How Are “Quality Posters” Like This Still a Thing? Mark Graban Oct 27, 2017 3 Blog Back in 2007, I wrote a blog post that highlighted (if not mocked) so-called "quality posters" that are, I suppose,…
Texas Hospital Saves Money Occasionally With Lean Six Sigma… But Can Do… Mark Graban Sep 20, 2017 2 Blog I saw this headline the other day about University Medical Center in Lubbock, Texas: "UMC finds savings through…
Podcast #284 – Dr. Margaret Balfour on Improving Crisis Psychiatric Care… Mark Graban Jul 19, 2017 0 Interviews My guest today for episode #284 of the podcast is Dr. Margaret (Margie) Balfour, the lead author of an!-->!-->!-->…
7 Barriers to Patient Safety According to Dr. Donald J. Berwick Mark Graban Jun 27, 2017 0 Blog Last month, I saw this article from the publication Hospitals & Health Networks (H&HN), where they…
Flashback Friday: Demolition Errors, Mistake Proofing, and Healthcare Mark Graban May 19, 2017 6 Blog In recent years, I've written two blog posts about the sad scenarios where the wrong building was demolished by a…
A Lesson From Toyota: Thanking Employees for Pointing Out Problems Mark Graban May 16, 2017 4 Audio Thanks to Lean Frontiers for sharing a story from Mike Hoseus on LinkedIn. Mike is, of course, co-author of the…
Thoughts on “Good” vs. “Better” from My College Marching… Mark Graban May 11, 2017 6 Audio What are the parallels between the mindsets and approach of a world-class university band director and our mindsets…
My LinkedIn Article: Supply Chain Matters – at the Oscars® and in… Mark Graban May 4, 2017 0 Blog The mistakes at The Oscars were trivial and unimportant in the grand scheme of things. What are some lessons…
James Hereford – A #Lean COO from Stanford Becomes a Lean CEO at Fairview… Mark Graban Apr 4, 2017 1 Blog In today's post, I write about James Hereford, a Lean thinker and leader who is now CEO of Fairview Health Services…
If a Surgeon or Hospital Puts Quantity over Quality, Why Call it a… Mark Graban Feb 23, 2017 9 Blog I get worked up about labeling a troubled surgical department as "a factory," but there are far more important…
#TBT: What CFO Magazine Wrote About #Lean in 2009 Mark Graban Dec 15, 2016 2 Audio I first blogged about this article back in 2009 and it's still online: "Keen to Be Lean" The sub headline talks…
How Can a Story Like This Occur in Any E.D., Yet Alone a Hospital With a Lean… Mark Graban Nov 14, 2016 14 Blog This story was sent to me by somebody I know with a Lean manufacturing career. It's shocking, but it could happen…
Patriots’ Coach Bill Belichick : Surface Tablets :: Some Doctors : EMR… Mark Graban Oct 20, 2016 3 Blog I saw this article the other day on Deadspin, one of my favorite non-Lean blogs/sites. Bill Belichick, head…
Following Up on the DMC Problems Mark Graban Oct 4, 2016 1 Blog This article caught my eye recently: DMC dirty instruments escaped '15 probe, records show (via The Detroit…
A Prof Writes About “Proof that Operational Excellence Works in… Mark Graban Oct 3, 2016 0 Blog This article caught my eye recently: Skeptics - We have Proof that Operational Excellence Work in Healthcare!…
Does the Size of a Hospital Matter for Quality of Surgery? Mark Graban Sep 29, 2016 3 Blog This article caught my eye recently: Doctors usually think bigger hospitals offer better surgery. Turns out,…
Key Tweets from @MarkGraban – Week of August 15, 2016: Whiskey, Deming,… Mark Graban Aug 19, 2016 0 Blog Here's the latest installment of "Key Tweets," a weekly post that summarizes some of my tweets (or retweets) from…
My Lean Healthcare Trip to China: Transitioning From Beijing to Shanghai Mark Graban Aug 10, 2016 0 Blog Continuing my series of blog posts about my July trip to China, today's post is about the second city I visited:…