Meetings (Facilitation, Icebreakers, Communication, etc)

Career makeover: Shaking off a shy image

This article describes how one self-described introvert addressed a perception of shyness and increased his influence at work.

Adding Value to the Surgical PAT Process

Using Lean Six Sigma tools, a hospital redesigns its PAT department process so that all charting is completed 72 hours prior to the day of surgery.

Management Engineers

Management Engineering: What is it?

Improving Medical Equipment Availability at Barnes-Jewish Hospital

One hospital details improvements to their medical equipment retrieval, cleaning, and distribution process.

Sustaining VAP Bundle Compliance in the ICU: A Model of CQI

Using Lean Six Sigma tools, a hospital redesigns and implements new ICU protocols for patients on mechanical ventilation.  The article details how the initial sustainability effort failed, but was brought back into long-run control.

Optimizing Caregiver Workflow in a PICU

Physician and Nursing roles and responsibilities within a PICU are redefined using lean tools to decrease LOS while increasing outcomes.

Hospitals Need IE Data to Drive Staffing Decisions

Examples are used to detail the need for use of IE methods in the setting of departmental staffing levels

Additional Thoughts Regarding our Roundtable with the Experts

Karen Martin describes the steps needed to ensure an improvement effort is successful at a system level, and ways for a performance improvement consultant to continuously improve their professional skills.

SHS Roundtable with the Experts: Summarizing Health Care Improvement Challenges

Four experts discuss various health care issues and potential solutions.  The implementation of lean, the importance of sustainability, the necessity of crafting appropriate technology solutions, and the ultimate need for improvements to come from within an organization are covered.

In by 9 Out by 6 - Level Loading

A CT scan department has its demand smoothed.

SHS Time-release fix: 5S is the little big secret for improving health care

5S theory and implementations are discussed

SHS Helping a Hospital Shine

Lean tools are used to redesign processes throughout a hospital.

SHS Paging Dr Toyota

Discussion of applications of lean within the OR.

Lollipops for Excellence

System-level quality and effectiveness programs are implemented using Six Sigma at a childrens' hospital in Washington DC.

SHS A Four-Arm Framework To Implement Rapid Response Teams

One implementation of Rapid Response Teams is discussed.

SHS Attacking Waste and Variation Hospital-Wide: A Comprehensive Lean Sigma Deployment

Improvement projects in surgery, nursing, and the ED are discussed.  The process of moving a hospital towards adoption of Lean Six Sigma is also described.

SHS Creating A Patient Centered Access Management System

Improvements to a provider appointment-making system are motivated, tested, and sustained

SHS Breaking the Supply Chain Barrier: "Can I do this on my own?"

Successful supply chain management is discussed.  Examples show potential savings and describe the buy-in needed to achieve those dollars.

SHS Development and Implementation of a Healthcare-Based Economic Evaluation Methodology

A methodology for standardized evaluation of the financial impact of operational and patient care improvements is discussed.

SHS Utilizing Industrial Engineering Student Teams to Benefit Management Engineering Efforts

An ED lean project is discussed, highlighting some advantages that undergraduates can bring when partnered with professionals in the field.

SHS In by 9 out by 6 - Load Leveling

Detailed description of a lean project to improve TAT in the CT Scan department.

SHS Improved Scheduling in a for Profit Surgical Center

In a for-profit ambulatory surgical center, the current scheduling method often results in cases starting later than the initial plan.  The presentation describes an implementation of clustering as well as multiple simulations of different possibilities.

SHS Building Lean From the Ground Up

The surgical admitting process is targeted with a lean event.  Current and future state is described, the process of improvement is shown, and results are discussed.

SHS In the Quest for Performance Excellence: Deployment of Lean Manufacturing Principles in Healthcare Delivery Processes

Three successful lean projects are discussed in detail.  The ED, Radiology, and HR departments all show significant improvement.

SHS Using Lean Methodology to Improve Patient Safety and Clinical Quality

Three successful lean projects are discussed in detail.  Specimen Labeling, Surgery and Endoscopy Pre-Op, and Inpatient Nursing Crash Cart projects all demonstrate significant improvement.

SHS Reaching New Levels of Patient Safety Through Improved Specimen Labeling

Results of a hospital-wide specimen labeling lean project is discussed.

