Today, I’m traveling to Tokyo, but I’m still thinking of the amazing nurses and leaders at Franciscan St. Francis Health in Indiana. Through my co-author Joe Swartz, the director of business transformation, their work is featured heavily in our book Healthcare Kaizen.…
During a recent visit to Franciscan St. Francis Health, several nurses proudly introduced themselves as “Kaizen Queens”–and one, with a smile, as the “Kaizen Princess.” Across the hospital, the broader term “Kaizeneer” is used to describe anyone who takes part…
Thanks to Ron Pereira and my other friends at Gemba Academy for interviewing me when I visited their studio a few weeks back. Gemba Academy has amazing online video education products that I highly recommend. Check them out. There are two…
Last week, I had the opportunity to spend a day with my Healthcare Kaizen co-author Joe Swartz and his colleagues at one of the three hospitals in the Franciscan St. Francis Health system. It was my second visit and, like…
Recently, while watching part of The Simpsons marathon that aired on FXX, I was inspired to write this post: “Proof That Nelson from The Simpsons is Not a Good Kaizen Coach.” That led Simon from Germany to point out a different…
New KaiNexus Webinar – 8/21 Dr. Greg Jacobson and I are doing another new webinar in a few weeks: “Getting Started with Continuous Improvement: Lessons and Reflections“ Click to view the recording! Greg and I will share some of our…
I recently saw a tweet that referenced a May 2014 that was sent to President Obama and his administration: “Report to the President – Better HealthCare and Lower Costs: Accelerating Improvement Through Systems Engineering.” The report was written by the “President’s Council…
One of the key aspects of the Kaizen process is that we SHARE completed improvements with others. That’s a key principle that Joe Swartz and I wrote about in Healthcare Kaizen, and it’s a key aspect of the KaiNexus software platform.…
TL;DR: UMass Memorial Health is working to become a world-class Kaizen organization by engaging all frontline employees in continuous improvement, not just managers or specialists. Inspired by Toyota practices, leaders encourage many small, low-cost ideas–such as a simple Velcro fix…
Last Thursday, Joe Swartz and I presented about “Kaizen Coaching” at the annual Shingo Institute Conference. In the start of our breakout session, I made a point I usually make, something I learned from Norman Bodek: “A suggestion is something…
Last night, my co-author Joe Swartz and I were able to formally receive the Shingo Research and Professional Publication Award for our book Healthcare Kaizen. We learned about this recognition about a year ago and received the formal recognition last night, including a very…
I’m part of the crowd that asks the following of healthcare organizations and leaders: be transparent and share quality data with the public, be open about problems and realize that “no problems is a problem,” and practice continuous improvement in…
