieve the research aims. It is our understanding that the results of the Q-STEPS study will contribute directly to the evidence based on effectiveness of continuous quality improvement approaches, in order to improve customer satisfaction and adherence to PA programmes targeting the ageing population. This comprehensive evaluation will also add significant new knowledge regarding the characteristics associated with a sustainable public service.

Emotion Analysis of Telephone Complaints from Customer Based on Affective Computing.

PubMed

Gong, Shuangping; Dai, Yonghui; Ji, Jun; Wang, Jinzhao; Sun, Hai

2015-01-01

Customer complaint has been the important feedback for modern enterprises to improve their product and service quality as well as the customer's loyalty. As one of the commonly used manners in customer complaint, telephone communication carries rich emotional information of speeches, which provides valuable resources for perceiving the customer's satisfaction and studying the complaint handling skills. This paper studies the characteristics of telephone complaint speeches and proposes an analysis method based on affective computing technology, which can recognize the dynamic changes of customer emotions from the conversations between the service staff and the customer. The recognition process includes speaker recognition, emotional feature parameter extraction, and dynamic emotion recognition. Experimental results show that this method is effective and can reach high recognition rates of happy and angry states. It has been successfully applied to the operation quality and service administration in telecom and Internet service company.

Emotion Analysis of Telephone Complaints from Customer Based on Affective Computing

PubMed Central

Gong, Shuangping; Ji, Jun; Wang, Jinzhao; Sun, Hai

2015-01-01

Customer complaint has been the important feedback for modern enterprises to improve their product and service quality as well as the customer's loyalty. As one of the commonly used manners in customer complaint, telephone communication carries rich emotional information of speeches, which provides valuable resources for perceiving the customer's satisfaction and studying the complaint handling skills. This paper studies the characteristics of telephone complaint speeches and proposes an analysis method based on affective computing technology, which can recognize the dynamic changes of customer emotions from the conversations between the service staff and the customer. The recognition process includes speaker recognition, emotional feature parameter extraction, and dynamic emotion recognition. Experimental results show that this method is effective and can reach high recognition rates of happy and angry states. It has been successfully applied to the operation quality and service administration in telecom and Internet service company. PMID:26633967

Note: Fully integrated active quenching circuit achieving 100 MHz count rate with custom technology single photon avalanche diodes.

PubMed

Acconcia, G; Labanca, I; Rech, I; Gulinatti, A; Ghioni, M

2017-02-01

The minimization of Single Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPADs) dead time is a key factor to speed up photon counting and timing measurements. We present a fully integrated Active Quenching Circuit (AQC) able to provide a count rate as high as 100 MHz with custom technology SPAD detectors. The AQC can also operate the new red enhanced SPAD and provide the timing information with a timing jitter Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) as low as 160 ps.

[Responses to customer complaints at commercial laboratories].

PubMed

Honma, M

1997-10-01

For commercial laboratories, one of the routine duties involves responding to various kinds of inquiries and complaints received from customers. As causes of complaints, lack of communication between the laboratory and customer, and test errors were considered. In this paper, complaints received by our laboratory were collected and classified by content, and measures to prevent test error are reported. We think the complaints contain important information that can be used to improve the quality of our laboratory. We hope that reinforcement of communication with customers and promoting test knowledge among the customers can produce more clearly worded complaints which will provide more valuable information. We try to receive and deal with these complaints seriously.

The security concern on internet banking adoption among Malaysian banking customers.

PubMed

Sudha, Raju; Thiagarajan, A S; Seetharaman, A

2007-01-01

The existing literatures highlights that the security is the primary factor which determines the adoption of Internet banking technology. The secondary information on Internet banking development in Malaysia shows a very slow growth rate. Hence, this study aims to study the banking customers perception towards security concern and Internet banking adoption through the information collected from 150 sample respondents. The data analysis reveals that the customers have much concern about security and privacy issue in adoption of Internet banking, whether the customers are adopted Internet banking or not. Hence, it infers that to popularize Internet banking system there is a need for improvement in security and privacy issue among the banking customers.

An Interactive Web-Based Intervention to Achieve Healthy Weight in Young Children.

PubMed

Wald, Ellen R; Ewing, Linda J; Moyer, Stacey C L; Eickhoff, Jens C

2018-05-01

This prospective, randomized, controlled trial for parents of overweight and obese 3- to 7-year-olds was performed to assess the feasibility of a program promoting healthy eating and lifestyle by targeting parents as agents of change. The intervention was composed of 6-in-person group sessions and a customized website over 12 months. The control group received customary care. The primary outcome was feasibility of the intervention to promote healthy behavior change measured by attendance. The secondary outcome was effectiveness assessed by attaining reduced body mass index (BMI) z scores, healthy behavior changes and increased parent self-efficacy. Seventy-three child-parent dyads were enrolled; 14 parents never attended any sessions. Participation in follow-up assessments did not meet the hypothesized level. Ultimate BMI z scores did not differ between control and intervention groups. Parenting skills did not improve in the intervention group. This intervention to achieve healthy lifestyle changes in children via their parents as "change agents" was unsuccessful.

Healthy Bodegas: Increasing and Promoting Healthy Foods at Corner Stores in New York City

PubMed Central

Williams, Donya A.; Baronberg, Sabrina; Silver, Lynn

2012-01-01

Objectives. We assessed the effectiveness of an initiative to increase the stock and promotion of healthy foods in 55 corner stores in underserved neighborhoods. Methods. We evaluated the intervention through in-store observations and preintervention and postintervention surveys of all 55 store owners as well as surveys with customers at a subset of stores. Results. We observed an average of 4 changes on a 15-point criteria scale. The most common were placing refrigerated water at eye level, stocking canned fruit with no sugar added, offering a healthy sandwich, and identifying healthier items. Forty-six (84%) store owners completed both surveys. Owners reported increased sales of healthier items, but identified barriers including consumer demand and lack of space and refrigeration. The percentage of customers surveyed who purchased items for which we promoted a healthier option (low-sodium canned goods, low-fat milk, whole-grain bread, healthier snacks and sandwiches) increased from 5% to 16%. Conclusions. Corner stores are important vehicles for access to healthy foods. The approach described here achieved improvements in participating corner stores and in some consumer purchases and may be a useful model for other locales. PMID:22897534

Spark innovation through empathic design.

PubMed

Leonard, D; Rayport, J F

1997-01-01

Companies are used to bringing in customers to participate in focus groups, usability laboratories, and market research surveys in order to help in the development of new products and services. And for improving products that customers know well, those tools are highly sophisticated. For example, knowledgeable customers are adept at identifying the specific scent of leather they expect in a luxury vehicle or at helping to tune the sound of a motorcycle engine to just the timbre that evokes feelings of power. But to go beyond improvements to the familiar, companies need to identify and meet needs that customers may not yet recognize. To accomplish that task, a set of techniques called empathic design can help. Rather than bring the customers to the company, empathic design calls for company representatives to watch customers using products and services in the context of their own environments. By doing so, managers can often identify unexpected uses for their products, just as the product manager of a cooking oil did when he observed a neighbor spraying the oil on the blades of a lawn mower to reduce grass buildup. They can also uncover problems that customers don't mention in surveys, as the president of Nissan Design did when he watched a couple struggling to remove the backseat of a competitor's minivan in order to transport a couch. The five-step process Dorothy Leonard and Jeffrey Rayport describe in detail is a relatively low-cost, low-risk way to identify customer needs, and it has the potential to redirect a company's existing technological capabilities toward entirely new businesses.

Customized versus population-based birth weight charts for the detection of neonatal growth and perinatal morbidity in a cross-sectional study of term neonates.

PubMed

Carberry, Angela E; Raynes-Greenow, Camille H; Turner, Robin M; Jeffery, Heather E

2013-10-15

Customized birth weight charts that incorporate maternal characteristics are now being adopted into clinical practice. However, there is controversy surrounding the value of these charts in the prediction of growth and perinatal outcomes. The objective of this study was to assess the use of customized charts in predicting growth, defined by body fat percentage, and perinatal morbidity. A total of 581 term (≥37 weeks' gestation) neonates born in Sydney, Australia, in 2010 were included. Body fat percentage measurements were taken by using air displacement plethysmography. Objective composite measurements of perinatal morbidity were used to identify neonates who had poor outcomes; these data were extracted from medical records. The value of customized charts was assessed by calculating positive predictive values, negative predictive values, and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Customized versus population-based charts did not improve the prediction of either low body fat percentage (59% vs. 66% positive predictive value and 87% vs. 89% negative predictive value, respectively) or high body fat percentage (48% vs. 53% positive predictive value and 90% vs. 89% negative predictive value, respectively). Customized charts were not better than population-based charts at predicting perinatal morbidity (for customized charts, odds ratio = 1.02, 95% confidence interval: 1.01, 1.04; for population-based charts, odds ratio = 1.03, 95% confidence interval: 1.01, 1.05) per percentile decrease in birth weight. Customized birth weight charts do not provide significant improvements over population-based charts in predicting neonatal growth and morbidity.

New Strategies in the New Millennium: Servant Leadership As Enhancer of Service Climate and Customer Service Performance.

PubMed

Linuesa-Langreo, Jorge; Ruiz-Palomino, Pablo; Elche-Hortelano, Dioni

2017-01-01

In a world in which customers are increasingly looking for solutions to their own concerns on how to make a better globalized world, new organizational strategies are emerging to approach the customer in the current third millennium. Servant leadership, which involves putting employees' needs first and serving the broader society, is emerging as a new strategic mechanism to approach the customer in line with the new social values-driven Marketing 3.0 era. Yet research has ignored the role and the various mechanisms servant leadership might utilize to improve customer service performance of their service units. Spanning 185 hotels located in Spain, a sample of 247 service units -in close contact with customers- was used to investigate whether servant leadership enhances customer service performance through shaping a service climate within the service unit. Results revealed that service climate mediates the positive influence of servant leadership on customer service performance. Managers can use these findings to note the value of leading the service unit in a servant friendly direction, which is better aligned with the new aspirations of customers today.

Simulation trainer for practicing emergent open thoracotomy procedures.

PubMed

Hamilton, Allan J; Prescher, Hannes; Biffar, David E; Poston, Robert S

2015-07-01

An emergent open thoracotomy (OT) is a high-risk, low-frequency procedure uniquely suited for simulation training. We developed a cost-effective Cardiothoracic (CT) Surgery trainer and assessed its potential for improving technical and interprofessional skills during an emergent simulated OT. We modified a commercially available mannequin torso with artificial tissue models to create a custom CT Surgery trainer. The trainer's feasibility for simulating emergent OT was tested using a multidisciplinary CT team in three consecutive in situ simulations. Five discretely observable milestones were identified as requisite steps in carrying out an emergent OT; namely (1) diagnosis and declaration of a code situation, (2) arrival of the code cart, (3) arrival of the thoracotomy tray, (4) initiation of the thoracotomy incision, and (5) defibrillation of a simulated heart. The time required for a team to achieve each discrete step was measured by an independent observer over the course of each OT simulation trial and compared. Over the course of the three OT simulation trials conducted in the coronary care unit, there was an average reduction of 29.5% (P < 0.05) in the times required to achieve the five critical milestones. The time required to complete the whole OT procedure improved by 7 min and 31 s from the initial to the final trial-an overall improvement of 40%. In our preliminary evaluation, the CT Surgery trainer appears to be useful for improving team performance during a simulated emergent bedside OT in the coronary care unit. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Improving Balance in TBI Using a Low-Cost Customized Virtual Reality Rehabilitation Tool

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-10-01

AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-14-2-0150 TITLE: Improving Balance in TBI Using a Low- Cost Customized Virtual Reality Rehabilitation Tool PRINCIPAL...PREPARED FOR: U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command Fort Detrick, Maryland 21702-5012 DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: Approved for Public ...DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per

AutoMOPS--B2B and B2C in mask making: mask manufacturing performance and customer satisfaction improvement through better information flow management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Ridder, Luc; Filies, Olaf; Rodriguez, Ben; Kuijken, Aart

2001-04-01

Through application of modern supply chain concepts in combination with state-of-the-art information technology, mask manufacturing performance and customer satisfaction can be improved radically. The AutoMOPS solution emphasizes on the elimination of the order verification through paperless, electronically linked information sharing/exchange between chip design, mask production and prototype production stages.

