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.
A few weeks ago, I saw this announcement about Dean Gruner, MD, the second CEO to lead ThedaCare during their Lean journey: Dr. Dean Gruner, ThedaCare President and CEO, Announces Retirement “Dean Gruner, MD, president and CEO of ThedaCare since…
You might remember my post from June about an emergency physician who wrote a journal article bashing “Lean” — but what he described didn’t sound like Lean at all. As I said then: “In the article, Dr. Cotton describes the…
Joining me for Episode #265 of the podcast is Bernita Beikmann, AIA, EDAC, LSSBB, a Principal and Director of Lean Strategy at HKS, an international architecture firm. Bernita is originally from Kansas and has a Bachelor of Architecture from Kansas State University…
Thanks to my friends at the ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value for putting together this video with me, filmed at the last Lean Healthcare Transformation Summit (hope to see you there next June). The video was a chance to talk…
This article caught my eye recently:
DMC dirty instruments escaped '15 probe, records show
(via The Detroit News)
This article caught my eye recently:
Skeptics - We have Proof that Operational Excellence Work in Healthcare!
(via The Ohio State University)
This article caught my eye recently:
Skip the Fancy Towels, and Hire More Nurses
(via the NY Times)
This article caught my eye recently:
Doctors usually think bigger hospitals offer better surgery. Turns out, we’re wrong.
(via Vox)
This article caught my eye recently: For Every Hour With Patients, Doctors Spend Two Record-Keeping (via Forbes)
Joining me for Episode #263 is another returning guest, Pascal Dennis (@AuthorPascal on Twitter). He was previously a guest on Episodes #96 and #239, talking about two of his previous books (see a full list here). Today, we’re talking about his…
Mark’s note: Today’s guest post is Tim Piotrowski from AME – the Association for Manufacturing Excellence. By Tim Piotrowski A few years ago, before I’d ever been aware of Lean healthcare, I spent a considerable amount of time at the…
I was happy to see this announcement the other day: UCSF to Train Residents in Lean Management and Process Improvement From the announcement: “UC San Francisco will train medical residents and fellows in Lean management principles, as part of a…
