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.
On Friday, I co-presented at the Society for Health Systems / ASQ Healthcare Division conference in Atlanta. It was the first time this was done jointly and it seemed we had more physicians and other clinical people around, which is…
Earlier this morning, I attended a presentation at SHS/ASQ about Lean implementation in multiple emergency rooms in a large health system. There were a lot of positives and one red flag that I heard that might be worth discussion.
I’ve always enjoyed my discussions with Sami Bahri, D.D.S., the “World’s First Lean Dentist.” One concept he talks about, most recently in our video podcast, is the application of the Lean concept of “single-piece flow” to dentistry and his patients.…
TL;DR: Standardized work, influenced by Toyota and Dr. Atul Gawande, is crucial for improving safety, quality, and efficiency in healthcare. It should be created by those who do the work, be flexible, and serve as a basis for continuous improvement.…
Continuing my series on re-reading Dr. W. Edwards Deming’s book Out of the Crisis, I’m posting a series of tweets from the Chapter along with my thoughts and comments. At about 70 pages, it’s a long, dense chapter, including Deming’s…
Today, I’m sharing a few links featuring the thoughts of John Toussaint, M.D., the CEO Emeritus of the ThedaCare health system in Wisconsin and current CEO of the ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value. John is a partner with the Lean…
What is your role at work? Your purpose? Those questions might make you really stop and think. I sat in yesterday on a class, taught by an ex-Toyota leader, that raised a number of thought-provoking questions about Lean and the…
In this article, “Go Lean in 2010: Reducing Waste in Construction,” there’s a nice description of the design process that Seattle Children’s Hospital uses to get staffed engaged in making sure new space is designed and built to support their…
When I was in Sweden recently, we had a lot of good discussion about the Lean concept of “standardized work.” There was a lot of agreement from different presenters at the Lean laboratories conference, and from the hospital people we…
Here is a nice 5-minute introduction to the topic without too much mockery from Jon Stewart! Stewart even makes a Star Wars reference – an example of people with high responsibility following checklists to avoid mistakes:
For a number of reasons, I’ve decided to re-read my copy of one of the most influential books I’ve ever read: Out of the Crisis by the late, great Dr. W. Edwards Deming. In the light of Toyota’s recent quality…
This story is from Wisconsin Public Radio talks about Lean at Aurora Health Care, based in the Milwaukee area. (“Hospitals Turn to Lean Management to Save Money“).