Case Study: South Texas Veterans Health Care System’s Communication Center

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-07-14

appropriate access to health care; technical quality is providing world-class care to our veterans; customer satisfaction is ensuring the STVHCS patients and...were not called. These results not only improved access to health care, but also positively affected customer service. 111 Case Study: South Texas...increased waiting times for the patient . With current regulatory requirements calling for improved access to health care services, many hospital and

Vendor management: a model for collaboration and quality improvement.

PubMed

Friedman, M D; Bailit, M H; Michel, J O

1995-11-01

The Massachusetts Medicaid agency, also known as the Division of Medical Assistance, has developed a quality-driven approach for managing its managed care suppliers. Such an approach has, as its foundation, principles of continuous quality improvement (CQI). Suppliers participate in an annual process whereby CQI goals are negotiated between the division and its suppliers. The division then works with suppliers to achieve such goals. A cornerstone of the division's approach is the notion that data can highlight an unlimited number of opportunities for improvement and that pursuit of such opportunities will ultimately result in meaningful improvements in the health status of recipients who are served by the division. The agency's approach involves five key steps: 1) the development of contractual terms and purchasing specifications; 2) the identification of improvement priorities; 3) the negotiation of improvement goals; 4) efforts directed at meeting improvement goals and measurement of success; and 5) collaboration to achieve mutual objectives. Overall, suppliers report many benefits of collaborative participation in CQI activities with the division. Suppliers have enhanced their understanding of the importance of meeting the needs of the customer and have further accrued benefits resulting from discussions with managed care vendors throughout the site regarding benchmarking of efforts and CQI efforts. Conversely, suppliers are challenged by the need to balance and allocate resources to meet increasing demands, which are not always consistent, from various purchasers, including the division. The division has been challenged in the evolution of its contract management strategy by an uneven level of knowledge among managed care vendors regarding CQI; goal setting and measurement issues; the length of time and level of effort required to develop good relationships with suppliers; and the critical importance of comparable, valid, and timely submission of data. Over the last three years, the division has seen a dramatic increase in the responsiveness of managed care suppliers to meet its needs as a purchaser. Specifically, this has been expressed through supplier ability to meet mutually negotiated improvement goals. The division is also pleased that it is beginning to achieve some measurable improvements in outcomes of care.

A comprehensive custom panel design for routine hereditary cancer testing: preserving control, improving diagnostics and revealing a complex variation landscape.

PubMed

Castellanos, Elisabeth; Gel, Bernat; Rosas, Inma; Tornero, Eva; Santín, Sheila; Pluvinet, Raquel; Velasco, Juan; Sumoy, Lauro; Del Valle, Jesús; Perucho, Manuel; Blanco, Ignacio; Navarro, Matilde; Brunet, Joan; Pineda, Marta; Feliubadaló, Lidia; Capellá, Gabi; Lázaro, Conxi; Serra, Eduard

2017-01-04

We wanted to implement an NGS strategy to globally analyze hereditary cancer with diagnostic quality while retaining the same degree of understanding and control we had in pre-NGS strategies. To do this, we developed the I2HCP panel, a custom bait library covering 122 hereditary cancer genes. We improved bait design, tested different NGS platforms and created a clinically driven custom data analysis pipeline. The I2HCP panel was developed using a training set of hereditary colorectal cancer, hereditary breast and ovarian cancer and neurofibromatosis patients and reached an accuracy, analytical sensitivity and specificity greater than 99%, which was maintained in a validation set. I2HCP changed our diagnostic approach, involving clinicians and a genetic diagnostics team from panel design to reporting. The new strategy improved diagnostic sensitivity, solved uncertain clinical diagnoses and identified mutations in new genes. We assessed the genetic variation in the complete set of hereditary cancer genes, revealing a complex variation landscape that coexists with the disease-causing mutation. We developed, validated and implemented a custom NGS-based strategy for hereditary cancer diagnostics that improved our previous workflows. Additionally, the existence of a rich genetic variation in hereditary cancer genes favors the use of this panel to investigate their role in cancer risk.

An Assessment of Customer Satisfaction: Using Patient Information for Quality Improvement Tripler Army Medical Center Hawaii

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-05-01

consumers . The primary external customers of a hospital are the patients , third party...34ultimate consumer " of health care -- the patient (Labovitz, 1991). Therefore, this study focused on the " patient " as the basis for measuring the needs...overlooked. Measuring Customer Satisfaction McMillan (1987) cautions health care organizations that the lack of patient complaints does not necessarily

Adopting customers' empowerment and social networks to encourage participations in e-health services.

PubMed

Anshari, Muhammad; Almunawar, Mohammad Nabil; Low, Patrick Kim Cheng; Wint, Zaw; Younis, Mustafa Z

2013-01-01

The aim of this article is to present an e-health model that embeds empowerment and social network intervention that may extend the role of customers in health care settings. A 25-item Likert-type survey instrument was specifically developed for this study and administered to a sample of 108 participants in Indonesia from October to November 2012. The data were analyzed to provide ideas on how to move forward with the e-health initiative as a means to improve e-health services. The survey revealed that there is a high demand for customers' empowerment and involvement in social networks to improve their health literacy and customer satisfaction. Regardless of the limitations of the study, the participants have responded with great support for the abilities of the prototype systems drawn from the survey. The survey results were used as requirements to develop a system prototype that incorporates the expectations of the people. The prototype (namely Clinic 2.0) was derived from the model and confirmed from the survey. Participants were selected to use the system for three months, after which we measured its impact towards their health literacy and customer satisfaction. The results show that the system intervention through Clinic 2.0 leads to a high level of customer satisfaction and health literacy.

Ottawa Panel Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines for Foot Care in the Management of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.

PubMed

Brosseau, Lucie; Toupin-April, Karine; Wells, George; Smith, Christine A; Pugh, Arlanna G; Stinson, Jennifer N; Duffy, Ciarán M; Gifford, Wendy; Moher, David; Sherrington, Catherine; Cavallo, Sabrina; De Angelis, Gino; Loew, Laurianne; Rahman, Prinon; Marcotte, Rachel; Taki, Jade; Bisaillon, Jacinthe; King, Judy; Coda, Andrea; Hendry, Gordon J; Gauvreau, Julie; Hayles, Martin; Hayles, Kay; Feldman, Brian; Kenny, Glen P; Li, Jing Xian; Briggs, Andrew M; Martini, Rose; Feldman, Debbie Ehrmann; Maltais, Désirée B; Tupper, Susan; Bigford, Sarah; Bisch, Marg

2016-07-01

To create evidence-based guidelines evaluating foot care interventions for the management of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). An electronic literature search of the following databases from database inception to May 2015 was conducted: MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), Cochrane CENTRAL, and clinicaltrials.gov. The Ottawa Panel selection criteria targeted studies that assessed foot care or foot orthotic interventions for the management of JIA in those aged 0 to ≤18 years. The Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale was used to evaluate study quality, of which only high-quality studies were included (score, ≥5). A total of 362 records were screened, resulting in 3 full-text articles and 1 additional citation containing supplementary information included for the analysis. Two reviewers independently extracted study data (intervention, comparator, outcome, time period, study design) from the included studies by using standardized data extraction forms. Directed by Cochrane Collaboration methodology, the statistical analysis produced figures and graphs representing the strength of intervention outcomes and their corresponding grades (A, B, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-). Clinical significance was achieved when an improvement of ≥30% between the intervention and control groups was present, whereas P>.05 indicated statistical significance. An expert panel Delphi consensus (≥80%) was required for the endorsement of recommendations. All included studies were of high quality and analyzed the effects of multidisciplinary foot care, customized foot orthotics, and shoe inserts for the management of JIA. Custom-made foot orthotics and prefabricated shoe inserts displayed the greatest improvement in pain intensity, activity limitation, foot pain, and disability reduction (grades A, C+). The use of customized foot orthotics and prefabricated shoe inserts seems to be a good choice for managing foot pain and function in JIA. Copyright © 2016 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Characteristics of a semi-custom library development system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yancey, M.; Cannon, R.

1990-01-01

Standard cell and gate array macro libraries are in common use with workstation computer aided design (CAD) tools for application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) semi-custom application and have resulted in significant improvements in the overall design efficiencies as contrasted with custom design methodologies. Similar design methodology enhancements in providing for the efficient development of the library cells is an important factor in responding to the need for continuous technology improvement. The characteristics of a library development system that provides design flexibility and productivity enhancements for the library development engineer as he provides libraries in the state-of-the-art process technologies are presented. An overview of Gould's library development system ('Accolade') is also presented.

Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) implementation of image processing algorithms to improve system performance of the Control, Acquisition, Processing, and Image Display System (CAPIDS) of the Micro-Angiographic Fluoroscope (MAF).

PubMed

Vasan, S N Swetadri; Ionita, Ciprian N; Titus, A H; Cartwright, A N; Bednarek, D R; Rudin, S

2012-02-23

We present the image processing upgrades implemented on a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) in the Control, Acquisition, Processing, and Image Display System (CAPIDS) for the custom Micro-Angiographic Fluoroscope (MAF) detector. Most of the image processing currently implemented in the CAPIDS system is pixel independent; that is, the operation on each pixel is the same and the operation on one does not depend upon the result from the operation on the other, allowing the entire image to be processed in parallel. GPU hardware was developed for this kind of massive parallel processing implementation. Thus for an algorithm which has a high amount of parallelism, a GPU implementation is much faster than a CPU implementation. The image processing algorithm upgrades implemented on the CAPIDS system include flat field correction, temporal filtering, image subtraction, roadmap mask generation and display window and leveling. A comparison between the previous and the upgraded version of CAPIDS has been presented, to demonstrate how the improvement is achieved. By performing the image processing on a GPU, significant improvements (with respect to timing or frame rate) have been achieved, including stable operation of the system at 30 fps during a fluoroscopy run, a DSA run, a roadmap procedure and automatic image windowing and leveling during each frame.

[How to make your own custom cutting guides for both mandibular and fibular stair step osteotomies?

PubMed

Rem, K; Bosc, R; De Kermadec, H; Hersant, B; Meningaud, J-P

2017-12-01

Using tailored cutting guides for osteocutaneous free fibula flap in complex mandibular reconstruction after cancer resection surgery constitutes a substantial improvement. Autonomously conceiving and manufacturing the cutting guides within a plastic surgery department with computer-aided design (CAD) and three-dimensional (3D) printing allows planning more complex osteotomies, such as stair-step osteotomies, in order to achieve more stable internal fixations. For the past three years, we have been producing by ourselves patient-tailored cutting guides using CAD and 3D printing. Osteotomies were virtually planned, making the cutting lines more complex in order to optimize the internal fixation stability. We also printed reconstructed mandible templates and shaped the reconstruction plates on them. We recorded data including manufacturing techniques and surgical outcomes. Eleven consecutive patients were operated on for an oral cavity cancer. For each patient, we planned the fibular and mandibular stair-step osteotomies and we produced tailored cutting guides. In all patients, we achieved to get immediately stable internal fixations and in 10 patients, a complete bone consolidation after 6 months. Autonomously manufacturing surgical cutting guides for mandibular reconstruction by free fibula flap is a significant improvement, regarding ergonomics and precision. Planning stair-step osteotomies to perform complementary internal fixation increases contact surface and congruence between the bone segments, thus improving the reconstructed mandible stability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Improving Customer Waiting Time at a DMV Center Using Discrete-Event Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arnaout, Georges M.; Bowling, Shannon

2010-01-01

Virginia's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) serves a customer base of approximately 5.6 million licensed drivers and ID card holders and 7 million registered vehicle owners. DMV has more daily face-to-face contact with Virginia's citizens than any other state agency [1]. The DMV faces a major difficulty in keeping up with the excessively large customers' arrival rate. The consequences are queues building up, stretching out to the entrance doors (and sometimes even outside) and customers complaining. While the DMV state employees are trying to serve at their fastest pace, the remarkably large queues indicate that there is a serious problem that the DMV faces in its services, which must be dealt with rapidly. Simulation is considered as one of the best tools for evaluating and improving complex systems. In this paper, we use it to model one of the DMV centers located in Norfolk, VA. The simulation model is modeled in Arena 10.0 from Rockwell systems. The data used is collected from experts of the DMV Virginia headquarter located in Richmond. The model created was verified and validated. The intent of this study is to identify key problems causing the delays at the DMV centers and suggest possible solutions to minimize the customers' waiting time. In addition, two tentative hypotheses aiming to improve the model's design are tested and validated.

