Perfecting patient journeys
Shingo Research and Professional Publication Awardrecipient
Healthcare in the United States, and aroundthe world, is facing a crisis brought on by a combination of rising costs, lackof transparency and accountability, and preventable medical errors. Applyinglean thinking to improve care is one way that healthcare organizations canengage employees in solving problems in order to deliver better and moreefficient care.
PerfectingPatient Journeys is a guide for leaders of healthcareorganizations who want to implement lean thinking. Readers will learn how toidentify and select a problem, define a project scope, and create a sharedunderstanding of what’s occurring in the value stream. Readers will also learnto develop a shared vision of an improved future, and how to work together tomake that vision a reality.
Overthe past eight years, the authors of this book have helped healthcareorganizations learn how to make real and sustainable change using thevalue-stream improvement method. Implementing lean thinking has helpedhealthcare providers develop an adaptive, problem-solving culture with stunningresults:
ØReducedannual staff turnover by 20%
ØAveragelength of stay (LOS) in a large emergency department was reduced by 30%
ØThenumber of patients who left without being seen (LWOBS) dropped by 60% in thesame hospital
ØCustomer(patient) satisfaction increased by 73%
ØOperatingroom changeover time was reduced, which increased the number of surgicalprocedures performed by 20%
Rather than rely on huge training budgets orteams of consultants, the method described in this book focuses on solving realorganizational problems, and helps healthcare organizations and those who laborwithin them to daily provide safe, effective, efficient, and timely patient care.
