The article The Promise of Lean in Health Care, by John S. Toussaint M.D., and Leonard L. Berry PhD, examines what makes lean management work in the healthcare context.
On the Thedacare Center for Healthcare Value website, Dr Toussaint outlines that ‘Lean is an organisation’s cultural commitment to applying the scientific method to designing, performing, and continuously improving the work delivered by teams of people leading to measurably better value for patients and other stakeholders.’
The article defines six core principles of a lean transformation:
- Attitude of continuous improvement
- Value creation
- Unity of purpose
- Respect for front-line workers
- Visual tracking
- Flexible regimentation or standard work.
If implemented correctly, Lean management in healthcare has been proven to work. This article uses examples showing actual results from Christie Clinic, Inova, St. Jude’s Hospital, New York Hospital and Health System, Martin Memorial, Seattle Children’s and ThedaCare to demonstrate that lean management in healthcare improves quality and lowers overall costs, resulting in happier staff and patients.
To read the full article please visit the Thedacare Center for Healthcare Value website.
