Patient Volumes have not returned to normal in most health care organizations in the U.S. One of the main reasons is people are scared to go to the doctor’s office. We might get infected from workers, other patients, even doctors. To assure it’s safe look for the following four things. Is a drive through visit […]
Before Covid-19 pandemic struck, the U.S. health care industry suffered more than 550,000 work-related injuries and illnesses per year, or 150,000 more than any other industry in the country. Therefore, it is no surprise that health care workers have been harmed at tragic rates during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control […]
Catalysis Healthcare Value Network member Torrance Memorial (TM) is a 610-bed hospital in California. Leadership, for years, has embraced respect for people as the principle underlying all their actions. It’s one thing to give lip service to “our people are our most important asset” it’s another thing to show it through action. When Covid hit […]
By Lisa Yerian M.D. and John Toussaint M.D. There is great concern throughout the U.S. that health systems will not be able to meet the demand of the potential exponential growth of critically ill patients with COVID-19. This is playing out in New York where some hospitals have full ICUs and too few ventilators to […]
In this article, John Toussaint, John R. Griffith, and Stephen Shortell provide a detailed analysis of how the Baldrige criteria can be met using the Shingo model. Lean, Shingo, and Baldrige do not have to be used independently. They can work together to achieve a culture of continuous improvement. Read the full NEJM Catalyst article
Traditional healthcare management needs an overhaul. Medical errors have become a norm and costs continue to escalate. A new management philosophy is emerging at a few NHS Trusts. Recent research has shown that operational excellence, the management approach described in this article, leads to improved patient cost and quality outcomes. However, it requires healthcare leaders […]
Abstract: It is well known that health-care performance is highly variable and not reliable. To address this issue, a number of health-care leaders have been experimenting with operational methods derived from non–health-care industries. Leaders at Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Stanford Children’s Hospital at Stanford, and ThedaCare have been studying and applying principles from consistently high-performing […]
A number of health systems have scored impressive gains in improving outcomes and patient satisfaction and lower costs by applying the Toyota Production System (TPS) to redesign “lean” clinical and administrative processes, eliminating waste and boosting quality. But in all too many cases, when the leader who championed TPS left his or her organization, these efforts began […]
The behavior of senior executives, and especially the CEO, is known to be directly related to an organization’s performance. In 2017, we reported on five behavioral dimensions required to build a culture of continuous improvement: willingness, humility, curiosity, perseverance, and self-discipline. Does changing leader behavior to embody these qualities lead to better patient outcomes? The leadership team at […]
Published in Healthcare Executive JULY/AUG 2018, authored by Don Shilton, Joseph Sluka, and John S. Toussaint, MD The value imperative is challenging boards to apply Lean principles to governance processes. Many boards are composed of community leaders who are accomplished executives from other industries. Often, these well-meaning board members want to apply their business acumen to the operations of the hospital or […]
