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Gerard Leone
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Joined EzineArticles on Aug 9, 2010 Lean Line Design Knowledge Gap - How to Spot It and How to Solve It
Business: Productivity • Published: November 17, 2011
Kaizen is a very good methodology to spearhead your company's culture of continuous improvement. But Kaizen on a poorly designed line could cause more waste than is intended to eliminate. It all must start with a solid and complete line design. Here are some pointers so you can spot the knowledge gap at your plant.
How to Ace Your Joint Commission Survey With Lean
Health and Fitness: Healthcare Systems • Published: January 18, 2011
In December 2010 a mid-size hospital from the East Coast passed their Joint Commission Survey with flying colors. The lead surveyor complemented the hospital leadership on the remarkably few RFIs. This hospital started their Lean journey 14 months before the survey. Even though the hospital leadership does not consider the Lean journey done, they have made great improvements, especially in changing the hospital's culture towards one of relentless pursuit of perfection.
The Value Stream Maturity Scale - A Framework for Assessing Progress of Your Lean Healthcare Journey
Health and Fitness: Healthcare Systems • Published: October 22, 2010
After you decide to embark on the Lean journey for you hospital (or department); How do you know you are making progress? You need to have a framework to measure progress in a way that is understandable to all involved. This article addresses the use of the Value Stream Maturity Scale as a way to measure the progress of your Lean Healthcare efforts.
Kanban in the Lean OR - How to Get Started
Health and Fitness: Healthcare Systems • Published: September 27, 2010
As a professional implementer of Lean principles in hospitals for the last decade, I continued to be amazed by the fact that hospitals are painfully slow at putting in place simple and effective materials replenishment techniques. The great majority of all hospitals cling stubbornly to the bankrupt "par level" method to handle their supplies.
Checklists for the Lean OR
Health and Fitness: Healthcare Systems • Published: September 13, 2010
Healthcare around the world is at a crossroads, evolving from a craftsman-style delivery of care to the creation of an integrated healthcare delivery system. This change is necessary, both to improve patient outcomes and to reduce costs that are growing at an unsustainable rate. The use of checklists will be a powerful tool in this transformation.
Is the "Invasive Center" the Future For the Lean OR?
Health and Fitness: Healthcare Systems • Published: September 2, 2010
We are all trying to do more with fewer resources. Hospitals are no exception. That is the idea behind Lean Healthcare, after all. Many hospital executives now demand that all new buildings be designed with Lean principles in mind. One of the trends in hospital design is the Invasive Center concept. This saves floorspace and promises efficiency gains. But a new building, regardless of excellent design is not enough.
Instrument Set Flow in the Lean OR
Health and Fitness: Healthcare Systems • Published: August 27, 2010
Achieving fast response in the Sterile Processing Department (SPD) is a challenge that requires a scientific approach. The straight application of rapid improvement events (Kaizen) is bound to take too long for the fast-paced and high-pressure environment of the OR. This article discusses a proven methodology for the overall redesign the SPD so substantial results can be achieved quickly.
Staff Engagement in the Lean OR
Health and Fitness: Healthcare Systems • Published: August 19, 2010
One of the most important differences between an organization that is achieving great benefits from their process improvement efforts and an organization with so-so results is the level of employee engagement. In a truly Lean organization, everyone understands that it is not enough to simply do your job well, and that everyone is expected to participate in the improvement work in every process.
Finding and Eliminating Waste in the OR
Health and Fitness: Healthcare Systems • Published: August 18, 2010
If you are familiar with the concept of Lean Healthcare, you are familiar with the idea of waste. A Lean Hospital is an organization that is continually improving patient safety and satisfaction, treatment outcomes, and staff development through the elimination of waste, and improvement in patient flow.
Prioritizing Instrument Sets in a Lean OR
Health and Fitness: Healthcare Systems • Published: August 18, 2010
There never seem to be enough instrument sets to go around in a traditional OR. This apparent dearth of sets causes many forms of waste from the constant calling (and screaming) to the hunting trips to see where my instruments are. Visual management tools can alleviate these woes with simple, low-tech, yet powerful solutions from the Lean toolbox.