With rising pressure on healthcare providers to reduce costs and improve quality, an increasing number of organizations are looking to “Lean” tools and techniques as a breakthrough solution for performance improvement. Over the last four decades, Lean has emerged as one of the most impactful approaches to increase an organization’s competitiveness through improvements in process efficiency and a reduction in operational waste.
Adoption of Lean in healthcare delivery
Many healthcare improvement groups have described Lean as a critical methodology for healthcare providers to adopt. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (“IHI”) states that there is growing agreement “among health care leaders that Lean principles can reduce the waste that is pervasive in the US healthcare system...Adoption of Lean management strategies — while not a simple task — can help healthcare organizations improve processes and outcomes, reduce cost, and increase satisfaction among patients, providers and staff." 1
Develop the initial vision and objectives.
Before the Lean Program begins, it is imperative to create a vision and supporting objectives. This enables senior leadership to set realistic expectations for the Lean Program. For example, in the Inception stage, targeted improvements for the Lean Program should focus on quick, visible successes that reduce waste and improve quality within a single department.
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1. Miller, D., Womack, J.P., Byrne, A.P., Fiume, O.J., Kaplan, G.S., & Toussaint, J. (2005). Going Lean in Health Care. (IHI Calls to Action Series in January and February 2005, No. 7, Page 3). Cambridge, MA: Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Retrieved on June 18, 2011, from http://www.entnet.org/Practice/upload/GoingLeaninHealthCareWhitePaper.pdf