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.
This article from the Vancouver Sun caught my eye: “Outbreaks show the vital role of hospital cleaners.” The article is written by a union official (which is disclosed at the end of the piece). The author, Bonnie Pearson, is right…
There’s a new TED conference video from April 2012 featuring Dr. Atul Gawande, author of amazing books including The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right.” The core of the video will be familiar if you remember my blog post…
Here are links to some more articles I’ve read recently that might be of interest on a number of Lean related topics: Twin boys die after morphine overdose (understaffing, poor training, & other system issues) Two years on, gov’t says…
Update: The charity auctions that ended last night raised $420 for Friends of the Orphans. Thanks to all who bid and bought (and donated – Martine Ehrenclou, Kaizen Institute, and 5S Supply). Color coding is a frequently-used visual management method…
Today’s post is a link to a great interview with Amir Dan Rubin, the CEO of Stanford Hospital & Clinics. I met Amir a few years ago when he was COO of UCLA Medical Center and they were an early…
Ken Congdon at Healthcare Technology Online recently interviewed me for this story that’s now online: Kaizen: The Key To Lean Healthcare?. Mark Graban, lean expert and co-author of an upcoming book titled Healthcare Kaizen, often compares Kaizen to the suggestion…
Episode #146 is a discussion with a returning guest (#54, #62, #72), John Toussaint, MD, the CEO of the ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value. Today, we’re talking about his latest book, recently released, called Potent Medicine: The Collaborative Cure for…
You might already know about the charity auctions that are running this week, ending Sunday May 6, to benefit Friends of the Orphans. I’m happy to announce four more auctions that also end on Sunday night: 2 Books: Autographed Lean…
Here are links to some varied articles I’ve read recently that might be of interest on a number of Lean related topics: NFL Draft – Player Names on Jerseys (Lean Blitz) – Chad Walters shares how the NFL got player…
Mark’s Note: Today’s post is a guest post that’s written for manufacturing settings. But, I’d challenge healthcare readers to think about how the impact of wasted motion and time for nurses and other healthcare professionals running around to get their…
I generally love the Apple Stores for their customer service and environment, as a primary Mac user for the past four years. You may have read stories about how executives from the Apple Store have been working with Stanford Hospital…
This was originally going to appear as an op-ed in a newspaper (so it’s written for a general audience who might not already be aware of Lean). But, it got bumped, so I’m presenting it here. As the Supreme Court…
