Lean Hospitals Book

Lean Hospitals: Improving Quality, Patient Safety, and Employee Satisfaction

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Winner of a 2009 Shingo Research and Professional Publication Prize. Drawing on his years of working with hospitals, Mark Graban explains why and how Lean can be used to improve safety, quality, and efficiency in a healthcare setting. After highlighting the benefits of Lean methods for patients, employees, physicians, and the hospital itself, he explains how Lean manufacturing staples such as Value Stream Mapping and process observation can help hospital personnel identify and eliminate waste in their own processes, effectively preventing delays for patients, reducing wasted motion for caregivers, and improving the quality of care.

Additionally, Graban describes how Standardized Work and error-proofing can prevent common hospital errors and details root cause problem-solving and daily improvement processes that can engage all personnel in systemic improvement. A unique guide for healthcare professionals, this book clearly elaborates the steps they can take to begin the proactive process of Lean implementation.

Topics include:

Why do hospitals need Lean?
What is Lean?
Case examples that show how hospitals are successfully using Lean
How to get started with Lean

The book is not intended as a detailed “how to” implementation guide. There is as much focus on leadership, culture change, and the Lean mindset, so that Lean is not just presented as a toolkit.

List Price: $48.95
ISBN: 9781420083804
ISBN 10: 1420083805
Publication Date: 7/24/2008
Number of Pages: 280
Publisher: Productivity Press
Second Edition (“Lean Hospitals: Improving Quality, Patient Safety, and Employee Engagement,” Due November 2011.

New book to be released in spring 2012: “Healthcare Kaizen: Engaging Front-Line Staff in Sustainable Improvements.”

About LeanBlog.org: Mark Graban is a consultant, author, and speaker in the “lean healthcare” methodology, focused on improving quality and patient safety, improving access, reducing costs, and fully engaging healthcare professionals. He is also the Chief Improvement Officer for KaiNexus.