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.
It’s always sad then these national employee engagement surveys come out… the latest one from Gallup doesn’t paint a pretty picture: “Most workers hate their jobs or have ‘checked out,’ Gallup says.” It’s also far too easy for employers or…
Below is a very nice video that was produced by Franciscan St. Francis Health System, the organization where my Healthcare Kaizen co-author Joe Swartz is the Director of Business Transformation. The video was made for use related to our book’s…
Mark’s note: Today’s post is by a good friend in the lean healthcare world, Mark Welch (no relation to Jack). Today’s post is thought-provoking in terms of finding the balance between efficiency and building relationships in today’s workplace. He also…
It’s again time to close some browser tabs and clear out the backlog of articles I’ve wanted to share but maybe don’t merit an entire blog post… It’s time again for “Stuff I’m Reading”… Click on any header for the…
I had a speaking engagement yesterday for a large system, with the audience consisting mainly of hospital CEOs and CFOs. I was able to be around for the entire morning, which included a really outstanding kickoff talk by the system…
Dr. Delos (“Toby”) Cosgrove, President and CEO of the famed Cleveland Clinic, wrote an article on LinkedIn recently: “Patient Experience: Time for Hospitals to Look Under the Bed.” Cosgrove described his process of going to visit patients after heart surgery…
It was a real thrill to be able to meet Paul O’Neill in person yesterday at the Summit (he was my guest for Podcast #124). His powerful message about leadership and patient safety was well received by the audience. Below…
Things are underway at the 2013 Lean Healthcare Transformation Summit. We have 600 attendees from 39 states and 8 countries. I will be tweeting, as will others, at the hashtag #HCsummit13. John Toussaint, MD will be doing his keynote at…
In my experience, you have to be cautious when somebody says either, “Lean says you should….” or “Toyota would tell you to…” because those statements, even if stated authoritatively, can be wrong. At a recent speaking engagement (I won’t disclose…
I flew back safely from Finland on Saturday – or I should say British Airways and American Airlines flew me safety, including in the 747 pictured at left. 15 hours across three flights. It was a long day. But, I…
I’ve had a really nice time during my first 30 hours in Helsinki, Finland. It’s been warm (72 F) and sunny — and more than 18 hours of sunlight each day, to boot. I will blog more substantively about my…
My co-author Joe Swartz and I are happy to announce that our book Healthcare Kaizen was named a recipient of the prestigious Shingo Professional Publication and Research Award. The award will be formally presented to the co-authors in early 2014…