All posts from Mark Graban’s LeanBlog.org, including podcasts, announcements, articles, and more.
Are We 84.7% Certain We’re in the 90th Percentile? Of course, hospitals should focus on patient satisfaction. That’s important but is often a vague and uncertain thing to measure. But, as Dr. Deming said: “The most important figures that one…
I’m happy to be able to offer a special discount code for Eric Ries’ “Startup Lessons Learned” Conference. Startup Lessons Learned 2011 Monday, May 23rd Hotel Nikko San Francisco, CA Register and save 20% using the code LEANBLOG at checkout.…
TL;DR: Yokoten spreads learning horizontally so teams can go see, think, and build on ideas–not blindly copy them. Mark’s Note: Today’s post is from Al Norval, with the firm Lean Pathways, Inc. Yokoten Means Copy and Improve — Not Copy…
On Friday, there was yet another Wall Street Journal article about Lean (fixating as they always do on the “Just In Time” component). The article titled “For Lean Factories, No Buffer” yet again takes an outdated 1980s view that Lean…
Here’s a great story from my home state where I grew up, Michigan: “Hospital checklist helps pneumonia rates tumble by 70%.” From the article: Ventilator-associated pneumonia rates plummeted 70% at Michigan hospitals when physicians and other medical staff members improved…
It has been a while since I’ve collaborated with artist Ed Butler on a “Doofus and Leanie” cartoon (Ed was also the artist for Wii Lean and the satirical “Lean Sensei” app. The recent reactions of GM (layoffs) and Toyota…
As somebody who flies about 75,000 miles a year, I am far too acquainted with the Transportation Security Administration and their annoyances (to the passenger) and their documented shortcomings (in their effectiveness). That said, everybody deserves a workplace where they…
Here’s a quick update on some of our latest projects in the Healthcare Value Leaders Network. Our 2nd annual Lean Healthcare Transformation Summit in June has SOLD OUT. If you are still interested, please sign up on the waiting list…
When hospital people say they don’t want to be a factory or “we don’t want assembly-line medicine,” the statement often goes unchallenged. What is the statement or the anxiety behind such a statement? I sometimes challenge in a friendly way…
I recently “fired” my primary care physician. I’m lucky to not have to go to the doctor very often, but the last few times I did, I had to wait more than an hour beyond my scheduled appointment time (in…
It’s great to see Lean mentioned in mainstream healthcare management publications, such as the article in HealthLeaders (print and online) called “Systemwide Process Improvement.” The article highlights one hospital you might know really well, Seattle’s Virginia Mason Medical Center (featured…
You might have read my blog post from last week about an unsafe taxi driver and medical errors – Said the Unsafe Taxi Driver, “Well, Did I Hit Anybody?” In a colossal coincidence, the New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd…
