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.
Our Unsanitary Hospitals – WSJ.com That’s “Clean”, not a typo of “Lean.” Good column in the WSJ today by Betsy McCaughey, head of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths organization (link). She asks why restaurants and meat packing plants get…
I’m a bit mad at myself for inflicting some preventable human error on myself last night. It’s OK, I didn’t harm myself, but let me tell the story. I’ve been battling what’s either severe allergies or a mild cold for…
I read Paul Levy’s blog every chance I get. He is the CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Although fellow blogger Kevin Meyer and I caused a bit of a kerfuffle with him, unfortunately, earlier this year…
IndustryWeek : Thought Leaders — Lean On Me (Full Transcript)IndustryWeek : Thought Leaders — Lean On Me (Print Version) Other blogs, including Gemba Panta Rei have already linked to this, but I’ll also post it with a few different highlights.…
A new design for healthcare delivery – The Boston Globe Good column here from Steve Spear (of “Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System” fame) and Dr. Donald Berwick (of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement). Prof. Spear does a…
Here are some follow-up articles, quotes, and data following up on the news from the other day that Dennis Quaid’s twins were impacted by a medication error at L.A.’s Cedar-Sinai hospital. SEE MORE POSTS ABOUT THIS CASE This article points…
Dennis Quaid’s newborns reportedly harmed by medical mix-up – Los Angeles Times (Updated 4:57 PM, again at 9:51 PM, see bottom of post) If this story sounds familiar, it’s because it is the exact same error as one that killed…
TL;DR: Being mistaken for a “time study man” reveals how often Lean is confused with Taylorist observation and speed-up tactics. True Lean in healthcare partners with nurses to reduce waste and improve care–without blame, stopwatches, or fear of layoffs. I…
Scotsman.com News – Health – NHS Lothian looks to Far East for ideas Here’s another good example of Lean progress in the UK. In Scotland, they are now focusing on suggestions from front-line employees: “FRONTLINE health workers are to help…
I was wondering the other day about hospital advertising that you might see in your community (TV ads, billboards, newspaper ads). With the focus on improving quality and patient safety, is there a hospital somewhere that is advertising itself as…
The Sun Chronicle Online – Opinion A medical error was in the news this week, a teacher was mistakenly given an insulin shot instead of a flu vaccine. Thankfully for the teacher, it’s not even something they had to be…
Thanks to a Lean Blog reader, Matt, for sending this first-hand account. I’m sorry he (and his wife) had to go through this experience. This is posted with his permission. I’ll buck convention a bit and put my comments in…
