AI tools are showing up everywhere in healthcare — for clinical decision support, operational analytics, and now for learning and coaching around improvement methodologies. If you’re a healthcare leader exploring AI, you’ve probably already been pitched a few. Most evaluation…
TL;DR: If Lean improvements put jobs at risk, people will stop improving. Organizations that commit to “no layoffs due to Lean” create trust, unlock ideas, and sustain better performance. When I worked with Johnson & Johnson’s ValuMetrix Services consulting group…
In the previous editions of my book Lean Hospitals, I’ve included case examples from Avera McKennan Hospital and Avera Health. Fred Slunecka is the former president of Avera McKennan and he is now chief operating officer for the Avera system. I talked…
I recently saw an article about Avera Medical Group and Sanford Clinic in Sioux Falls, South Dakota: “Health systems learn to be lean.” Avera McKennan Hospital, in Sioux Falls, was featured in the 2nd edition of my book Lean Hospitals. A physician…
This week, I was able to drop by the annual Lab Quality Confab event since it was being held in here in San Antonio. There were some things I heard during a few presentations about Lean or change management, such…
Today’s post is an update on the 2nd revised edition of my first book, Lean Hospitals: Improving Quality, Patient Safety, and Employee Engagement. The final edits and fully typeset book have been sent to the printer and Amazon currently shows…
Thanks to FierceHealthcare.com for publishing my guest article on the front page of their site: “How lean management helped hospitals avoid layoffs.” The article features quotes from two of our Healthcare Value Network organizations, ThedaCare and Akron Children’s Hospital, and…
If you’ve searched for “Lean methodology,” you’ve probably seen definitions about waste reduction or efficiency. That’s part of it — but Lean is much more than that. It’s a leadership system for building better organizations. I’ve been studying and practicing…
Yesterday’s WSJ front page headline caught my eye, as a frequent Starbucks customer and obvious Lean zealot: Latest Starbucks Buzzword: ‘Lean’ Japanese Techniques The headline is full bodied and complex brew that gives us a lot to chew on before…
A question came in from a blog reader — simple question with no simple or easy answers: Who are the Lean Thinking CEOs? My first thought is Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, for his famous customer obsession and belief in long-term thinking…
Part of the MoveToHealthcare.com series: Collections: Resources area of the Healthcare Value Network site Whitepapers from Avera McKennan hospital (SD) Articles: Balle, Michael. Lean as a Learning System in a Hospital Ward (PDF) Lean Enterprise Institute Healthcare Knowledge Center (Collection)…