Healthcare organizations that have already applied Lean thinking to their processes, with the diligence of effective management and strong leadership support, are now realizing the benefits of their efforts. And, many of those benefits surpass what was thought possible just a few years ago. To be successful, these organizations had to provide the l

Hospitals have long relied on the heroics of one brilliant nurse or doctor to save the day. Such heroics often result in temporary workarounds and quick fixes that leave not only patients and quality care at risk, but also increase costs. This is the story of an organization breaking that habit. Like a growing number of healthcare organizations around the world, ThedaCare, Inc. has been using lean thinking and the principles of the Toyota Production System to improve quality of care, reduce waste, and become more reliable. But lean thinking was incompatible with ThedaCare’s old top-down, hero-based system of management. Kim Barnas, former SVP of ThedaCare, shows us how she and her team created a management system that is stable and lean, to spur continuous improvement. Beyond Heroes shows the reader, step by step, how ThedaCare teams developed the system, using the stories of its doctors, nurses and administrators to illustrate. The book explores each of the eight essential components of the lean system, from front-line problem solving with the scientific method to daily team huddles and creating standard work for leaders all the way to the top of an organization. Finally, the author introduces four executives from healthcare systems across North America who have implemented ThedaCare’s system and share the lessons they learned along the way. Beyond Heroes is not just a call to action or an argument for a better healthcare system. It is a necessary roadmap through the rocky terrain ahead, one that healthcare leaders can customize to their special needs.

The book shows readers exactly how to use Lean tools to design healthcare work that is smooth, efficient, error free and focused on patients and patient outcomes. It includes in-depth discussions of every important Lean tool, including value stream maps, takt time, spaghetti diagrams, workcell design, 5S, SMED, A3, Kanban, Kaizen and many more, all presented in the context of healthcare. For example, the book explains the importance of quick operating room or exam room changeovers and shows the reader specific methods for drastically reducing changeover time. Readers will learn to create healthcare value streams where workflows are based on the pull of customer/patient demand. The book also presents a variety of ways to continue improving after initial Lean successes. Methods for finding the root causes of problems and implementing effective solutions are described and demonstrated. The approach taught here is based on the Toyota Production System, which has been adopted worldwide by healthcare organizations for use in clinical, non-clinical and administrative areas.

Every healthcare organization can learn from Seattle Children‘s continuous improvement process, but this book is not an operator‘s manual. Instead, it is a challenge to everyone concerned with healthcare to reexamine deeply held assumptions. While it is commonly believed that improved quality, access, and safety, and an improved bottom line are mut

This book gives healthcare leaders a practical guide to implementing the 4 key components of lean daily management system - 1. LDM boards; 2. Leadership rounds 3. Leader daily disciplines and 4. Lean projects. Although lean is not new to healthcare, effective LDM is just now taking hold with the best lean healthcare organizations in the U.S. and Canada. Leaders are realizing that sustaining their lean projects over time has proven to be a challenge without first addressing the organizations management system/model. LDM gives leaders a straightforward approach to do just that as well as improve their ability to spread and deploy lean to other areas of the organization and tie back to strategy.

Lean Thinking for Emerging Healthcare Leaders: How to Develop Yourself and Implement Process Improvements aims to solve the issues in modern day healthcare by handing over the reins of the improvement process to healthcare professionals. Putting those who are doing the work and are closest to the actual situation in the lead. The purpose of this book is to help you understand how to develop yourself and your leadership in such a way that will best benefit your team and your patients. This includes change management practices that will help to build commitment with your team members, colleagues, management, patients, and other stakeholders. This book educates you, as a leading medical professional, in the principles and values of Lean leadership and management. It will teach you how to improve healthcare from the inside, making it safer, better, faster, more accessible, and more affordable. With this book we want to inspire, motivate, and stimulate you to lead continuous improvement—while being respectful to people—on your way to ideal care for every patient. The primary target audience for the book are medical professionals who have (recently) acquired leadership, management, or business responsibilities. The book will also be of high value to those who obtained temporary leadership positions, like project leaders, problem solvers, change managers, and innovators. Because most of the teachings in the book are meta skills and ways of thinking, the book is easily relatable and transferable to other disciplines and even sectors.

Healthcare organizations that have already applied Lean thinking to their processes, with the diligence of effective management and strong leadership support, are now realizing the benefits of their efforts. And, many of those benefits surpass what was thought possible just a few years ago. To be successful, these organizations had to provide the l