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Lean Healthcare in Action

Let us show you by example how powerful employee driven solutions can be

Case study I – Confusion and Extra Work – The OR Schedule Board

There were two schedule boards in the hospital:  one in the OR area and another outside in the gowning area. Both were maintained by several people.  Every day they started showing considerable discrepancies as early as 9 a.m..

Lean Management knows the mudas (jap. for waste)

The identified mudas in this case were

  • confusion
  • unnecessary work

The solution developed by the employees: Both schedule boards were replaced by electronic displays fed by the OR planning software so that they always provided the same information.

Case study 2 – Unnecessary Waiting Times, Chaotic Admission and Discharge of Patients

In the morning new patients had to wait in the corridors of the wards because beds were still occupied by patients waiting for their discharge. The situation was embarrassing for everyone involved. Hospital beds became scarce when in fact there was no lack of beds.

The mudas:

  • Waiting
  • Motion
  • Transport

The solution:  With our support the employees established a clear and fixed process: the patients were admitted to the wards following a staggered plan. Discharge planning already started on the day of admission.  Patients were continuously informed about their progress and the planned discharge day. On the day of discharge all necessary steps were taken to enable patients to leave the ward by 10 a.m. If this was not possible, reasons had to be documented.

The processes were measured by key figures. Results were discussed with all stakeholders in a counseled dialogue on regular basis.  A KAIZEN cycle started.

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