Healthcare
The healthcare profession is facing mounting challenges; cost of materials, shortages of staff, increased demand, financial restraints from insurance companies and governments and increased media attention. Traditional solutions to these problems might be to add more staff or request more money or let the patient wait. A nontraditional and effective approach being applied by a growing number of healthcare organizations is to apply the Lean principles in their area of healthcare.
We have worked with hospitals, family practice units, laboratories and medical supply facilities large and small. By applying the principles of Lean in a healthcare environment we have achieved amazing results within just a few weeks. These improvements have been gained by eliminating wasteful activities that have become part of the system. This frees up time for staff to do real value adding work. These improvements are good for everyone, patients, doctors, nurses and administrators, everyone benefits. As an example of this in a family practice unit a doctor met with every one of his patients on time for the first time in 25 years while still spending the time he needed with each patient.
LEAN Healthcare Interview - CBCNewsworld
Dealing With Bottlenecks
Before you buy a new piece of equipment because you think you have a bottleneck, use a machine balance chart so that you know the real score.
Do Not Implement a 5S Program
Is your 5S program not giving you the results that you expected? 5S needs to be implemented as part of a value stream plan, and not as a program.
When Value Stream Mapping Doesn't Work
Value Stream Mapping is a tool. It isn't a panacea for all the problems that occur in management.
A Disciplined Approach To Value Stream Mapping
Value stream mapping requires good training and a disciplined approach to yield the best results.
Exciting Chaos
Striving to improve competitiveness by providing customers faster and better products/services will accomplish more than worrying about the next crisis.
The Lean Journey - The Never Ending Story
No matter how well your lean journey is going, it's not good enough. Competitors will embrace lean and erase your competitive advantage.
Troubled Waters Require Capable Leaders
Lean leaders need to look beyond the horizon and chart the future. In stormy times, true leadership skills emerge.
Lean and State of The Art Healthcare
Implement Lean in Healthcare in order to be able to do more with less while doing it better.
Value Stream Mapping Cuts Through The Fat
Value Stream Mapping is used to draw out the entire process, identifying the flow and showing the time it takes to move through the system.
Lean Healthcare - We Got The Money...Now What?
Politicians are dividing up a pot of new found money for healthcare and the public is wondering why the waiting lists are so long.
Continuous Improvement
How do Continuous Improvement teams fit in with your Lean initiatives?
Value Stream Mapping Common Mistakes
We have noticed some common mistakes with first time mappers. When the mistake is made, it is not recognized and the tool is called into question.
Can Lean Match Your Structure?
One of the first comments we get from most companies is that they are unique. And they are right. They are not Toyota. They are unique.
Lean Implementation at Medtronic Xomed
Customer-Focused quality is their highest priority and Lean Manufacturing is its methodology.
LEAN in the Haematology Laboratory
The Hospital for Sick Children is Canada's most research-intensive hospital and the largest centre dedicated to improving children's health in the country.
Trimming The Fat From Lab Processes
The Lean team at Saint Marys Hospital, a Mayo Clinic hospital, came up with a simple strategy to manage the paper order system for lab work in its ICUs.
MDS Nordion: World leader in radioisotope technology. Two primary areas make up the business: Nuclear Medicine and Ion Technologies.
Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids): One of the largest pediatric academic health science centers in the world.
Cook Children's Hospital: Quality health care to children through an integrated system overseeing services ranging from simple to highly specialized care.
Danbury General Hospital: Primary healthcare provider for a population of 350,000, 371-bed regional medical center and community teaching hospital.
Marietta Memorial Hospital: 90 physicians, 37 medical specialties, 199-bed hospital with 1,200 staff members, provides healthcare in the Mid-Ohio Valley.
Tyco Healthcare: A leading manufacturer, distributor, and servicer of medical devices worldwide.
Trillium Health Care Products: Manufactures and markets a series of products and services to leading Pharmaceutical, Consumer Product, and Retail Companies.
Medtronic Xomed: Manufactures and sells products for otolaryngology, otology, rhinology, plastic surgery, neurosurgery, endoscopy, etc...
Mayo Clinic: 2,500 physicians and scientists and 42,000 staff work at the clinic in Rochester, Minn., and newer clinics in Jacksonville, Fla., and Arizona.
North York General Hospital: Affiliated with the University of Toronto, is one of Canada's leading community teaching hospitals.
Owensboro Medical Health System: Provides healthcare services to a ten-county area in Southern Indiana and Western Kentucky.
Five Hills Health Region: Acute care, geriatric/long term care, transition beds, home care, public health, mental health, podiatry, and addictions services.
Air Liquide: International industrial group specializing in industrial and medical gases and related services._
Calgary Laboratory Services: A medical diagnostic laboratory that offers a full range of laboratory services to the Calgary Region.
Evanston Northwestern Healthcare: Located in Chicago's northern suburbs, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare (ENH) is an integrated healthcare system.
Clinical Laboratories of Hawaii: Medical laboratory testing company offering anatomical and clinical tests for Hawaii's medical community.