What Does a Lean Hospital Look Like?
Lean manufacturing principles may have originated in manufacturing industries, but in recent years they’ve been used quite effectively in the healthcare industry, too. This topic is covered in a podcast over at Mark Graban’s Lean Blog, in which Graban interviews Paul Plsek, author of the book Accelerating Health Care Transformation with Lean and Innovation: The Virginia Mason Experience.
The two discuss Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, a hospital that has been employing Lean practices for over a decade to improve healthcare for its patients and to find innovative ways to increase the efficiency of the hospital.
Plsek has worked with healthcare organizations around the world—including Virginia Mason—and, as he puts it, “I describe my work as trying to help organizations think better.”
Learn more about Plsek’s work, his book and the ways Lean can be used in healthcare in the full podcast at the Lean Blog.
Additional Resources
- John Krafcik and the Birth of the Term Lean– creativesafetysupply.com
- Lean Hospital– blog.5stoday.com
- Proof in the Pudding : Lean Can be a Great Risk Worth Taking– blog.creativesafetysupply.com
- Podcasts to Improve the Workplace– safetyblognews.com
- Lean Methodology In Healthcare– creativesafetypublishing.com
- Amazon Buys in on Lean Manufacturing– lean-news.com
- Jim Womack’s Top Misconceptions of the Lean Movement– kaizen-news.com
- What Does A Company Utilizing 5s Lean Management Stand To Gain?– 5snews.com
