Healthcare improvement isn’t about working harder—it’s about better systems, better leadership, and a culture that supports learning and speaking up. This archive brings together blog posts, podcasts, and reflections on Lean healthcare, patient safety, quality improvement, leadership, and continuous improvement. Many of these posts draw on real hospital experiences and lessons from Deming, Toyota, and frontline healthcare teams, with a consistent emphasis on respect for people and learning from mistakes.
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…
Again, I’m very happy to host the Carnival for John Hunter and his Curious Cat blog. My job here is to share some noteworthy and thought provoking posts from the past few weeks from the blogs I try to keep…
It’s time for another in my Reader Questions series, this question comes from Brian via email. If you have a question or topic that you’d like me to address, you can contact me via the web or by leaving a…
In what looks like a badly Photoshopped cover – it’s a real photo, I’ve confirmed – INSIGHT Magazine, a Wisconsin business publication, has an article worth reading about Dr. John Toussaint and ThedaCare. The article link is here: “Dr. Ideas:…
Reminder: I’ll be on “The Lean Nation” today at 4 PM (more details) In this article about Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, “Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s (rather run-of-the-mill) house: Facebook founder gives rare glimpse into his private life on Oprah“, there is…
Here is the latest in my “Week in Review” series for the week ending 9/26/10, featuring stories about a Toyota tour, a Don Berwick speech, and new NBA uniforms (and more). Please let me know what you think by adding…
I was a supporter of Dr. Donald Berwick‘s nomination to head CMS (Medicare and Medicaid at a federal level) – not due to politics but due to Dr. Berwick’s deep understanding that better healthcare costs less, that the road to…
I recently ran across a Michigan startup company called OPS Solutions that has some interesting technology that could be applied in many settings for standardized work and error proofing applications. Michigan is my home state and I’m always interested in…
Back in July, e-Patient Dave deBronkart noticed an article in the Health Leaders publication called “Taking On the Cost Drivers.” It inspired him to reach out to me and Alice Lee, from Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center to write…
Generally, with the term “lean,” it’s easy for people to leap to a conclusion that Lean equals layoffs. This is often the fear in healthcare when Lean consultants are involved, especially since consultants usually equals cost cutting in healthcare, which…
This is a companion post to yesterday’s “3 Reasons the General Public Thinks Hospitals Can’t Improve.” Lean zealots often take for granted that, not only does Lean work, but that people want to improve. Before we dive into teaching people…
Lean thinkers see the waste in healthcare when they are at the hospital “gemba“. I think this is true whether you are a Lean person who is new to healthcare or if you’re a long-time hospital person who has learned…