Development of ultra-high temperature material characterization capabilities using digital image correlation analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cline, Julia Elaine

2011-12-01

Ultra-high temperature deformation measurements are required to characterize the thermo-mechanical response of material systems for thermal protection systems for aerospace applications. The use of conventional surface-contacting strain measurement techniques is not practical in elevated temperature conditions. Technological advancements in digital imaging provide impetus to measure full-field displacement and determine strain fields with sub-pixel accuracy by image processing. In this work, an Instron electromechanical axial testing machine with a custom-designed high temperature gripping mechanism is used to apply quasi-static tensile loads to graphite specimens heated to 2000°F (1093°C). Specimen heating via Joule effect is achieved and maintained with a custom-designed temperature control system. Images are captured at monotonically increasing load levels throughout the test duration using an 18 megapixel Canon EOS Rebel T2i digital camera with a modified Schneider Kreutznach telecentric lens and a combination of blue light illumination and narrow band-pass filter system. Images are processed using an open-source Matlab-based digital image correlation (DIC) code. Validation of source code is performed using Mathematica generated images with specified known displacement fields in order to gain confidence in accurate software tracking capabilities. Room temperature results are compared with extensometer readings. Ultra-high temperature strain measurements for graphite are obtained at low load levels, demonstrating the potential for non-contacting digital image correlation techniques to accurately determine full-field strain measurements at ultra-high temperature. Recommendations are given to improve the experimental set-up to achieve displacement field measurements accurate to 1/10 pixel and strain field accuracy of less than 2%.

Adaptive Optics Analysis of Visual Benefit with Higher-order Aberrations Correction of Human Eye - Poster Paper

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Lixia; Dai, Yun; Rao, Xuejun; Wang, Cheng; Hu, Yiyun; Liu, Qian; Jiang, Wenhan

2008-01-01

Higher-order aberrations correction can improve visual performance of human eye to some extent. To evaluate how much visual benefit can be obtained with higher-order aberrations correction we developed an adaptive optics vision simulator (AOVS). Dynamic real time optimized modal compensation was used to implement various customized higher-order ocular aberrations correction strategies. The experimental results indicate that higher-order aberrations correction can improve visual performance of human eye comparing with only lower-order aberration correction but the improvement degree and higher-order aberration correction strategy are different from each individual. Some subjects can acquire great visual benefit when higher-order aberrations were corrected but some subjects acquire little visual benefit even though all higher-order aberrations were corrected. Therefore, relative to general lower-order aberrations correction strategy, customized higher-order aberrations correction strategy is needed to obtain optimal visual improvement for each individual. AOVS provides an effective tool for higher-order ocular aberrations optometry for customized ocular aberrations correction.

The primacy of the patient and family in a quality-improvement environment.

PubMed

Walker, J K

1995-09-01

The primary customers of health care services are the patient and family. It is important to adopt a mission and philosophy that put the patient and family at the center of all quality improvement programs. The principles put forth by Deming in his 14 points can be applied to patient-focused quality improvement measures. Creating a foundation for the professional practice of nursing and using and expanding tools that are already in use can help care providers meet the needs of their customers and help people to live healthier, better lives.

Customizing a clinical data warehouse for housestaff education in practice-based learning and improvement.

PubMed

Lyman, J; Schorling, J; May, N; Scully, K; Sarafian, N; Nadkarni, M; Voss, J

2006-01-01

We developed Systems and Practice Analysis for Resident Competencies (SPARC), a Web-based tool to support teaching the practice-based learning and improvement (PBLI) ACGME competencies. SPARC allows Department of Medicine residents to explore de-identified, population-based data about their patient panels with peer comparisons. Data primarily comes from an existing data warehouse that has been customized for this application. Our preliminary evaluation suggests that it improves residents' abilities in PBLI, is easy to use, and perceived as important and useful by the housestaff.

Customizing a Clinical Data Warehouse for Housestaff Education in Practice-Based Learning and Improvement

PubMed Central

Lyman, J; Schorling, J; May, N; Scully, K; Sarafian, N; Nadkarni, M; Voss, J

2006-01-01

We developed Systems and Practice Analysis for Resident Competencies (SPARC), a Web-based tool to support teaching the practice-based learning and improvement (PBLI) ACGME competencies. SPARC allows Department of Medicine residents to explore de-identified, population-based data about their patient panels with peer comparisons. Data primarily comes from an existing data warehouse that has been customized for this application. Our preliminary evaluation suggests that it improves residents' abilities in PBLI, is easy to use, and is perceived as important and useful by the housestaff. PMID:17238636

Assessment of a virtual functional prototyping process for the rapid manufacture of passive-dynamic ankle-foot orthoses.

PubMed

Schrank, Elisa S; Hitch, Lester; Wallace, Kevin; Moore, Richard; Stanhope, Steven J

2013-10-01

Passive-dynamic ankle-foot orthosis (PD-AFO) bending stiffness is a key functional characteristic for achieving enhanced gait function. However, current orthosis customization methods inhibit objective premanufacture tuning of the PD-AFO bending stiffness, making optimization of orthosis function challenging. We have developed a novel virtual functional prototyping (VFP) process, which harnesses the strengths of computer aided design (CAD) model parameterization and finite element analysis, to quantitatively tune and predict the functional characteristics of a PD-AFO, which is rapidly manufactured via fused deposition modeling (FDM). The purpose of this study was to assess the VFP process for PD-AFO bending stiffness. A PD-AFO CAD model was customized for a healthy subject and tuned to four bending stiffness values via VFP. Two sets of each tuned model were fabricated via FDM using medical-grade polycarbonate (PC-ISO). Dimensional accuracy of the fabricated orthoses was excellent (average 0.51 ± 0.39 mm). Manufacturing precision ranged from 0.0 to 0.74 Nm/deg (average 0.30 ± 0.36 Nm/deg). Bending stiffness prediction accuracy was within 1 Nm/deg using the manufacturer provided PC-ISO elastic modulus (average 0.48 ± 0.35 Nm/deg). Using an experimentally derived PC-ISO elastic modulus improved the optimized bending stiffness prediction accuracy (average 0.29 ± 0.57 Nm/deg). Robustness of the derived modulus was tested by carrying out the VFP process for a disparate subject, tuning the PD-AFO model to five bending stiffness values. For this disparate subject, bending stiffness prediction accuracy was strong (average 0.20 ± 0.14 Nm/deg). Overall, the VFP process had excellent dimensional accuracy, good manufacturing precision, and strong prediction accuracy with the derived modulus. Implementing VFP as part of our PD-AFO customization and manufacturing framework, which also includes fit customization, provides a novel and powerful method to predictably tune and precisely manufacture orthoses with objectively customized fit and functional characteristics.

Report: Controls and Oversight Needed to Improve Administration of EPA’s Customer Service Lines

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Report #13-P-0432, September 26, 2013. The EPA has a variety of resources—including telephone hotlines, Web clearinghouses, and other online reference information—which the OIG has categorized as customer service lines (CSLs).

Data envelopment analysis in service quality evaluation: an empirical study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Najafi, Seyedvahid; Saati, Saber; Tavana, Madjid

2015-09-01

Service quality is often conceptualized as the comparison between service expectations and the actual performance perceptions. It enhances customer satisfaction, decreases customer defection, and promotes customer loyalty. Substantial literature has examined the concept of service quality, its dimensions, and measurement methods. We introduce the perceived service quality index (PSQI) as a single measure for evaluating the multiple-item service quality construct based on the SERVQUAL model. A slack-based measure (SBM) of efficiency with constant inputs is used to calculate the PSQI. In addition, a non-linear programming model based on the SBM is proposed to delineate an improvement guideline and improve service quality. An empirical study is conducted to assess the applicability of the method proposed in this study. A large number of studies have used DEA as a benchmarking tool to measure service quality. These models do not propose a coherent performance evaluation construct and consequently fail to deliver improvement guidelines for improving service quality. The DEA models proposed in this study are designed to evaluate and improve service quality within a comprehensive framework and without any dependency on external data.

Tailored logistics: the next advantage.

PubMed

Fuller, J B; O'Conor, J; Rawlinson, R

1993-01-01

How many top executives have ever visited with managers who move materials from the factory to the store? How many still reduce the costs of logistics to the rent of warehouses and the fees charged by common carriers? To judge by hours of senior management attention, logistics problems do not rank high. But logistics have the potential to become the next governing element of strategy. Whether they know it or not, senior managers of every retail store and diversified manufacturing company compete in logistically distinct businesses. Customer needs vary, and companies can tailor their logistics systems to serve their customers better and more profitably. Companies do not create value for customers and sustainable advantage for themselves merely by offering varieties of goods. Rather, they offer goods in distinct ways. A particular can of Coca-Cola, for example, might be a can of Coca-Cola going to a vending machine, or a can of Coca-Cola that comes with billing services. There is a fortune buried in this distinction. The goal of logistics strategy is building distinct approaches to distinct groups of customers. The first step is organizing a cross-functional team to proceed through the following steps: segmenting customers according to purchase criteria, establishing different standards of service for different customer segments, tailoring logistics pipelines to support each segment, and creating economics of scale to determine which assets can be shared among various pipelines. The goal of establishing logistically distinct businesses is familiar: improved knowledge of customers and improved means of satisfying them.

20 CFR 666.240 - Under what circumstances may a sanction be applied to a State that fails to achieve negotiated...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... applied to a State that fails to achieve negotiated levels of performance for title I? 666.240 Section 666... levels of performance for title I? (a) If a State fails to meet the negotiated levels of performance... meet the negotiated levels of performance for core indicators of performance or customer satisfaction...

Application of Probabilistic Methods for the Determination of an Economically Robust HSCT Configuration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mavris, Dimitri N.; Bandte, Oliver; Schrage, Daniel P.

1996-01-01

This paper outlines an approach for the determination of economically viable robust design solutions using the High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) as a case study. Furthermore, the paper states the advantages of a probability based aircraft design over the traditional point design approach. It also proposes a new methodology called Robust Design Simulation (RDS) which treats customer satisfaction as the ultimate design objective. RDS is based on a probabilistic approach to aerospace systems design, which views the chosen objective as a distribution function introduced by so called noise or uncertainty variables. Since the designer has no control over these variables, a variability distribution is defined for each one of them. The cumulative effect of all these distributions causes the overall variability of the objective function. For cases where the selected objective function depends heavily on these noise variables, it may be desirable to obtain a design solution that minimizes this dependence. The paper outlines a step by step approach on how to achieve such a solution for the HSCT case study and introduces an evaluation criterion which guarantees the highest customer satisfaction. This customer satisfaction is expressed by the probability of achieving objective function values less than a desired target value.

Evaluation of the Sparton tight-tolerance AXBT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boyd, Janice D.; Linzell, Robert S.

1993-01-01

Forty-six near-simultaneous pairs of conductivity - temperature - depth (CTD) and Sparton 'tight tolerance' air expendable bathythermograph (AXBT) temperature profiles were obtained in summer 1991 from a location in the Sargasso Sea. The data were analyzed to assess the temperature and depth accuracies of the Sparton AXBTs. The tight-tolerance criterion was not achieved using the manufacturer's equations but may have been achieved using customized equations computed from the CTD data. The temperature data from the customized equations had a one standard deviation error of 0.13 C. A customized elapsed fall time-to-depth conversion equation was found to be z = 1.620t - 2.2384 x 10(exp -4) t(exp 2) + 1.291 x 10(exp -7) t(exp 3), with z the depth in meters and t the elapsed fall time after probe release in seconds. The standard deviation of the depth error was about 5 m; a rule of thumb for estimating maximum bounds on the depth error below 100 m could be expressed as +/-2% of depth or +/- 10 m, whichever is greater. This equation gave greater depth accuracy than either the manufacturer's supplied equation or the navy standard equation.

Comprehensive Family Services and customer satisfaction outcomes.

PubMed

Huebner, Ruth A; Jones, Blake L; Miller, Viola P; Custer, Melba; Critchfield, Becky

2006-01-01

Comprehensive Family Services (CFS) is a strengths-based and partnership-oriented approach to casework implemented through multiple initiatives. This study examines the relationship between the practice of CFS and satisfaction of clients, foster parents, and community partners. CFS indicators are paired with statewide customer satisfaction survey results. CFS practices are associated with significantly higher customer satisfaction that improved over time for all groups. Although causality cannot be determined, the relationship is consistent, robust, and meaningful.