SHS Productivity and Quality Indicator Monitoring

A productivity monitoring system is installed and used to manage budget

SHS Establishing Nursing Staffing Requirements in an Imaging Environment

A study is done to improve the communication between and expense of the nursing staff associated with all imaging modalities.

SHS Re-positioning Accountability in Labor Management: Success Stories

Implementation of productivity monitoring programs are discussed

SHS Get em In - Get em Out

Multiple projects and results are discussed in the goal to continuously improve patient flow.

SHS Improving Patient Flow from the ED to a Nursing Unit

A lean event focused on patient flow out of the ED was conducted, and results are discussed

SHS Enhancing Performance Excellence: Total Emergency Services Redesign

All processes in an ED are redesigned, with multiple outcomes showing improvement.

SHS The Journey Toward a Lean ED

A 100,000 annual visit hospital ED is redesigned using lean principles. Wait times decrease and pt satisfaction and revenue increases.  Simulation shows further viability of new processes.  This presentation is made by a MD who became a lean coach.

SHS A Revolution in ED Patient Throughput Management

ED throughput process improvement projects are discussed.  The presenter is a MD.  Several changes are shown with great results.

SHS Turning the ED into Your Hospital's New Front Door

Multiple projects are performed to improve an ED.  Problems are stated and results are given.

SHS Going Beyond - Finding New Ways to Analyze Revenue Cycle Performance Improvement

Issues with billing denials can be addressed by creating and addressing a Pareto chart of top reasons for lack of payment.  This is analyzed through implementation.

SHS Using Six Sigma Principles to Reduce Billing Errors

Billing error reduction as a Lean Six Sigma project

SHS Using Six Sigma to Improve ICU Patient Flow

A Lean Six Sigma project focusing on ICU throughput times is completed.  Lessons learned and successes are shared.

SHS Key Performance Indicators: Relevant Metrics that Sell Results and Drive Ongoing Improvement

A discussion of the importance of metric and measurement accuracy during execution of improvement projects.

SHS Lean Concepts for the Service Industry: Healthcare Pharmacy Example

A lean project is done with a general physician clinic and an outpatient pharmacy; results are discussed.

SHS Improve Outpatient Clinic Access and Service with Lean Six Sigma

A lean project is done at a cardiac clinic.  Problem is to reduce wait time for an appt and cycle time of the appointment.  Results are discussed.

SHS Gain Competitive Advantage by Aligning Process Improvement with Hospital Strategy

Changing managerial thought is a process; this presentation demonstrates one way that managers are forced to confront the reality of differing goals/expectations of other managers they must work with.

SHS How to Build a Lean Sensei Army for Continuous Improvement!

What's the benefit of developing a team of lean experts? This presentation proposes an answer.

SHS Putting Data Into Action in the Operating Room Setting

New ways to display OR data are proposed in this presentation.

SHS Improving Patient Care - Case Carts and the Operating Room

Reasons for delay in creation of case carts are addressed.  SPD often has inefficient workarounds as part of their daily routine.

SHS Continued Barriers to Operational and Financial Performance in Surgical Services

Surgical services projects often have many barriers to success; this presentation helps illuminate and identify where they may be for your hospital.

SHS Streamlining Your OR

A hospital undertakes a systemic improvement of their OR suite.  The process and final results are detailed.

SHS Moving Up the Curve: From Individual to Team to Organizational Effectiveness

Management team-building requires careful thought and planning. The presentation goes over several common pitfalls and proposes solutions.

SHS How Change Management Transformed a Multi-site GI Practice

Replacing manual processes and disparate systems with a multi-site Gastroenterology electronic medical record system in a large multispecialty practice had many challenges.

SHS Change Management-The Key to Successfully Re-engineering Health Care Solutions

The presentation is a discussion of change management proposals and policies.. Some are successful yet some fail miserably.

SHS Ways and Wonders of Change?

Key success factors for change as well as the keys to team dynamics are considered and explained within this paper.

SHS Size Matters; How Big Does Your ED Need to Be?

A Premier consultant discusses lessons learned from performing many Lean ED projects during her career.

SHS Applying SHS Conference Learnings Back at the Ranch

Emergent Care was redesigned to decrease wait time significantly.

SHS Managing Variability in Patient Flow - Data, Process, Sustainability

Methods of confronting and smoothing the variability of patient flow are discussed.

