“Lean” was coined in an MIT study of automotive manufacturing in the 1980s to describe Toyota’s production system: Lean Manufacturing. (Higher Quality, Lower Cost and Shorter Lead times with less resources) HPP has pioneered the translation and application of Lean Principles in Healthcare (Improved OutcomesLean Principles in Healthcare. (Improved Outcomes, Less Waiting, Improved Patient/ Staff/ Physician Satisfaction)

Lean Healthcare is a Customer Focused approach. Activities are viewed as Value Added or Non-Value Addedwith respect to providing value to the patient/customer.

Examples of Non-Value Added activities include patients waiting for the next step in the pathway of care, nurses searching for supplies that are not readily available, patients providing information multiple times to multiple departments (home meds, registration info), and OR’s waiting for the next patient to be prepped for surgery.

•Defects •Transportation

In Lean terms, Non-Value Added activities are called Waste. Lean Healthcare uses a structured process to identify and eliminate Waste in everyday work and processes.

This does not mean people waste their time. It means that people often have to take excess steps or work-•Defects

•Over-production

•Waiting

•Not clear (confusion)

•Transportation

•Inventory

•Motion

•Excess Processing

arounds to overcome barriers inherent in the current system. And, some Non-Value Added activity is necessary, cannot be fully eliminated, but must be viewed as waste that must be constantly challenged.

Kaizen is a word borrowed from the Japanese that

•Observation Forms•Spaghetti Diagrams•Value Stream Mapping•5S/ Visual Controls•Standardized Work

ptranslates to Continuous Incremental Improvement.

HPP facilitates a 5-day Kaizen/ Rapid Improvement Event with a cross-functional team to observe, analyze, improve and implement changes to eliminate waste in their own processes and workplace.

Various Lean Tools are used to observe work processes, identify Waste, and understand work and information flow Other tools are solution oriented methods Standardized Work

•Mistake Proofing•Turn Around Time Reduction•Pull Systems•reVIEW© A3 Problem Solving•4 Rules in use

understand work and information flow. Other tools are solution oriented methods that are used to eliminate Waste. While many of the concepts may seem simple, true understanding of the complexity and interdependence comes with personal application, along with coaching from an experienced Facilitator.

Observation: We are not actually watching you...we are observing work processes. By observing the actual people doing the actual work, we can understand the current systems and work processes to

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© 2009 Healthcare Performance Partners, LLC / www.hpp.bz

work, we can understand the current systems and work processes to identify areas of opportunity to eliminate waste. What are the problems and barriers that you deal with on a daily basis that prevent you from providing the best patient care? Elimination of those barriers, will lead to better patient care.

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