Analysis of Material Distribution from NSC San Diego to Local Customers.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-09-01

local customers, especially the Naval Air Rework Facility (NARY) at NASNI. This thesis offers a general discussion and documentation of the~- D 2...improved post-consolidation support to its local customers, especially the Naval Air Rework Facility (NARF) at NASNI. This thesis offers a general...Turned In To Store MTR Mandatory Turn-in Repairable NAB Naval Amphibious Base NC Not Carried NCA National City Annex NARF Naval Air Rework Facility

Real-Time, Wide Area Dispatch of Mobil Tank Trucks

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-01-01

human dispatchers it assists. Using CAD, Mobil has substantially re- duced costs and staff while improving customer service. I n the spring of 1985, a...process by establishing the Mobil order response center (MORC). To use MORC, the customer dials a toll-free number, available 24 hours a day, seven...MATS Figwe 3: Mobil light products order and dispatch information flow. Customers call an audio re- sponse computer system named MORC ( Mobil order

A Time-Domain CMOS Oscillator-Based Thermostat with Digital Set-Point Programming

PubMed Central

Chen, Chun-Chi; Lin, Shih-Hao

2013-01-01

This paper presents a time-domain CMOS oscillator-based thermostat with digital set-point programming [without a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) or external resistor] to achieve on-chip thermal management of modern VLSI systems. A time-domain delay-line-based thermostat with multiplexers (MUXs) was used to substantially reduce the power consumption and chip size, and can benefit from the performance enhancement due to the scaling down of fabrication processes. For further cost reduction and accuracy enhancement, this paper proposes a thermostat using two oscillators that are suitable for time-domain curvature compensation instead of longer linear delay lines. The final time comparison was achieved using a time comparator with a built-in custom hysteresis to generate the corresponding temperature alarm and control. The chip size of the circuit was reduced to 0.12 mm2 in a 0.35-μm TSMC CMOS process. The thermostat operates from 0 to 90 °C, and achieved a fine resolution better than 0.05 °C and an improved inaccuracy of ± 0.6 °C after two-point calibration for eight packaged chips. The power consumption was 30 μW at a sample rate of 10 samples/s. PMID:23385403

Voice of the customer---a roadmap for service improvement.

PubMed

Uberoi, Ravinder S; Nayak, Yogamaya; Sachdeva, Pritindira; Sibal, Anupam

2013-01-01

Patient satisfaction surveys help a great deal in identifying ways of improving a hospital's services. Ultimately, that translates into better care and happier patients. Moreover, it shows the staff and the community that the hospital is serious about quality and is looking for ways to improve. This article describes how the Voice of the Customer (VOC) Survey can be used as a tool for improving services. Regular monitoring of VOC scores is essential for minimizing the gaps between service delivery and patient expectations. The present study showcases the various initiatives undertaken to improve the VOC scores from an original 4.40 to 4.77 (on a 5 point scale) at the hospital under study.

16 CFR 436.5 - Disclosure items.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... offered j. Warranty and customer service requirements k. Territorial development and sales quotas l... the franchisee will offer to its customers. (ii) Hiring and training employees. (iii) Improving and.... (iv) The general market for the product or service the franchisee will offer. In describing the...

3 CFR 13571 - Executive Order 13571 of April 27, 2011. Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... performance against the best in business. This effort to “put people first” was an important step. It was... Office of Science and Technology Policy shall assist and support agencies in developing customer service...

Creating Customer Delight.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Black, Jim

1995-01-01

This article proposes that college admissions officers interested in improving service should focus on creating customer delight rather than simply satisfaction, studying the system when things go wrong rather than placing blame, establishing employee well-being as the highest priority of the organization, providing necessary tools and training…

Patient-specific puzzle implant preformed with 3D-printed rapid prototype model for combined orbital floor and medial wall fracture.

PubMed

Kim, Young Chul; Min, Kyung Hyun; Choi, Jong Woo; Koh, Kyung S; Oh, Tae Suk; Jeong, Woo Shik

2018-04-01

The management of combined orbital floor and medial wall fractures involving the inferomedial strut is challenging due to absence of stable cornerstone. In this article, we proposed surgical strategies using customized 3D puzzle implant preformed with Rapid Prototype (RP) skull model. Retrospective review was done in 28 patients diagnosed with combined orbital floor and medial wall fracture. Using preoperative CT scans, original and mirror-imaged RP skull models for each patient were prepared and sterilized. In all patients, porous polyethylene-coated titanium mesh was premolded onto RP skull model in two ways; Customized 3D jigsaw puzzle technique was used in 15 patients with comminuted inferomedial strut, whereas individual 3D implant technique was used in each fracture for 13 patients with intact inferomedial strut. Outcomes including enophthalmos, visual acuity, and presence of diplopia were assessed and orbital volume was measured using OsiriX software preoperatively and postoperatively. Satisfactory results were achieved in both groups in terms of clinical improvements. Of 10 patients with preoperative diplopia, 9 improved in 6 months, except one with persistent symptom who underwent extraocular muscle rupture. 18 patients who had moderate to severe enophthalmos preoperatively improved, and one remained with mild degree. Orbital volume ratio, defined as volumetric ratio between affected and control orbit, decreased from 127.6% to 99.79% (p < 0.05) in comminuted group, and that in intact group decreased from 117.03% to 101.3% (p < 0.05). Our surgical strategies using the jigsaw puzzle and individual reconstruction technique provide accurate restoration of combined orbital floor and medial wall fractures. Copyright © 2017 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Predicting the Reasons of Customer Complaints: A First Step Toward Anticipating Quality Issues of In Vitro Diagnostics Assays with Machine Learning.

PubMed

Aris-Brosou, Stephane; Kim, James; Li, Li; Liu, Hui

2018-05-15

Vendors in the health care industry produce diagnostic systems that, through a secured connection, allow them to monitor performance almost in real time. However, challenges exist in analyzing and interpreting large volumes of noisy quality control (QC) data. As a result, some QC shifts may not be detected early enough by the vendor, but lead a customer to complain. The aim of this study was to hypothesize that a more proactive response could be designed by utilizing the collected QC data more efficiently. Our aim is therefore to help prevent customer complaints by predicting them based on the QC data collected by in vitro diagnostic systems. QC data from five select in vitro diagnostic assays were combined with the corresponding database of customer complaints over a period of 90 days. A subset of these data over the last 45 days was also analyzed to assess how the length of the training period affects predictions. We defined a set of features used to train two classifiers, one based on decision trees and the other based on adaptive boosting, and assessed model performance by cross-validation. The cross-validations showed classification error rates close to zero for some assays with adaptive boosting when predicting the potential cause of customer complaints. Performance was improved by shortening the training period when the volume of complaints increased. Denoising filters that reduced the number of categories to predict further improved performance, as their application simplified the prediction problem. This novel approach to predicting customer complaints based on QC data may allow the diagnostic industry, the expected end user of our approach, to proactively identify potential product quality issues and fix these before receiving customer complaints. This represents a new step in the direction of using big data toward product quality improvement. ©Stephane Aris-Brosou, James Kim, Li Li, Hui Liu. Originally published in JMIR Medical Informatics (http://medinform.jmir.org), 15.05.2018.

Predicting the Reasons of Customer Complaints: A First Step Toward Anticipating Quality Issues of In Vitro Diagnostics Assays with Machine Learning

PubMed Central

Kim, James; Li, Li; Liu, Hui

2018-01-01

Background Vendors in the health care industry produce diagnostic systems that, through a secured connection, allow them to monitor performance almost in real time. However, challenges exist in analyzing and interpreting large volumes of noisy quality control (QC) data. As a result, some QC shifts may not be detected early enough by the vendor, but lead a customer to complain. Objective The aim of this study was to hypothesize that a more proactive response could be designed by utilizing the collected QC data more efficiently. Our aim is therefore to help prevent customer complaints by predicting them based on the QC data collected by in vitro diagnostic systems. Methods QC data from five select in vitro diagnostic assays were combined with the corresponding database of customer complaints over a period of 90 days. A subset of these data over the last 45 days was also analyzed to assess how the length of the training period affects predictions. We defined a set of features used to train two classifiers, one based on decision trees and the other based on adaptive boosting, and assessed model performance by cross-validation. Results The cross-validations showed classification error rates close to zero for some assays with adaptive boosting when predicting the potential cause of customer complaints. Performance was improved by shortening the training period when the volume of complaints increased. Denoising filters that reduced the number of categories to predict further improved performance, as their application simplified the prediction problem. Conclusions This novel approach to predicting customer complaints based on QC data may allow the diagnostic industry, the expected end user of our approach, to proactively identify potential product quality issues and fix these before receiving customer complaints. This represents a new step in the direction of using big data toward product quality improvement. PMID:29764796

The quality improvement strategy.

PubMed

Burns, L R; Beach, L R

1994-01-01

To prepare for managed competition, many hospitals now focus on service quality as a means to improve their competitive position. To aid in decisions about where best to direct limited resources, managers need physician feedback about how the hospital's services compare with its competitors' services (competitive advantage) and about the degree to which the hospital's services fall short of, meet, or exceed physicians' expectations (customer satisfaction). This article describes a strategy for acquiring information about competitive advantage and customer satisfaction and for using the information to identify optimal service improvement opportunities. It then presents a step-by-step application of the Quality Improvement Strategy (QIS) for a large urban hospital.

Exploring health insurance services in Sudan from the perspectives of insurers

PubMed Central

Salim, Anas Mustafa Ahmed; Hamed, Fatima Hashim Mahmoud

2018-01-01

Background: It has been 20 years since the introduction of health insurance in Sudan. This study was the first one that explored health insurance services in Sudan from the perspectives of the insurers. Methods: This was a qualitative, exploratory, interview study. The sampling frame was the list of Social Health Insurance and Private Health Insurance institutions in Sudan. Participants were selected from the four Social Health Insurance institutions and from five Private Health Insurance companies. The study was conducted in January and February 2017. In-depth individual interviews were conducted with a convenient sample of key executives from the different health insurers. Ideas and themes were identified and analysed using thematic analysis. Results: The result showed that universal coverage was not achieved despite long time presence of Social Health Insurance and Private Health Insurance in Sudan. All participants described their services as comprehensive. All participants have good perception of the quality of the services they provide, although none of them investigated customer satisfaction. The main challenges facing Social Health Insurance are achieving universal coverage, ensuring sustainability and recruitment of the informal sector and self-employed population. Consumers’ affordability of the premiums is the main obstacle for Private Health Insurance, while rising healthcare cost due to economic inflation is a challenge facing both Social Health Insurance and Private Health Insurance. Conclusion: In spite of the presence of Social Health Insurance and Private Health Insurance in Sudan, the country is still far from achieving universal coverage. Moreover, the sustainability of health insurance is questionable. The main reasons include low governmental financial resources and lack of affordability by beneficiaries especially for Private Health Insurance. This necessitates finding solutions to improve them or trying other types of health insurance. The quality of services provided by Social Health Insurance and Private Health Insurance was described as good, but no insurance in Sudan measured customer satisfaction as yet. PMID:29348914

Exploring health insurance services in Sudan from the perspectives of insurers.

PubMed

Salim, Anas Mustafa Ahmed; Hamed, Fatima Hashim Mahmoud

2018-01-01

It has been 20 years since the introduction of health insurance in Sudan. This study was the first one that explored health insurance services in Sudan from the perspectives of the insurers. This was a qualitative, exploratory, interview study. The sampling frame was the list of Social Health Insurance and Private Health Insurance institutions in Sudan. Participants were selected from the four Social Health Insurance institutions and from five Private Health Insurance companies. The study was conducted in January and February 2017. In-depth individual interviews were conducted with a convenient sample of key executives from the different health insurers. Ideas and themes were identified and analysed using thematic analysis. The result showed that universal coverage was not achieved despite long time presence of Social Health Insurance and Private Health Insurance in Sudan. All participants described their services as comprehensive. All participants have good perception of the quality of the services they provide, although none of them investigated customer satisfaction. The main challenges facing Social Health Insurance are achieving universal coverage, ensuring sustainability and recruitment of the informal sector and self-employed population. Consumers' affordability of the premiums is the main obstacle for Private Health Insurance, while rising healthcare cost due to economic inflation is a challenge facing both Social Health Insurance and Private Health Insurance. In spite of the presence of Social Health Insurance and Private Health Insurance in Sudan, the country is still far from achieving universal coverage. Moreover, the sustainability of health insurance is questionable. The main reasons include low governmental financial resources and lack of affordability by beneficiaries especially for Private Health Insurance. This necessitates finding solutions to improve them or trying other types of health insurance. The quality of services provided by Social Health Insurance and Private Health Insurance was described as good, but no insurance in Sudan measured customer satisfaction as yet.

