Leveraging Lean in Healthcare

Charles Protzman, George Mayzell, Joyce Kerpchar

I never knew that four letters – L E A N – could be so powerful! Of particular interest to me were the productive principles and techniques of selected Lean applications in a healthcare setting. I’ll never walk onto a hospital floor again without assessing for waste! Thank you for a thought provoking read that has caused me to assess my effectiveness in the healthcare environment. —Mary Jo Kirkpatrick, MSN, RN, Chairman of the Quality Committee of the Board of Directors, Methodist/LeBonheur Healthcare SystemLean methodologies, as profiled so succinctly in Protzman’s book, offer an avenue towards improved patient safety and marked increases in efficiency for healthcare. The science and technology of healthcare, along with recent legislative and payment reforms, continue forcing the industry through a period of profound and unsettling change. This instructive book is well-timed and highly informative for those committed to creating deep levels of sustainable change in healthcare.—Peter B. Angood, MD, FACS, FCCM, Senior Advisor – Patient Safety, National Quality Forum (NQF)Having derived tremendous value through the application of PDSA/PDCA rapid cycle process improvement methods over the past decade to support discrete improvement initiatives, I now look forward to using Leveraging Lean in Healthcare as an essential reference as we pursue larger scale efforts to reduce waste and improve clinical effectiveness and safety across our organization.—David J. Ballard, MD, PhD, FACP, Chief Quality Officer, Baylor Health Care System; Recipient of the 2007 Leapfrog Patient-Centered Care Award; 2008 National Quality Healthcare Award of the National Quality Form; 2010 Preeminence Award of the American Medical Group AssociationIn today’s healthcare environment we must work to improve outcomes and reduce cost. It is a matter of survival. Leveraging Lean in Healthcare: Transforming Your Enterprise into a High Quality Patient Care Delivery System is the most practical and healthcare applicable book I have ever read on LEAN thinking and concepts. A must read for CEOs, managers and supervisors as it has all the tools needed to get the results we must achieve.—Gary Shorb, CEO, Methodist Le Bonheur HealthcareThe insights provided in this book will be invaluable to anyone trying to get a clearer understanding of what that Lean journey entails. To those wondering what Lean can do for them, Charlie and his colleagues provide case studies gleaned from many years of experience to illustrate Lean at work in the real world. We believe Charlie has succeeded in his goal to have this book play a role in the "quest to provide high quality, affordable healthcare to everyone in the years to come.—Rick Malik, Worldwide Director, ValuMetrix® ServicesFrom the C-Suite to the frontline supervisor who desire to decrease waste, focus on patient-centered care and improve quality Leveraging Lean in Healthcare is a fundamental read. The authors’ skillfully point out that successful outcomes depend on organizational will and an integrated, systematic approach using Lean methodology. In this book, Lean manufacturing principles were aptly translated into useful healthcare examples and tools based upon the authors’ extensive clinical experiences. I can recommend this well written book as an essential reference in the library of all healthcare leaders interested in performance improvement.—Lee M. Adler, DO, Vice President, Quality and Safety Innovation & Research Florida Hospital Associate Professor of Internal Medicine University of Central Florida College of Medicine... a must read for all Leadership involved in healthcare. ... I can see reading this book over and over.—Brigit Zamora, BSN, RN, CPAN, CAPA; Administrative Nurse Manager Surigical RIO, Peds RIO, PTEC, Florida Hospital, Orlando

• Lean Overview and History. Lean Tools, Methodology and Application. Selected Lean Implementation Case Studies. Appendices: Lean Practitioner Quiz. Lean Formulas. Bibliography and Suggested Readers and References. Glossary.