Comments on: Updated: Problems at JPS Hospital, Part 1 http://www.leanblog.org/2008/04/problems-at-jps-hospital-part-1/ Mark Graban's leanblog.org - Lean Healthcare, Lean Thinking, Lean Manufacturing, Toyota Production System Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:59:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Neutron Jerk http://www.leanblog.org/2008/04/problems-at-jps-hospital-part-1/#comment-3506 Neutron Jerk Thu, 01 May 2008 15:08:00 +0000 http://leanblog.bigbigdesign.net/2008/04/updated-problems-at-jps-hospital-part-1/#comment-3506 Good news on the CEO departure.<br/><br/>He said:<br/><br/>On Wednesday, he criticized the Star-Telegram coverage, saying the "local paper has strung together a list of anecdotes that don't represent an accurate picture."<br/><br/>Well that was a pretty lousy string of anecdotes. <br/><br/>Sort of like Rev. Jeremiah Wright's words were "taken out of context??" Good news on the CEO departure.

He said:

On Wednesday, he criticized the Star-Telegram coverage, saying the “local paper has strung together a list of anecdotes that don’t represent an accurate picture.”

Well that was a pretty lousy string of anecdotes.

Sort of like Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s words were “taken out of context??”

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]]> By: Mark Graban http://www.leanblog.org/2008/04/problems-at-jps-hospital-part-1/#comment-3505 Mark Graban Thu, 01 May 2008 15:05:00 +0000 http://leanblog.bigbigdesign.net/2008/04/updated-problems-at-jps-hospital-part-1/#comment-3505 News flash-- the CEO will be "retiring" in September.<br/><br/>Funny they would announce during the week that these news stories are appearing.<br/><br/><a HREF="http://www.star-telegram.com/817/story/615970.html" REL="nofollow">ARTICLE HERE</a><br/><br/>He is getting a "silver parachute: at the least -- getting paid through July 2009 at a pace of $700k a year. News flash– the CEO will be “retiring” in September.

Funny they would announce during the week that these news stories are appearing.

ARTICLE HERE

He is getting a “silver parachute: at the least — getting paid through July 2009 at a pace of $700k a year.

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]]> By: Anonymous http://www.leanblog.org/2008/04/problems-at-jps-hospital-part-1/#comment-3504 Anonymous Thu, 01 May 2008 13:51:00 +0000 http://leanblog.bigbigdesign.net/2008/04/updated-problems-at-jps-hospital-part-1/#comment-3504 ...you probably shouldn't even try... What would you do shut the hospital down? What about the respect for people aspect of TPS? If for nothing other than for the employees' sakes, I think this is another problem that could be tackled with Lean, but I don't think Cecero ever would or could - he sounds like an ivory tower guy that doesn't care one whit for the people in his employ or for his customers. Is there a Board of Directors over him? If so, then it sounds like it's time for them to step in and push him out of the plane (let him use his golden parachute). …you probably shouldn’t even try… What would you do shut the hospital down? What about the respect for people aspect of TPS? If for nothing other than for the employees’ sakes, I think this is another problem that could be tackled with Lean, but I don’t think Cecero ever would or could – he sounds like an ivory tower guy that doesn’t care one whit for the people in his employ or for his customers. Is there a Board of Directors over him? If so, then it sounds like it’s time for them to step in and push him out of the plane (let him use his golden parachute).

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]]> By: Anonymous http://www.leanblog.org/2008/04/problems-at-jps-hospital-part-1/#comment-3503 Anonymous Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:20:00 +0000 http://leanblog.bigbigdesign.net/2008/04/updated-problems-at-jps-hospital-part-1/#comment-3503 At the risk of piling on, the one PDF page says:<br/><br/>"staffing should reflect trends in patient volumes during the day."<br/><br/>Duh.<br/><br/>It also says the ER volumes are predictable, yet they basically overstaff on the overnight. That's "waste"!! <br/><br/>This isn't "lean" that teaches us to match staffing with volume. Any McDonalds manager knows how to do that. That's business 101. At the risk of piling on, the one PDF page says:

“staffing should reflect trends in patient volumes during the day.”

Duh.

It also says the ER volumes are predictable, yet they basically overstaff on the overnight. That’s “waste”!!

This isn’t “lean” that teaches us to match staffing with volume. Any McDonalds manager knows how to do that. That’s business 101.

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]]> By: Anonymous http://www.leanblog.org/2008/04/problems-at-jps-hospital-part-1/#comment-3502 Anonymous Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:15:00 +0000 http://leanblog.bigbigdesign.net/2008/04/updated-problems-at-jps-hospital-part-1/#comment-3502 I benefitted from this article, as an operations person who has really never been in a hospital, in the sense that I now realize I can't trust that hospital people know what the heck they are doing.<br/><br/>Better to learn this NOW then before some hospital kills me.<br/><br/>Now I understand those statistics about how many people are killed by bad healthcare. I bet the numbers are concentrated in hospitals like this one. I benefitted from this article, as an operations person who has really never been in a hospital, in the sense that I now realize I can’t trust that hospital people know what the heck they are doing.