Customization of the voice prosthesis to prevent leakage from the enlarged tracheoesophageal puncture: results of a prospective trial.

PubMed

Lewin, Jan S; Hutcheson, Katherine A; Barringer, Denise A; Croegaert, Lindsay E; Lisec, Asher; Chambers, Mark S

2012-08-01

Customization of the tracheoesophageal (TE) voice prosthesis (VP) is often preferred over surgical closure to prevent aspiration around the VP in laryngectomized patients with an enlarged tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP), but it has not been thoroughly evaluated. Single-institution prospective trial. A prospective trial was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a customized VP with the addition of an enlarged tracheal and/or esophageal collar in patients with leakage around an enlarged TEP. Absence of leakage around the VP after placement defined immediate effectiveness. Long-term success was defined by the prevention of adverse events related to leakage during the study period. Events that defined failure included: permanent gastrostomy dependence, aspiration pneumonia, and/or surgical TEP closure. Twenty-one patients with enlarged TEP were enrolled (2003-2006). Insertion of a customized VP was unsuccessful in one patient; 145 customizations were performed in the remaining 20 patients (median, 3.5 customizations) during the trial period. Of the customizations, 77% (112/145) prevented leakage immediately after VP insertion. The most common adverse event was dislodgement of the prosthesis (11%) or the collar alone (7%) in 18% (26/145) of customized VP placements. Six patients who died of disease were not evaluable for long-term outcomes. Long-term success was achieved in 80% (12/15) of evaluable patients who avoided permanent gastrostomy, aspiration pneumonia, and surgical TEP closure. Prosthetic customization offers an effective method to prevent leakage around the VP in many patients with an enlarged TEP, thereby preserving TE voice while avoiding surgical closure in this high-risk population. Copyright © 2012 The American Laryngological, Rhinological, and Otological Society, Inc.

Customization of the Voice Prosthesis to Prevent Leakage from the Enlarged Tracheoesophageal Puncture: Results of a Prospective Trial

PubMed Central

Lewin, Jan S.; Hutcheson, Katherine A.; Barringer, Denise A.; Croegaert, Lindsay E.; Lisec, Asher; Chambers, Mark S.

2014-01-01

Background Customization of the tracheoesophageal (TE) voice prosthesis (VP) is often preferred over surgical closure to prevent aspiration around the VP in laryngectomized patients with an enlarged tracheoesophageal puncture (TEP), but has not been thoroughly evaluated. Study Design Single-institution prospective trial. Methods A prospective trial was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a customized VP with the addition of an enlarged tracheal and/or esophageal collar in patients with leakage around an enlarged TEP. Absence of leakage around the VP after placement defined immediate effectiveness. Long-term success was defined by the prevention of adverse events related to leakage during the study period. Events that defined failure included: permanent gastrostomy dependence, aspiration pneumonia, and/or surgical TEP closure. Results Twenty-one patients with enlarged TEP were enrolled (2003-2006). Insertion of a customized VP was unsuccessful in 1 patient; 145 customizations were performed in the remaining 20 patients (median: 3.5 customizations) during the trial period. Seventy-seven percent (112/145) of customizations prevented leakage immediately after VP insertion. The most common adverse event was dislodgement of the prosthesis (11%) or the collar alone (7%) in 18% (26/145) of customized VP placements. Six patients who died of disease were not evaluable for long-term outcomes. Long-term success was achieved in 80% (12/ 15) of evaluable patients who avoided permanent gastrostomy, aspiration pneumonia, and surgical TEP closure. Conclusions Prosthetic customization offers an effective method to prevent leakage around the VP in many patients with an enlarged TEP, thereby preserving TE voice while avoiding surgical closure in this high risk population. PMID:22753122

New Strategies in the New Millennium: Servant Leadership As Enhancer of Service Climate and Customer Service Performance

PubMed Central

Linuesa-Langreo, Jorge; Ruiz-Palomino, Pablo; Elche-Hortelano, Dioni

2017-01-01

In a world in which customers are increasingly looking for solutions to their own concerns on how to make a better globalized world, new organizational strategies are emerging to approach the customer in the current third millennium. Servant leadership, which involves putting employees’ needs first and serving the broader society, is emerging as a new strategic mechanism to approach the customer in line with the new social values-driven Marketing 3.0 era. Yet research has ignored the role and the various mechanisms servant leadership might utilize to improve customer service performance of their service units. Spanning 185 hotels located in Spain, a sample of 247 service units –in close contact with customers– was used to investigate whether servant leadership enhances customer service performance through shaping a service climate within the service unit. Results revealed that service climate mediates the positive influence of servant leadership on customer service performance. Managers can use these findings to note the value of leading the service unit in a servant friendly direction, which is better aligned with the new aspirations of customers today. PMID:28559873

Case study: the health SmartLibrary experiences in web personalization and customization at the Galter health sciences library, Northwestern University.

PubMed

Shedlock, James; Frisque, Michelle; Hunt, Steve; Walton, Linda; Handler, Jonathan; Gillam, Michael

2010-04-01

How can the user's access to health information, especially full-text articles, be improved? The solution is building and evaluating the Health SmartLibrary (HSL). The setting is the Galter Health Sciences Library, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University. The HSL was built on web-based personalization and customization tools: My E-Resources, Stay Current, Quick Search, and File Cabinet. Personalization and customization data were tracked to show user activity with these value-added, online services. Registration data indicated that users were receptive to personalized resource selection and that the automated application of specialty-based, personalized HSLs was more frequently adopted than manual customization by users. Those who did customize customized My E-Resources and Stay Current more often than Quick Search and File Cabinet. Most of those who customized did so only once. Users did not always take advantage of the services designed to aid their library research experiences. When personalization is available at registration, users readily accepted it. Customization tools were used less frequently; however, more research is needed to determine why this was the case.

Performance of customized DCT quantization tables on scientific data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ratnakar, Viresh; Livny, Miron

1994-01-01

We show that it is desirable to use data-specific or customized quantization tables for scaling the spatial frequency coefficients obtained using the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT). DCT is widely used for image and video compression (MP89, PM93) but applications typically use default quantization matrices. Using actual scientific data gathered from divers sources such as spacecrafts and electron-microscopes, we show that the default compression/quality tradeoffs can be significantly improved upon by using customized tables. We also show that significant improvements are possible for the standard test images Lena and Baboon. This work is part of an effort to develop a practical scheme for optimizing quantization matrices for any given image or video stream, under any given quality or compression constraints.

Satisfaction with care in peritoneal dialysis patients.

PubMed

Kirchgessner, J; Perera-Chang, M; Klinkner, G; Soley, I; Marcelli, D; Arkossy, O; Stopper, A; Kimmel, P L

2006-10-01

Patient satisfaction is an important aspect of dialysis care, only recently evaluated in clinical studies. We developed a tool to assess peritoneal dialysis (PD) customer satisfaction, and sought to evaluate and validate the Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ), quantifying PD patient satisfaction. The CSQ included questions regarding administrative issues, Delivery Service, PD Training, Handling Requests, and transportation. The study was performed using interviews in all Hungarian Fresenius Medical Care dialysis centers offering PD. CSQ results were compared with psychosocial measures to identify if patient satisfaction was associated with perception of social support and illness burden, or depression. We assessed CSQ internal consistency and validity. Factor analysis explored potential underlying dimensions of the CSQ. One hundred and thirty-three patients treated with PD for end-stage renal disease for more than 3 months were interviewed. The CSQ had high internal consistency. There was high patient satisfaction with customer service. PD patient satisfaction scores correlated with quality of life (QOL) and social support measures, but not with medical or demographic factors, or depressive affect. The CSQ is a reliable tool to assess PD customer satisfaction. PD patient satisfaction is associated with perception of QOL. Efforts to improve customer satisfaction may improve PD patients' quantity as well as QOL.

Validation of a Quantitative Single-Subject Based Evaluation for Rehabilitation-Induced Improvement Assessment.

PubMed

Gandolla, Marta; Molteni, Franco; Ward, Nick S; Guanziroli, Eleonora; Ferrigno, Giancarlo; Pedrocchi, Alessandra

2015-11-01

The foreseen outcome of a rehabilitation treatment is a stable improvement on the functional outcomes, which can be longitudinally assessed through multiple measures to help clinicians in functional evaluation. In this study, we propose an automatic comprehensive method of combining multiple measures in order to assess a functional improvement. As test-bed, a functional electrical stimulation based treatment for foot drop correction performed with chronic post-stroke participants is presented. Patients were assessed on five relevant outcome measures before, after intervention, and at a follow-up time-point. A novel algorithm based on variables minimum detectable change is proposed and implemented in a custom-made software, combining the outcome measures to obtain a unique parameter: capacity score. The difference between capacity scores at different timing is three holded to obtain improvement evaluation. Ten clinicians evaluated patients on the Improvement Clinical Global Impression scale. Eleven patients underwent the treatment, and five resulted to achieve a stable functional improvement, as assessed by the proposed algorithm. A statistically significant agreement between intra-clinicians and algorithm-clinicians evaluations was demonstrated. The proposed method evaluates functional improvement on a single-subject yes/no base by merging different measures (e.g., kinematic, muscular) and it is validated against clinical evaluation.

DSM for transmission and distribution deferral in Queensland, Australia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gishkariany, G.; Hoch, L.; King, M.

1995-12-01

The South East Queensland Electricity Board (SEQEB) is a distributor of electricity serving the greater Brisbane area. The service area is characterized by relatively high growth, which is creating pressure on the adequacy of transmission and distribution capacity in the area. The utility has embarked on two initial efforts to assess the ability of DSM to provide cost-effective deferral of these capital projects. In both cases, the timing of the need for new transmission and/or distribution capacity has made it imperative that the DSM programs selected for implementation be capable of penetrating the market and achieving results quickly. SEQEB`s Southmore » Gold Coast area is characterized by an affluent customer base with an increasing concern for the environment. In 1990, SEQEB undertook a Value Management Study, and produced an integrated supply-and demand-side plan for the area for the next ten years. The plan that was developed identified the potential for saving Australian $7 million (NPV) over five years through targeted DSM initiatives. To achieve these savings it was also determined that the DSM programs would have to reduce area peak demand by at least 2 MW per year for a period of ten years altogether. Three programs were implemented in the 1991-1992 program year, and achieved the targeted level of peak demand reduction. Results for the first half of the 1992-1993 program also look encouraging. In the utility`s Beaudesert Branch, the customer base is more rural, with significant numbers of farms, although one area is characterized by significant new suburban residential development. In this study, (which began in the second half of 1992), the planning methodology has been refined along the lines of that used in Pacific Gas and Electric`s Delta Project. Because the Beaudesert area contains only approximately 10,000 customers, it has proven important to undertake a significant amount of customer and end-use research in order to understand.« less

Redefining NHS complaint handling--the real challenge.

PubMed

Seelos, L; Adamson, C

1994-01-01

More and more organizations find that a constructive and open dialogue with their customers can be an effective strategy for building long-term customer relations. In this context, it has been recognized that effective complaint-contact handling can make a significant contribution to organizations' attempts to maximize customer satisfaction and loyalty. Within the NHS, an intellectual awareness exists that effective complaint/contact handling can contribute to making services more efficient and cost-effective by developing customer-oriented improvement initiatives. Recent efforts have focused on redefining NHS complaint-handling procedures to make them more user-friendly and effective for both NHS employees and customers. Discusses the challenges associated with opening up the NHS to customer feedback. Highlights potential weaknesses in the current approach and argues that the real challenge is for NHS managers to facilitate a culture change that moves the NHS away from a long-established defensive complaint handling practice.

Customer-Provider Strategic Alignment: A Maturity Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luftman, Jerry; Brown, Carol V.; Balaji, S.

