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.
I don’t know the source on the data, but I heard a hospital President today talking about his hospital’s Lean journey. He said: “Manufacturing productivity has increased 3% every year since 1980. In health care, we have LOST 2% productivity…
globeandmail.com: Private sector health care: Think quality, regulation I don’t think healthcare and quality is a “Private vs. Public” debate. As we’ll inevitably have debate during the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, I think it’s important to keep quality in mind…
Modern Healthcare Online (article available to subscribers only, March 12, 2007 Issue) I think it’s been true in the manufacturing world that quality certifications, such as ISO-9001, aren’t necessarily predictors of world-class quality. I’ve seen it be far too easy…
Comprehensive Drug & Alcohol Treatment Facility is First of its Kind in the State Former classmate and blog reader Chris and I always used to joke about “PDCA-ing your life.” Maybe it’s not that funny, but we were at MIT.…
Business Report – Toyota production system has the cure for the industry’s ills Much of the material in this summary, by a professor who teaches a Lean course, has been covered on this blog before, but it’s a nice summary…
By Dean Bliss (bio below) At the recent Shingo Prize conference, I was reminded of the power of Lean. Not just because of the award winners, but because of a humble dentist who practices in Jacksonville, Florida. And who practices…
Hospitals try to reduce wristband code risks To put this in manufacturing terms, imagine how you might have to change your process if your product might get transferred to another factory for additional processes. In recent years, hospitals have widely…
Some good discussion was raised in my original post, where I was thinking out loud about what Lean management methods you should use to get clinical healthcare providers to wash their hands 100% of the time, in the name of…
Ledger-Enquirer | 03/27/2007 | Campaign’s goal is to reduce infections To those who might have thought I overstated the situation with hand washing in hospitals, here’s another article about maintaining proper hygiene among hospital staff and caregivers. One particular risk…
Heath Care – New York Times Long, but interesting, piece in the Sunday Times about the history of how we got to the point of companies providing healthcare. No, and it’s not an article calling for a single-payer system (nor…
The Blotter: ABC Report on Pharmacy Errors I first stumbled across this 20/20 report when I saw a preview on the ABC investigative reports video podcast. Pharmacy errors are a major problem (see this story): There are as many as…
Hazard Warning – Brethine and Methergine mix-ups Can you tell the difference between these two drugs? You can even click on each photo for a larger view or compare them on the link above. This isn’t an isolated case, this…
