Lean Hospitals: Improving Quality, Patient Safety, and Employee Engagement, Second Edition

Building on the success of the Shingo Prize-Winning first edition, Lean Hospitals: Improving Quality, Patient Safety, and Employee Engagement, Second Edition explains how to use the Lean management system to improve safety, quality, access, and morale while reducing costs. Lean healthcare expert Mark Graban examines the challenges facing today’s health systems, including rising costs, falling reimbursement rates, employee retention, and patient safety.

The new edition of this international bestseller begins with an overview of Lean methods. It explains how Lean practices such as value stream mapping and process observation can help reduce wasted motion for caregivers, prevent delays for patients, and improve the long-term health of your organization. In addition to a new introduction from John Toussaint, this updated edition includes:

• New and updated material on identifying waste, A3 problem solving, employee suggestion management, and strategy deployment
• New case studies—including a new Kanban case study (Northampton General Hospital) and another that ties together the themes of standardized work, Kanban, 5S, visual management, and Lean leadership for the prevention of patient harm
• New examples and updated data throughout, including revised chapters on patient safety and preventing medical errors

Detailing the steps needed for a successful transition to a Lean culture, the book provides the understanding of Lean practices—including standardized work, error proofing, root cause problem solving, and daily improvement processes—needed to reduce common hospital errors. The balanced approach outlined in this book will guide you through the process of improving quality of service while reducing costs in your hospital.

About the Author

Mark Graban is a consultant, author, keynote speaker, and blogger in the field of Lean healthcare. Mark is an experienced consultant and change agent, with a background in industrial and mechanical engineering and an MBA from the MIT Sloan Leaders for Global Operations Program. Prior to healthcare, Mark worked in multiple industries, including automotive (General Motors), electronics (Dell), and industrial products (Honeywell). At Honeywell, Mark was certified as a Lean Expert (Lean Black Belt).

Since August 2005, Mark has worked exclusively in healthcare, where he has coached Lean teams at client sites in North America and the United Kingdom, including medical laboratories, hospitals, and primary care clinics. Mark's motivation is to apply Lean and Toyota Production System principles to improve quality of care and patient safety, to improve the customer/patient experience, to help the development of medical professionals and employees, and to help build strong organizations for the long term.

From June 2009 to June 2011, Mark was a Senior Fellow with the Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI), a not-for-profit educational organization that is a leading voice in the Lean world. In this role, Mark also served as the Director of Communication & Technology for the Healthcare Value Network, a collaboration of healthcare organizations from across North America, a partnership between LEI and the ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value. Mark continues as an LEI faculty member.

In June 2011, Mark joined the software company KaiNexus as their Chief Improvement Officer, to help further their mission of "making improvement easier" in healthcare organizations, while continuing his other consulting and speaking activities.