This chapter presents a new model for assessing the maturity of a ­customer-provider relationship from a collaborative service delivery perspective: the Customer-Provider Strategic Alignment Maturity (CPSAM) Model. This model builds on recent research for effectively managing the customer-provider relationship in IT service outsourcing contexts and a validated model for assessing alignment across internal IT service units and their business customers within the same organization. After reviewing relevant literature by service science and information systems researchers, the six overarching components of the maturity model are presented: value measurements, governance, partnership, communications, human resources and skills, and scope and architecture. A key assumption of the model is that all of the components need be addressed to assess and improve customer-provider alignment. Examples of specific metrics for measuring the maturity level of each component over the five levels of maturity are also presented.

Value propositions of mHealth projects.

PubMed

Gorski, Irena; Bram, Joshua T; Sutermaster, Staci; Eckman, Molly; Mehta, Khanjan

While mHealth holds great potential for addressing global health disparities, a majority of the initiatives never proceed beyond the pilot stage. One fundamental concern is that mHealth projects are seldom designed from the customer's perspective to address their specific problems and/or create appreciable value. A customer-centric view, where direct tangible benefits of interventions are identified and communicated effectively, can drive customer engagement and advance projects toward self-sustaining business models. This article reviews the business models of 234 mHealth projects to identify nine distinct value propositions that solve specific problems for customers. Each of these value propositions is discussed with real-world examples, analyses of their design approaches and business strategies, and common enablers as well as hurdles to surviving past the pilot stage. Furthermore, a deeper analysis of 42 mHealth ventures that have achieved self-sustainability through project revenue provides a host of practical and poignant insights into the design of systems that can fulfil mHealth's promise to address healthcare challenges in the long term.

Enabling Automated Dynamic Demand Response: From Theory to Practice

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Frincu, Marc; Chelmis, Charalampos; Aman, Saima

2015-07-14

Demand response (DR) is a technique used in smart grids to shape customer load during peak hours. Automated DR offers utilities a fine grained control and a high degree of confidence in the outcome. However the impact on the customer's comfort means this technique is more suited for industrial and commercial settings than for residential homes. In this paper we propose a system for achieving automated controlled DR in a heterogeneous environment. We present some of the main issues arising in building such a system, including privacy, customer satisfiability, reliability, and fast decision turnaround, with emphasis on the solutions wemore » proposed. Based on the lessons we learned from empirical results we describe an integrated automated system for controlled DR on the USC microgrid. Results show that while on a per building per event basis the accuracy of our prediction and customer selection techniques varies, it performs well on average when considering several events and buildings.« less

Do Customers Flee From HIV? A Survey of HIV Stigma and Its Potential Economic Consequences on Small Businesses in Tshwane (Pretoria), South Africa.

PubMed

Chao, Li-Wei; Szrek, Helena; Leite, Rui; Ramlagan, Shandir; Peltzer, Karl

2017-01-01

HIV stigma and discrimination affect care-seeking behavior and may also affect entrepreneurial activity. We interview 2382 individuals in Pretoria, South Africa, and show that respondents believe that businesses with known HIV+ workers may lose up to half of their customers, although the impact depends on the type of business. Survey respondents' fear of getting HIV from consuming everyday products sold by the business-despite a real infection risk of zero-was a major factor driving perceived decline in customers, especially among food businesses. Respondents' perceptions of the decline in overall life satisfaction when one gets sick from HIV and the respondent's dislike of people with HIV were also important predictors of potential customer exit. We suggest policy mechanisms that could improve the earnings potential of HIV+ workers: reducing public health scare tactics that exacerbate irrational fear of HIV infection risk and enriching public health education about HIV and ARVs to improve perceptions about people with HIV.

Improving queuing service at McDonald's

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koh, Hock Lye; Teh, Su Yean; Wong, Chin Keat; Lim, Hooi Kie; Migin, Melissa W.

2014-07-01

Fast food restaurants are popular among price-sensitive youths and working adults who value the conducive environment and convenient services. McDonald's chains of restaurants promote their sales during lunch hours by offering package meals which are perceived to be inexpensive. These promotional lunch meals attract good response, resulting in occasional long queues and inconvenient waiting times. A study is conducted to monitor the distribution of waiting time, queue length, customer arrival and departure patterns at a McDonald's restaurant located in Kuala Lumpur. A customer survey is conducted to gauge customers' satisfaction regarding waiting time and queue length. An android app named Que is developed to perform onsite queuing analysis and report key performance indices. The queuing theory in Que is based upon the concept of Poisson distribution. In this paper, Que is utilized to perform queuing analysis at this McDonald's restaurant with the aim of improving customer service, with particular reference to reducing queuing time and shortening queue length. Some results will be presented.

Customized design and 3D printing of face seal for an N95 filtering facepiece respirator.

PubMed

Cai, Mang; Li, Hui; Shen, Shengnan; Wang, Yu; Yang, Quan

2018-03-01

Filtering Facepiece Respirator (FFR) is the most common respirator users in the health care environment utilize for personal protection from outside particles. Comfort and fit are important while wearing an FFR. This paper proposes a novel technology to produce customized face seal design for improving the wearing comfort and fit of FFR wearers. In order to customize the design of face seals, we scanned the faces of three subjects using three-dimensional (3D) laser scanning method. A customized face seal for a 3M 8210 N95 FFR for each headform was designed using reverse engineering technique. Next, the face seal prototypes were fabricated with Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) plastic using the 3D printing method. A force sensing system based on Arduino Uno R3 was developed, and the force sensor of this system was inserted between the FFR and headform to measure contact pressure. Experimental results showed that the newly designed FFR face seal provided the subjects with an improved contact pressure.

Evaluation of an artificial intelligence guided inverse planning system: clinical case study.

PubMed

Yan, Hui; Yin, Fang-Fang; Willett, Christopher

2007-04-01

An artificial intelligence (AI) guided method for parameter adjustment of inverse planning was implemented on a commercial inverse treatment planning system. For evaluation purpose, four typical clinical cases were tested and the results from both plans achieved by automated and manual methods were compared. The procedure of parameter adjustment mainly consists of three major loops. Each loop is in charge of modifying parameters of one category, which is carried out by a specially customized fuzzy inference system. A physician prescribed multiple constraints for a selected volume were adopted to account for the tradeoff between prescription dose to the PTV and dose-volume constraints for critical organs. The searching process for an optimal parameter combination began with the first constraint, and proceeds to the next until a plan with acceptable dose was achieved. The initial setup of the plan parameters was the same for each case and was adjusted independently by both manual and automated methods. After the parameters of one category were updated, the intensity maps of all fields were re-optimized and the plan dose was subsequently re-calculated. When final plan arrived, the dose statistics were calculated from both plans and compared. For planned target volume (PTV), the dose for 95% volume is up to 10% higher in plans using the automated method than those using the manual method. For critical organs, an average decrease of the plan dose was achieved. However, the automated method cannot improve the plan dose for some critical organs due to limitations of the inference rules currently employed. For normal tissue, there was no significant difference between plan doses achieved by either automated or manual method. With the application of AI-guided method, the basic parameter adjustment task can be accomplished automatically and a comparable plan dose was achieved in comparison with that achieved by the manual method. Future improvements to incorporate case-specific inference rules are essential to fully automate the inverse planning process.

The right stuff ... meeting your customer needs.

PubMed

Rubin, P; Carrington, S

1999-11-01

Meeting (and exceeding) your customers' needs is a requirement for competing in the current business world. New tools and techniques must be employed to deal with the rapidly changing global environment. This article describes the success of a global supply chain integration project for a division of a large multinational corporation. A state-of-the-art ERP software package was implemented in conjunction with major process changes to improve the organization's ability to promise and deliver product to their customers.

Learning Is the Journey: From Process Reengineering to Systemic Customer-Service Design at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Benefits Administration

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-05-23

This monograph borrows from multiple disciplines to argue for an organizational shift from process reengineering to system design to improve...government customer-service delivery. Specifically, the monograph proposes a transformation in claims processing within the Veterans Benefits Administration...required. The proposed system design is an attempt to place the disability claims process within a larger environment encompassing multiple dimensions of customers.

Customer interviews to improve NASA office of space science education and public outreach leveraging success

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lowes, L. L.

2002-01-01

Leveraging with organizations that serve our customers and focusing on the needs of those organizations are two prime elements of the NASA Office of Space Science (OSS) Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) Strategy. On behalf of NASA OSS, the Solar System Exploration (SSE) Education and Public Outreach Forum has conducted a series of customer interviews with representatives from leading organizations who serve some of the audiences we wish to reach.

2010 Second Refrigerator Recycling Program NV Energy - Southern Nevada: Program Year 2010

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This measurement and verification report provides measured and verified energy impacts achieved by the Second Refrigerator Recycling Program that NV Energy offered to its customers in southern Nevada during 2010.

Employee retention: a customer service approach.

PubMed

Gerson, Richard F

2002-01-01

Employee retention is a huge problem. There are staff shortages in radiology because not enough people are entering the profession; too many people are leaving the profession for retirement, higher-paying jobs or jobs with less stress; and there are not enough opportunities for career advancement. Staff shortages are exacerbated by difficulty in retaining people who enter the profession. While much work has been focused on recruitment and getting more people "in the front door," I suggest that the bulk of future efforts be focused on employee retention and "closing the back door." Employee retention must be an ongoing process, not a program. Approaches to employee retention that focus on external things, i.e., things that the company can do to or for the employee, generally are not successful. The truth is that employee retention processes must focus on what the employee gets out of the job. The process must be a benefits-based approach that helps employees answer the question, "What's in it for me?" The retention processes must be ongoing and integrated into the daily culture of the company. The best way to keep your employees is to treat them like customers. Customer service works for external customers. We treat them nicely. We work to satisfy them. We help them achieve their goals. Why not do the same for our employees? If positive customer service policies and practices can satisfy and keep external customers, why not adapt these policies and practices for employees? And, there is a service/satisfaction link between employee retention and higher levels of customer satisfaction. Customers prefer dealing with the same employees over and over again. Employee turnover destroys a customer's confidence in the company. Just like a customer does not want to have to "train and educate" a new provider, they do not want to do the same for your "revolving door" employees. So, the key is to keep employees so they in turn will help you keep your customers. Because the techniques of this process mirror the activities of customer service and customer relationship management, I call the combined process C/ERM for customer/employee relationship management. Both activities must be going on simultaneously to create a loyalty link that ensures customer satisfaction and retention through employee service, satisfaction and retention.

Loyalty-based management.

PubMed

Reichheld, F F

1993-01-01

Despite a flurry of activities aimed at serving customers better, few companies have systematically revamped their operations with customer loyalty in mind. Instead, most have adopted improvement programs ad hoc, and paybacks haven't materialized. Building a highly loyal customer base must be integral to a company's basic business strategy. Loyalty leaders like MBNA credit cards are successful because they have designed their entire business systems around customer loyalty--a self-reinforcing system in which the company delivers superior value consistently and reinvents cash flows to find and keep high-quality customers and employees. The economic benefits of high customer loyalty are measurable. When a company consistently delivers superior value and wins customer loyalty, market share and revenues go up, and the cost of acquiring new customers goes down. The better economics mean the company can pay workers better, which sets off a whole chain of events. Increased pay boosts employee moral and commitment; as employees stay longer, their productivity goes up and training costs fall; employees' overall job satisfaction, combined with their experience, helps them serve customers better; and customers are then more inclined to stay loyal to the company. Finally, as the best customers and employees become part of the loyalty-based system, competitors are left to survive with less desirable customers and less talented employees. To compete on loyalty, a company must understand the relationships between customer retention and the other parts of the business--and be able to quantify the linkages between loyalty and profits. It involves rethinking and aligning four important aspects of the business: customers, product/service offering, employees, and measurement systems.

Customizing FP-growth algorithm to parallel mining with Charm++ library

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puścian, Marek

2017-08-01

This paper presents a frequent item mining algorithm that was customized to handle growing data repositories. The proposed solution applies Master Slave scheme to frequent pattern growth technique. Efficient utilization of available computation units is achieved by dynamic reallocation of tasks. Conditional frequent trees are assigned to parallel workers basing on their workload. Proposed enhancements have been successfully implemented using Charm++ library. This paper discusses results of the performance of parallelized FP-growth algorithm against different datasets. The approach has been illustrated with many experiments and measurements performed using multiprocessor and multithreaded computer.

Evolutionary multidimensional access architecture featuring cost-reduced components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farjady, Farsheed; Parker, Michael C.; Walker, Stuart D.

