Patsy Engel Joins ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value

The ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value welcomes Patsy Engel as education manager. In her new role, Engel will act as faculty for the Lean Management System programs and will lead the development of new products and services geared for healthcare organizations in North America.

Engel previously was a director of operations at ThedaCare, a seven-hospital system in Northeastern Wisconsin. She is a registered nurse and a certified asthma educator, and has 25 years of clinical experience with an emphasis in quality and chronic disease management. Engel also holds a Lean Bronze Certification from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers and the Association for Manufacturing Excellence.

“I am very eager to take on this new role,” said Engel. “I look forward to sharing my knowledge of the lean management system with others and doing my part to improve the healthcare industry beyond a single system.”

As director of operations at ThedaCare, Engel played an integral role in the development of the organization’s well-known lean management system and served as a lead in the management system training. She also supported several of ThedaCare’s hospitals in creating spread models and teams to accomplish rapid cycle improvement. Prior to that, Engel was a lean facilitator for the ThedaCare Improvement System (TIS). She was instrumental in developing TIS training programs, and acted as faculty for the TIS internship for hospital managers and supervisors. She also served as a coach and mentor for numerous ThedaCare operational leaders.

The Center is excited to capture and support Engel’s knowledge of lean management. “Patsy is a natural teacher. Her expertise and enthusiastic attitude will help us educate healthcare organizations on how to align the work of all levels toward their continuous improvement goals,” said Center President and COO Helen Zak.