SHS Weekend Services: The Patient is Here, So Why Aren't We?

A 848-bed hospital is experiencing long LOS and targets ancillary service availability as one potential source of improvement. The project discussed tracks the data, demonstrates immediate results, and suggests future improvements.

SHS Optimizing Cargiver Workflow in a New Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

A lean project generated proposals for rescheduling the providers' workload. During testing of the proposals, daily departmental volume was completed significantly earlier in the day.

SHS Engaging Staff in Lean Improvements for Patient Care Settings

4 lean projects were performed - pharmacy, lab, outpatient clinic, and telemetry unit. Each project was meticulously documented in the presentation. Pre- and post- metrics are included, as well as a discussion of sustainability.

SHS Recruiting Change: Process and Productivity Improvement in Human Resources

Improvements within an HR department are proposed and implemented. Results are examined, as well as a simulation of the process.

SHS A World of Innovation: Beyond Productivity at The Ohio State University Medical Center

A system-wide reporting tool for each cost center is developed and implemented. It is adopted as part of the budgeting process.

SHS Medication Administration and the Complexity of Nursing Workflow

Task analysis of an RN's shift on a med/surg unit is performed, using spaghetti maps and other lean tools. Integration of a new medicine delivery system is studied to examine how RN efficiency is affected.

SHS Our Lean Journey Continues and What A Year It's Been!

Lean projects at Kaiser Permanente are detailed and discussed. The report is a system-level presentation showing many departmental improvements.

SHS Lean in the Laboratory and Radiology: A Patient Throughput Imperative

Lean improvements within the radiology suite and laboratory workspace yield notable improvements. Project benefits are discussed.

SHS 5S An Entire Hospital System in 5 Months

A system-wide rollout of 5S was performed. Results as well as lessons learned are discussed.

SHS A Better Way to Manage Supplies

Two supply cost projects are described, analyzed, and discussed.

SHS Enhancing Hospital Health Information Management Using Industrial Engineering Tools

Lean principles are utilized during analysis and transformation of a HIM department. Results and lessons learned are discussed.

SHS Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital Recruitment Redesign

HR process redesign cuts down the time spent at each process step. Lessons learned, sustainability, and metrics are discussed with the group during this presentation.

SHS Delivering Faster Lab Turnaround Through Lean

Lab collection and processing techniques are examined and improved. Results are discussed.

SHS Lean System for Managing© (LSFM), the Missing Change Management Tool Lean

The authors present a tool for introducing lean across a system. Results from selected projects are discussed.

SHS Transforming Organizational Culture

A senior member of the Johnson&Johson consulting group discusses his approach to organizational culture change and the importance of sustained leadership commitment.

SHS Under Pressure - Efforts to Reduce Hospital Acquired Bed Sores

Root cause analysis was conducted to determine reasons for bed sores. This presentation and paper is the result of their team's effort. Sustainability and ongoing improvements are discussed.

SHS 5 Projects, 5 Hospitals: Using DMAIC for Rapid Quality Improvement

System-wide implementation of Lean Six Sigma has resulted in many successes. This presentation discusses the rationale for their overall strategy.

SHS Sustaining VAP Bundle Compliance in the ICU: A Model of CQI

The IHI Bundle was implemented; metric changes are documented and discussed. Several nursing practices were also changed.

SHS Capturing Supply Charges in the Emergency Department: How and Why?

ED charge capture is a constant problem for hospitals. This presentation covers one system-wide approach to increasing the capture rate.

SHS Premium Pay - Are You Paying Too Much for Your Labor?

HCA discusses its methodology for monitoring its usage of premium pay to ensure they use as little as possible.

SHS Reducing Inventory Waste Through Material Pull

A pull system is implemented within a surgical suite, saving on inventory cost. Other accomplishments and lessons learned are discussed.

SHS Beginning a Hospital Lean Improvement Journey in the Clinical Laboratory

Motivation is made for performing lean improvements within the lab.

SHS The Cult of Healthcare - A Warning to New Arrivals

Although healthcare is unlike any other service industry, improvement concepts are immediately applicable. This presentation teases out some specifics and attempts to answer student questions regarding the complexities of health care.

SHS A Six Sigma Approach to Denials Management

Payment denials were decreased, resulting in a cost savings of $1.6 million annually. This project steps through the list of improvements made.