1998-12-01

We describe a three-stage wavelength-routed optical access network, utilizing coarse passband-flattened arrayed- waveguide grating routers. An N-dimensional addressing strategy enables 6912 customers to be bi-directionally addressed with multi-Gb/s data using only 24 wavelengths spaced by 1.6 nm. Coarse wavelength separation allows use of increased tolerance WDM components at the exchange and customer premises. The architecture is designed to map onto standard access network topologies, allowing elegant upgradability from legacy PON infrastructures at low cost. Passband-flattening of the routers is achieved through phase apodization.

The NASA Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) program - Building technology to solve future challenges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richardson, Pamela F.; Dwoyer, Douglas L.; Kutler, Paul; Povinelli, Louis A.

1993-01-01

This paper presents the NASA Computational Fluid Dynamics program in terms of a strategic vision and goals as well as NASA's financial commitment and personnel levels. The paper also identifies the CFD program customers and the support to those customers. In addition, the paper discusses technical emphasis and direction of the program and some recent achievements. NASA's Ames, Langley, and Lewis Research Centers are the research hubs of the CFD program while the NASA Headquarters Office of Aeronautics represents and advocates the program.

Distribution Route Planning of Clean Coal Based on Nearest Insertion Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yunrui

2018-01-01

Clean coal technology has made some achievements for several ten years, but the research in its distribution field is very small, the distribution efficiency would directly affect the comprehensive development of clean coal technology, it is the key to improve the efficiency of distribution by planning distribution route rationally. The object of this paper was a clean coal distribution system which be built in a county. Through the surveying of the customer demand and distribution route, distribution vehicle in previous years, it was found that the vehicle deployment was only distributed by experiences, and the number of vehicles which used each day changed, this resulted a waste of transport process and an increase in energy consumption. Thus, the mathematical model was established here in order to aim at shortest path as objective function, and the distribution route was re-planned by using nearest-insertion method which been improved. The results showed that the transportation distance saved 37 km and the number of vehicles used had also been decreased from the past average of 5 to fixed 4 every day, as well the real loading of vehicles increased by 16.25% while the current distribution volume staying same. It realized the efficient distribution of clean coal, achieved the purpose of saving energy and reducing consumption.

Comparison of custom and prefabricated orthoses in the initial treatment of proximal plantar fasciitis.

PubMed

Pfeffer, G; Bacchetti, P; Deland, J; Lewis, A; Anderson, R; Davis, W; Alvarez, R; Brodsky, J; Cooper, P; Frey, C; Herrick, R; Myerson, M; Sammarco, J; Janecki, C; Ross, S; Bowman, M; Smith, R

1999-04-01

Fifteen centers for orthopaedic treatment of the foot and ankle participated in a prospective randomized trial to compare several nonoperative treatments for proximal plantar fasciitis (heel pain syndrome). Included were 236 patients (160 women and 76 men) who were 16 years of age or older. Most reported duration of symptoms of 6 months or less. Patients with systemic disease, significant musculoskeletal complaints, sciatica, or local nerve entrapment were excluded. We randomized patients prospectively into five different treatment groups. All groups performed Achilles tendon- and plantar fascia-stretching in a similar manner. One group was treated with stretching only. The other four groups stretched and used one of four different shoe inserts, including a silicone heel pad, a felt pad, a rubber heel cup, or a custom-made polypropylene orthotic device. Patients were reevaluated after 8 weeks of treatment. The percentages improved in each group were: (1) silicone insert, 95%; (2) rubber insert, 88%; (3) felt insert, 81%; (4)stretching only, 72%; and (5) custom orthosis, 68%. Combining all the patients who used a prefabricated insert, we found that their improvement rates were higher than those assigned to stretching only (P = 0.022) and those who stretched and used a custom orthosis (P = 0.0074). We conclude that, when used in conjunction with a stretching program, a prefabricated shoe insert is more likely to produce improvement in symptoms as part of the initial treatment of proximal plantar fasciitis than a custom polypropylene orthotic device.

Levers supporting tariff growth for water services: evidence from a contingent valuation analysis.

PubMed

Guerrini, Andrea; Vigolo, Vania; Romano, Giulia; Testa, Federico

2018-02-01

The backwardness of the water utilities sector necessitates urgent investment in infrastructure to improve water quality and efficiency in water supply networks. A policy of tariff growth represents the main source to sustain such investments. Therefore, customer engagement in the form of willingness to pay (WTP) is highly desirable by water utilities to obtain social legitimization and support. This study examines the determinants of consumers' WTP for improvement programs for three drinking water issues: quality of water sources, renewal of water mains, and building of new wastewater treatment plants. The study is based on a survey conducted among a sample of 587 customers of a water utility located in the province of Verona in the north of Italy. The contingence valuation method is used to measure WTP. Specifically, an ordinal logistic regression model yields the following significant determinants of WTP: quality of water and services provided, preference for privatization of the water utility, sustainable consumption of water, and some socio-demographic variables. The findings provide interesting insights into the drivers of WTP as well as managerial recommendations for water utilities. In particular, the findings show that water utilities need to improve service and water quality to increase customers' acceptance of tariff growth. In addition, utilities should invest in customer education and communication activities focusing on specific age groups (e.g., older customers) to enhance their WTP. Finally, communication strategies should reinforce the possible role of liberalization and privatization in supporting infrastructure investments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ethnic Conflict: The Case of the Kurds

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-04-01

political context in which the twenty million Kurds now live in Iraq, Turkey, Iran, Syria and Armenia. Focusing on the Iraqi situation, I also suggest...several conditions I feel the Kurds must achieve in order to obtain the necessary international political support needed to achieve a meaningful...is to explore this people; their history, customs, political solidarity, and their frequently frustrated quest for autonomy. Can there be an

The Hitchhiker's Guide to I&T

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, Michael R.

1999-01-01

With over two dozen missions since the first in 1986, the Hitchhiker project has a reputation for providing quick-reaction, low-cost flight services for Shuttle Small Payloads Project (SSPP) customers. Despite the successes, several potential improvements in customer payload integration and test (I&T) deserve consideration. This paper presents suggestions to Hitchhiker customers on how to help make the I&T process run smoother. Included are: customer requirements and interface definition, pre-integration test and evaluation, configuration management, I&T overview and planning, problem mitigation, and organizational communication. In this era of limited flight opportunities and new ISO-based requirements, issues such as these have become more important than ever.

Importance/performance analysis: a tool for service quality control by clinical laboratories.

PubMed

Scammon, D L; Weiss, R

1991-01-01

A study of customer satisfaction with clinical laboratory service is used as the basis for identifying potential improvements in service and more effectively targeting marketing activities to enhance customer satisfaction. Data on customer satisfaction are used to determine the aspects of service most critical to customers, how well the organization is doing in delivery of service, and how consistent service delivery is. Importance-performance analysis is used to highlight areas for future resource reallocation and strategic emphasis. Suggestions include the establishment of performance guidelines for customer contact personnel, the enhancement of timely delivery of reports via electronic transmission (computer and fax), and the development of standardized graphics for request and report forms to facilitate identification of appropriate request forms and guide clients to key items of information on reports.

Decision - making of Direct Customers Based on Available Transfer Capability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quan, Tang; Zhaohang, Lin; Huaqiang, Li

2017-05-01

Large customer direct-power-purchasing is a hot spot in the electricity market reform. In this paper, the author established an Available Transfer Capability (ATC) model which takes uncertain factors into account, applied the model into large customer direct-power-purchasing transactions and improved the reliability of power supply during direct-power-purchasing by introducing insurance theory. The author also considered the customers loss suffered from power interruption when building ATC model, established large customer decision model, took purchasing quantity of power from different power plants and reserved capacity insurance as variables, targeted minimum power interruption loss as optimization goal and best solution by means of particle swarm algorithm to produce optimal power purchasing decision of large consumers. Simulation was made through IEEE57 system finally and proved that such method is effective.

Research into the influence of internal interdepartmental integration on service innovation and customer loyalty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Jui-Chan; Wu, Tzu-Jung; Wen, Hao-Ming; Hsin-Fei, Wu; Hairui, Ji

2017-06-01

It is the most important for the company to improve customer value and customer loyalty through service innovation. However, at present, only researches related to organizations or consumer behaviors are conducted, there is rare research into the combination between organization level and consumer behavior, and this research tries to explore this aspect, which is the motivation and contribution of this research. This research aims to explore the relationship between "Interdepartmental Integration", "Service Innovation" and "Customer Loyalty", according to the analysis results, the relationship between "interdepartmental integration and service innovation" and "service innovation and customer loyalty" has a low positive correlation and it reaches significant level; it shows the relationship between "interdepartmental interaction and progressive innovation" and "interdepartmental collaboration and fundamental innovation" is significant.

Maximize Performance Impact: Create Partnerships with Customers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevens, Judith; Ibanez, Barbara

2001-01-01

Discusses how to improve organizational performance by involving customers in partnerships. Relates experiences at the Center for Development and Disability at the University of New Mexico, serving people with developmental disabilities, which helped realize their mission, helped staff cross from theory to application, and increased relevancy and…

Organizational Culture in Community Colleges: Connecting Market Orientation, Quality, and Student Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McManimon, Debra J.

2012-01-01

To enhance their competitive advantage in the marketplace, many business leaders develop market orientation strategies designed to increase customer engagement. These market orientation strategies include improvement in service delivery, relationship management, customer satisfaction, and quality control methods. There is a lack of understanding…

Teacher Use of Evidence to Customize Inquiry Science Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerard, Libby F.; Spitulnik, Michele; Linn, Marcia C.

2010-01-01

This study investigated how professional development featuring evidence-based customization of technology-enhanced curriculum projects can improve inquiry science teaching and student knowledge integration in earth science. Participants included three middle school sixth-grade teachers and their classes of students (N = 787) for three consecutive…

Holistic, model-based optimization of edge leveling as an enabler for lithographic focus control: application to a memory use case

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasan, T.; Kang, Y.-S.; Kim, Y.-J.; Park, S.-J.; Jang, S.-Y.; Hu, K.-Y.; Koop, E. J.; Hinnen, P. C.; Voncken, M. M. A. J.

2016-03-01

Advancement of the next generation technology nodes and emerging memory devices demand tighter lithographic focus control. Although the leveling performance of the latest-generation scanners is state of the art, challenges remain at the wafer edge due to large process variations. There are several customer configurable leveling control options available in ASML scanners, some of which are application specific in their scope of leveling improvement. In this paper, we assess the usability of leveling non-correctable error models to identify yield limiting edge dies. We introduce a novel dies-inspec based holistic methodology for leveling optimization to guide tool users in selecting an optimal configuration of leveling options. Significant focus gain, and consequently yield gain, can be achieved with this integrated approach. The Samsung site in Hwaseong observed an improved edge focus performance in a production of a mid-end memory product layer running on an ASML NXT 1960 system. 50% improvement in focus and a 1.5%p gain in edge yield were measured with the optimized configurations.

A business case for quality improvement in addiction treatment: evidence from the NIATx collaborative.

PubMed

Quanbeck, Andrew R; Madden, Lynn; Edmundson, Eldon; Ford, James H; McConnell, K John; McCarty, Dennis; Gustafson, David H

2012-01-01

The Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx) promotes treatment access and retention through a customer-focused quality improvement model. This paper explores the issue of the "business case" for quality improvement in addiction treatment from the provider's perspective. The business case model developed in this paper is based on case examples of early NIATx participants coupled with a review of the literature. Process inefficiencies indicated by long waiting times, high no-show rates, and low continuation rates cause underutilization of capacity and prevent optimal financial performance. By adopting customer-focused practices aimed at removing barriers to treatment access and retention, providers may be able to improve financial performance, increase staff retention, and gain long-term strategic advantage.

[2011 Shanghai customer satisfaction report of DSA/X-ray equipment's after-service].

PubMed

Li, Bin; Qian, Jianguo; Cao, Shaoping; Zheng, Yunxin; Xu, Zitian; Wang, Lijun

2012-11-01

To improve the manufacturer's medical equipment after-sale service, the fifth Shanghai zone customer satisfaction survey was launched by the end of 2011. The DSA/X-ray equipment was setup as an independent category for the first time. From the survey we can show that the DSA/X-ray equipment's CSI is higher than last year, the customer satisfaction scores of preventive maintenance and service contract are lower than others, and CSI of local brand is lower than imported brand.

