Going Lean: Busting Barriers to Patient Flow (American College of Healthcare Executives Management)

Why is this patient still here? Has this question crossed your mind while you are walking the halls of your organization? This book explains how the Lean Method can help you keep your patients moving smoothly through treatment. It may sound technical, but it is not. The Lean Method is easy to understand, easy to visualize, and easy to apply. First it will help you identify what is keeping patients waiting. Once you uncover the barriers to smooth patient flow, you can use the Lean method to develop creative strategies for keeping patients moving. The Lean Method is a management system. It will help you uncover issues, set goals for solving the issues, and measure your progress toward achievement. Lean has worked in real hospitals, real clinics, and real laboratories The book includes numerous examples and success stories that illustrate the Lean Method in action. It contains specific recommendations for removing the barriers to flow that are commonly uncovered using the Lean Method. When you improve patient flow, you ll see more revenue for the same assets, happier patients, and happier staff. Learn about these strategies for improving patient flow: Creating on observation unit distinct from inpatient units Redesigning compensation systems to favor patient flow Urging senior managers to spend time observing Requiring progress-tracking charts on everything of interest Encouraging caregivers to ask, Why is this patient still here? Creating a patient-flow desk to centralize admission control

"Why is this patient still here?" Has this question crossed your mind while you are walking the halls of your organization? This book explains how the Lean Method can help you keep your patients moving smoothly through treatment.

It may sound technical, but it is not. The Lean Method is easy to understand, easy to visualize, and easy to apply. First it will help you identify what is keeping patients waiting. Once you uncover the barriers to smooth patient flow, you can use the Lean method to develop creative strategies for keeping patients moving. The Lean Method is a management system. It will help you uncover issues, set goals for solving the issues, and measure your progress toward achievement.

Lean has worked in real hospitals, real clinics, and real laboratories The book includes numerous examples and success stories that illustrate the Lean Method in action. It contains specific recommendations for removing the barriers to flow that are commonly uncovered using the Lean Method.

When you improve patient flow, you’ll see more revenue for the same assets, happier patients, and happier staff.

Learn about these strategies for improving patient flow:

• Creating on observation unit distinct from inpatient units
• Redesigning compensation systems to favor patient flow
• Urging senior managers to spend time observing
• Requiring progress-tracking charts on everything of interest
• Encouraging caregivers to ask, "Why is this patient still here?"
• Creating a patient-flow desk to centralize admission control

Contents ......Page 6 Foreword ......Page 8 Preface ......Page 12 Part I. Getting Started ......Page 16 1. Introduction......Page 18 2. The Lean Method ......Page 24 3. Capacity, Backlogs, and Scheduling ......Page 38 Part II. Basic Applications of the Lean Method......Page 46 4. Simple Patient-Flow Examples ......Page 48 5. Call Center: A Success Story ......Page 60 6. Outpatient Laboratory: A Success Story ......Page 66 7. Back Pain Clinic: A Success Story ......Page 70 8. Women's Center: A Success Story ......Page 74 Part III. Complex Applications of the Lean Method ......Page 88 9. The Lean General Hospital ......Page 90 10. Emergency Department ......Page 94 Patient Diversion: A Success Story ......Page 103 Door-to-Balloon: A Success Story ......Page 107 11. Laboratories ......Page 112 Pathology Lab with Small Batches: A Success Story ......Page 116 12. Admissions ......Page 120 13. Surgery ......Page 128 The Orange Form: A Success Story ......Page 134 14. Inpatient Care ......Page 138 15. External Benchmarking: A Success Story ......Page 160 16. Infection Reduction: A Success Story ......Page 166 17. Discharge ......Page 170 18. The Cash Cycle ......Page 180 Dual Process Improvement: A Success Story ......Page 183 19. Long-Term-Care Facilities ......Page 190 Recommendations Summary......Page 196 Appendix: Hospital-Acquired Infections Reporting: A Beginning ......Page 198 About the Authors and Contributors ......Page 204