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.
Paul Levy on Transparency, Social Media, and Quality Following up and continuing this morning’s post about MemorialCare. You can also read my notes and comments from Day 1 here. You probably know Paul as CEO, blogger, and twitter user. I’ve…
What an invigorating and exciting time at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement‘s 21st National Forum. Highlights from Day 2 included a talk on Lean at the MemorialCare system in California and a talk on social media and healthcare quality…
Ah, travel delays. Late night getting back from Orlando, so I will type up notes over the weekend from Wednesday’s talks at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Forum. Lean journey at Long Beach Memorial Hospital (listen to my previous Podcast…
‘It’s all about process’: Saint Mary’s Steve Palmreuter targets waste Here is an article that might serve as an inspiration for those of you who are looking to make a career transition from manufacturing to healthcare. The linked news article…
Today was an exciting day at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement‘s 21st annual National Forum on Healthcare Quality Improvement. It’s my first time here, to learn and network. They have over 5,000 attendees who are committed to quality and patient…
In Pursuit of Elegance | My Own Tiger’s Tale What does Tiger Woods have to do with Lean Thinking and hospitals? Read on… Our good friend, Matthew May, met Tiger Woods at his health club in California back in 2001.…
I had a great opportunity a few weeks back, seeing former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich give a talk at the Ontario Hospital Association annual event in Toronto. I had a chance to meet him briefly and had a…
This episode is a discussion with Joan Wellman, of the consulting firm Joan Wellman & Associates. Joan is a real pioneer in the lean healthcare arena, having started her initial work with a hospital in 1995 — I haven’t found…
Hat tip to blog reader Steven H. for sending this video my way. It’s always nice to see Lean featured in the mainstream media, including CNN. Click here for the video at cnn.com. The story says that the company, a…
Keen to Be Lean – CFO Magazine – December 2009 Issue – CFO.com I’ll share the above link with a little commentary, for now, a nice overview of Lean Healthcare for CFO Magazine. I helped the writer with research and…
Mistake Proofing Webinar — Sadly, links are now broken and I’m trying to fix that… I’m producing a free webinar through LEI on Mistake-Proofing to Reduce Medical Errors. This will be given on December 10th by Prof. John Grout of Berry…
TL;DR: Hospitals that actively engage frontline staff through Lean suggestion systems are saving millions while improving patient care, morale, and safety–without layoffs. Staff-driven kaizen works because the people closest to the work are best positioned to improve it, every day.…