A Customized Attention-Based Long Short-Term Memory Network for Distant Supervised Relation Extraction.

PubMed

He, Dengchao; Zhang, Hongjun; Hao, Wenning; Zhang, Rui; Cheng, Kai

2017-07-01

Distant supervision, a widely applied approach in the field of relation extraction can automatically generate large amounts of labeled training corpus with minimal manual effort. However, the labeled training corpus may have many false-positive data, which would hurt the performance of relation extraction. Moreover, in traditional feature-based distant supervised approaches, extraction models adopt human design features with natural language processing. It may also cause poor performance. To address these two shortcomings, we propose a customized attention-based long short-term memory network. Our approach adopts word-level attention to achieve better data representation for relation extraction without manually designed features to perform distant supervision instead of fully supervised relation extraction, and it utilizes instance-level attention to tackle the problem of false-positive data. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed approach is effective and achieves better performance than traditional methods.

Implementation of Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996: access to telecommunications services, telecommunications equipment, and customer premises equipment by persons with disabilities--FCC. Notice of proposed rulemaking.

PubMed

1998-05-22

This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) is an important step in the Commission's effort to increase the accessibility of telecommunications services and equipment to Americans with disabilities. The NPRM proposes a framework for implementing section 255 of the Communications Act of 1934 (Act), which requires telecommunications equipment manufacturers and service providers to ensure that their equipment and services are accessible to persons with disabilities, to the extent it is readily achievable to do so. In addition, if accessibility is not readily achievable, section 255 requires manufacturers and service providers to ensure compatibility with existing peripheral devices or specialized customer premises equipment commonly used by individuals with disabilities to achieve access, to the extent it is readily achievable to do so. The NPRM first explores the Commission's legal authority to establish rules implementing section 255. The NPRM then seeks comment on the interpretation of specific statutory terms that are relevant to the proceeding. Finally, the NPRM seeks comment on proposals to implement and enforce the requirement that telecommunications equipment and services be made accessible to the extent readily achievable. The actions proposed in the NPRM are needed to ensure that people with disabilities are not left behind in the telecommunications revolution and consequently isolated from contemporary life.

Improving service quality in NHS Trust hospitals: lessons from the hotel sector.

PubMed

Desombre, T; Eccles, G

1998-01-01

This article looks to review recent practice undertaken within the UK hotel sector to improve customer service, and suggests ideals that could be implemented within National Health (NHS) Trust hospitals. At a time of increasing competition, hotel firms are using service enhancement as a means to gain competitive advantage, and therefore developing a range of techniques to measure levels of service quality improvement. With continued change in the health service, where greater focus now lies with patient satisfaction, so there is a requirement for managers to adapt techniques presently being offered in other service industries to improve levels of customer service and ensure patients are targeted to define their levels of satisfaction.

Who's your best customer?

PubMed

MacStravic, S

1998-01-01

Conventional wisdom holds that the best customers and prospects for managed care are the healthiest consumers. This is true only because of the meager extent to which premiums can be adjusted for varying risk among individuals. If a decent health/risk adjustment system were used, the best consumers for managed care to go after would be the highest-risk, highest users of health care, provided only that risk and use can be improved. The healthiest consumers have both the least potential for improvement and the least reasons for loyalty.

Total quality management: It works for aerospace information services

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Erwin, James; Eberline, Carl; Colquitt, Wanda

1993-01-01

Today we are in the midst of information and 'total quality' revolutions. At the NASA STI Program's Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI), we are focused on using continuous improvements techniques to enrich today's services and products and to ensure that tomorrow's technology supports the TQM-based improvement of future STI program products and services. The Continuous Improvements Program at CASI is the foundation for Total Quality Management in products and services. The focus is customer-driven; its goal, to identify processes and procedures that can be improved and new technologies that can be integrated with the processes to gain efficiencies, provide effectiveness, and promote customer satisfaction. This Program seeks to establish quality through an iterative defect prevention approach that is based on the incorporation of standards and measurements into the processing cycle. Four projects are described that utilize cross-functional, problem-solving teams for identifying requirements and defining tasks and task standards, management participation, attention to critical processes, and measurable long-term goals. The implementation of these projects provides the customer with measurably improved access to information that is provided through several channels: the NASA STI Database, document requests for microfiche and hardcopy, and the Centralized Help Desk.

Six sigma: process of understanding the control and capability of ranitidine hydrochloride tablet.

PubMed

Chabukswar, Ar; Jagdale, Sc; Kuchekar, Bs; Joshi, Vd; Deshmukh, Gr; Kothawade, Hs; Kuckekar, Ab; Lokhande, Pd

2011-01-01

The process of understanding the control and capability (PUCC) is an iterative closed loop process for continuous improvement. It covers the DMAIC toolkit in its three phases. PUCC is an iterative approach that rotates between the three pillars of the process of understanding, process control, and process capability, with each iteration resulting in a more capable and robust process. It is rightly said that being at the top is a marathon and not a sprint. The objective of the six sigma study of Ranitidine hydrochloride tablets is to achieve perfection in tablet manufacturing by reviewing the present robust manufacturing process, to find out ways to improve and modify the process, which will yield tablets that are defect-free and will give more customer satisfaction. The application of six sigma led to an improved process capability, due to the improved sigma level of the process from 1.5 to 4, a higher yield, due to reduced variation and reduction of thick tablets, reduction in packing line stoppages, reduction in re-work by 50%, a more standardized process, with smooth flow and change in coating suspension reconstitution level (8%w/w), a huge cost reduction of approximately Rs.90 to 95 lakhs per annum, an improved overall efficiency by 30% approximately, and improved overall quality of the product.

Six Sigma: Process of Understanding the Control and Capability of Ranitidine Hydrochloride Tablet

PubMed Central

Chabukswar, AR; Jagdale, SC; Kuchekar, BS; Joshi, VD; Deshmukh, GR; Kothawade, HS; Kuckekar, AB; Lokhande, PD

2011-01-01

The process of understanding the control and capability (PUCC) is an iterative closed loop process for continuous improvement. It covers the DMAIC toolkit in its three phases. PUCC is an iterative approach that rotates between the three pillars of the process of understanding, process control, and process capability, with each iteration resulting in a more capable and robust process. It is rightly said that being at the top is a marathon and not a sprint. The objective of the six sigma study of Ranitidine hydrochloride tablets is to achieve perfection in tablet manufacturing by reviewing the present robust manufacturing process, to find out ways to improve and modify the process, which will yield tablets that are defect-free and will give more customer satisfaction. The application of six sigma led to an improved process capability, due to the improved sigma level of the process from 1.5 to 4, a higher yield, due to reduced variation and reduction of thick tablets, reduction in packing line stoppages, reduction in re-work by 50%, a more standardized process, with smooth flow and change in coating suspension reconstitution level (8%w/w), a huge cost reduction of approximately Rs.90 to 95 lakhs per annum, an improved overall efficiency by 30% approximately, and improved overall quality of the product. PMID:21607050

75 FR 1658 - FY 2009 Annual Compliance Report; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-12

... most recent compliance determination, the Commission raised concerns about the customer satisfaction... modifications it made to improve that system, id. at 16-17, and customer satisfaction measurement instruments it.... 3622(b)); and factors (39 U.S.C. 3622(c)). Commenters addressing competitive products are referred to...

76 FR 22113 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Office of Infrastructure Protection; Infrastructure...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-20

... outcome indicators.'' Also, the Act defines customer service measure as ``an assessment of service... effectiveness and public accountability by promoting a new focus on results, service quality, and customer satisfaction; and (4) Help Federal managers improve service delivery, by requiring that they plan for meeting...

75 FR 15754 - Agency Forms Submitted for OMB Review, Request for Comments

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-30

... (RRB) conducts a number of customer surveys designed to determine the kinds and quality of services our... reporting hours: 9,271. 2. Title and Purpose of Information Collection: Voluntary Customer Surveys in... be improved. The surveys are limited to data collections that solicit strictly voluntary opinions...

Drivers of Successful Bond and Operating Levies...Q4C at the Foundation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lifto, Don E. Morris; Morris, William D.

2000-01-01

Improving a school's Q4C quotient (quality control, customer commitment, and communications) during election planning hinges on district mission, a culture of high expectations, basic skills mastery, commitment to customers, continuous feedback, healthy working relationships, broad community involvement, high- level strategic planning and…

41 CFR 102-85.145 - When are customer agencies responsible for Rent charges?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...; or (2) All other space: Either GSA's space charges for 4 months plus the cost of tenant improvements or GSA's actual costs, whichever is less. ... PROPERTY 85-PRICING POLICY FOR OCCUPANCY IN GSA SPACE Rent Charges § 102-85.145 When are customer agencies...

Work Organization, Technology, and Performance in Customer Service and Sales.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Batt, Rosemary

1999-01-01

Performance data on 223 customer-service and sales representatives showed that participation in self-managed teams correlated with significant improvement in service quality and 9.3% sales increase. New technology helped teams increase sales 17.4%. Total-quality management did not affect performance. Results show that group collaboration fosters…

Creating Quality in the Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arcaro, Janice

This guide explores using Total Quality Management/Developmental System Education (TQM/DSE) as a framework to improve educational outcomes in the classroom. Within the Total Quality paradigm, students and society are viewed as the customers of education; all programs provided at the school focus on meeting customer needs, resulting in improved…

Medical Internet of Things and Big Data in Healthcare.

PubMed

Dimitrov, Dimiter V

2016-07-01

A number of technologies can reduce overall costs for the prevention or management of chronic illnesses. These include devices that constantly monitor health indicators, devices that auto-administer therapies, or devices that track real-time health data when a patient self-administers a therapy. Because they have increased access to high-speed Internet and smartphones, many patients have started to use mobile applications (apps) to manage various health needs. These devices and mobile apps are now increasingly used and integrated with telemedicine and telehealth via the medical Internet of Things (mIoT). This paper reviews mIoT and big data in healthcare fields. mIoT is a critical piece of the digital transformation of healthcare, as it allows new business models to emerge and enables changes in work processes, productivity improvements, cost containment and enhanced customer experiences. Wearables and mobile apps today support fitness, health education, symptom tracking, and collaborative disease management and care coordination. All those platform analytics can raise the relevancy of data interpretations, reducing the amount of time that end users spend piecing together data outputs. Insights gained from big data analysis will drive the digital disruption of the healthcare world, business processes and real-time decision-making. A new category of "personalised preventative health coaches" (Digital Health Advisors) will emerge. These workers will possess the skills and the ability to interpret and understand health and well-being data. They will help their clients avoid chronic and diet-related illness, improve cognitive function, achieve improved mental health and achieve improved lifestyles overall. As the global population ages, such roles will become increasingly important.

Developing a customised approach for strengthening tuberculosis laboratory quality management systems toward accreditation

PubMed Central

Trollip, Andre; Erni, Donatelle; Kao, Kekeletso

2017-01-01

Background Quality-assured tuberculosis laboratory services are critical to achieve global and national goals for tuberculosis prevention and care. Implementation of a quality management system (QMS) in laboratories leads to improved quality of diagnostic tests and better patient care. The Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA) programme has led to measurable improvements in the QMS of clinical laboratories. However, progress in tuberculosis laboratories has been slower, which may be attributed to the need for a structured tuberculosis-specific approach to implementing QMS. We describe the development and early implementation of the Strengthening Tuberculosis Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (TB SLMTA) programme. Development The TB SLMTA curriculum was developed by customizing the SLMTA curriculum to include specific tools, job aids and supplementary materials specific to the tuberculosis laboratory. The TB SLMTA Harmonized Checklist was developed from the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Africa Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation checklist, and incorporated tuberculosis-specific requirements from the Global Laboratory Initiative Stepwise Process Towards Tuberculosis Laboratory Accreditation online tool. Implementation Four regional training-of-trainers workshops have been conducted since 2013. The TB SLMTA programme has been rolled out in 37 tuberculosis laboratories in 10 countries using the Workshop approach in 32 laboratories in five countries and the Facility-based approach in five tuberculosis laboratories in five countries. Conclusion Lessons learnt from early implementation of TB SLMTA suggest that a structured training and mentoring programme can build a foundation towards further quality improvement in tuberculosis laboratories. Structured mentoring, and institutionalisation of QMS into country programmes, is needed to support tuberculosis laboratories to achieve accreditation. PMID:28879165