Better to learn this NOW then before some hospital kills me.

Now I understand those statistics about how many people are killed by bad healthcare. I bet the numbers are concentrated in hospitals like this one.

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]]> By: Mark Graban http://www.leanblog.org/2008/04/problems-at-jps-hospital-part-1/#comment-3501 Mark Graban Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:09:00 +0000 http://leanblog.bigbigdesign.net/2008/04/updated-problems-at-jps-hospital-part-1/#comment-3501 Dr. Pete -- You're right, it's more of a rant than a suggestion of solutions. As I said on Monday, I'm not suggesting "lean" as the solution... the problems at JPS appear to run much deeper than that. They got that report two years ago and there's not much of a case that anything has really improved.<br/><br/>I guess I'd try to make the points:<br/><br/>1) For all of the complaints and discussion about how we pay for healthcare, we need more focus on how badly some are run - the lack of leadership and operational competency. <br/><br/>2) No amount of "lean tools" can fix what appears to be a fundamentally broken culture and organization. You're right, you probably shouldn't even try. Dr. Pete — You’re right, it’s more of a rant than a suggestion of solutions. As I said on Monday, I’m not suggesting “lean” as the solution… the problems at JPS appear to run much deeper than that. They got that report two years ago and there’s not much of a case that anything has really improved.

I guess I’d try to make the points:

1) For all of the complaints and discussion about how we pay for healthcare, we need more focus on how badly some are run – the lack of leadership and operational competency.

2) No amount of “lean tools” can fix what appears to be a fundamentally broken culture and organization. You’re right, you probably shouldn’t even try.

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]]> By: Anonymous http://www.leanblog.org/2008/04/problems-at-jps-hospital-part-1/#comment-3500 Anonymous Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:04:00 +0000 http://leanblog.bigbigdesign.net/2008/04/updated-problems-at-jps-hospital-part-1/#comment-3500 I will assume your rant has something to do with lean transformation of healthcare or perhaps your forthcoming book – Lean Hospitals, but so far I can’t quite get the connection. Obviously JPS is a troubled public hospital – though finances is certainly not one of their issues.<br/><br/>The fundamental issue would seem to be a huge disconnect between the clinical staff, the executive team and the community they serve – such that the clinicians (doctors and nurses) believe they can publicly criticize their administration and the administration can issue an equally retarded public response – and this will move things along toward positive change. I frankly doubt it. Certainly no improvement initiative would stand a ghost of a chance in the current JPS organizational culture.<br/><br/>The potentially good news is someone – most assuredly highly placed on the executive team – authorized an expenditure of $650,000 for an objective outside assessment that must be more than a simple laundry list of what’s broken. Accordingly, there must be some level of intention to address the issues. <br/><br/>One mystery is how the current administration survives. Perhaps the clinical staff and the Board are all hypnotized by the CEO. I look forward to how this unfolds.<br/>/Dr. Pete I will assume your rant has something to do with lean transformation of healthcare or perhaps your forthcoming book – Lean Hospitals, but so far I can’t quite get the connection. Obviously JPS is a troubled public hospital – though finances is certainly not one of their issues.

The fundamental issue would seem to be a huge disconnect between the clinical staff, the executive team and the community they serve – such that the clinicians (doctors and nurses) believe they can publicly criticize their administration and the administration can issue an equally retarded public response – and this will move things along toward positive change. I frankly doubt it. Certainly no improvement initiative would stand a ghost of a chance in the current JPS organizational culture.

The potentially good news is someone – most assuredly highly placed on the executive team – authorized an expenditure of $650,000 for an objective outside assessment that must be more than a simple laundry list of what’s broken. Accordingly, there must be some level of intention to address the issues.

One mystery is how the current administration survives. Perhaps the clinical staff and the Board are all hypnotized by the CEO. I look forward to how this unfolds.
/Dr. Pete

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]]> By: AZReam http://www.leanblog.org/2008/04/problems-at-jps-hospital-part-1/#comment-3499 AZReam Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:24:00 +0000 http://leanblog.bigbigdesign.net/2008/04/updated-problems-at-jps-hospital-part-1/#comment-3499 Sounds as if there might be a simple solution; spend that $97m on equipment and supplies, cleaners, and administrators to co-ordinate the whole thing properly. Sounds as if there might be a simple solution; spend that $97m on equipment and supplies, cleaners, and administrators to co-ordinate the whole thing properly.

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