When we observe leadership behavior long enough, we often witness someone in a high ranking position that could use a slice of humble pie. Because of their position, a leader’s behavior is observed by everyone in the organization. If the leader communicates the wrong way or jumps to the wrong conclusion, everyone knows. And the consequences of a high ranking leader acting like they know it all, can be demoralizing to employees.
It’s hard for some leaders to show confidence and exhibit pride in their work, but not cross the line to arrogance. Continue reading →
One of the advantages I have in my role is to participate in gemba at many organizations. I can see their lean journey maturing. I can see their business management systems developing as their leaders iteratively go through cycles of PDSA. I also see the large amount of process waste that emerges as each unit in an organization builds their visual management system. This waste is preventable. I will save additional comments on that for my next blog. Continue reading →
March is my “anniversary month” at the ThedaCare Center For Healthcare Value. I officially started (as a volunteer) this month in 2010 – five years ago. As we prepare for our 6th Annual Lean Healthcare Transformation Summit in June , I would like to share some observations and personal reflections from the past five years.
Is healthcare improving? I have seen some indication of improvement – in pockets, but not as a system. Costs are still over-running revenues and the quality of care in United States (as well as Canada) is not that great as compared to other countries. Continue reading →
Nothing like a serious illness to a love one that requires daily visits to a hospital to provide a front seat view of the current state of our healthcare system. My 85-year old mother was going through CRT (combined chemotherapy and radiation treatment) for cancer.
At the cancer treatment center, Monday was “infusion day.” Infusion wait times of four or more hours were the norm. Department associates explained that, “Mondays are very busy.” Scheduling practices such as starting all new patients on Mondays is a contributor to the un-level demand. My mother’s treatment plan, one that many patients also followed, involved accessing her port and giving her a weekly ‘bottle’ each Monday which was removed each Friday. This too contributed to the un-level demand. Continue reading →
Is there a better way to pay for healthcare than the prevalent “fee-for-service” model?
The answer to this question has been pursued for years. Recently, it has become even more urgent due to the changes in Medicare reimbursements (Hospital Readmission Reduction Act), the Affordable Care Act, and recent targets set by the Obama Administration to increase alternative payment methods in Medicare. The goal of payment reform is to find a better way of paying for healthcare that results in better value (i.e. higher quality, lower cost, resulting in better health). In other words, the right care, at the right time, in the right setting, at the right price. Continue reading →
The current way healthcare services are delivered in this country is, at its core, the opposite of lean. Those of us working in the industry need to do much more to become truly patient-centered, or lean, as stated in so many of our mission statements.
To elaborate this point, I will focus on “flow and pull value,” a fundamental principle of lean. When this principle has been applied to the care process, the patient dictates where, when, and how often a service is provided. In addition, waste has been eliminated, so that service can be provided at the lowest cost possible. Examples of this principle in action may include: Continue reading →
It sounds like a simple idea to change from push to pull.
In the months of December and January, many hospitals are in the middle of putting the finishing touches on their annual budget. Thousands of line items, each requiring thought, planning, and measurement are rolled up into a larger set of numbers. Hospital leaders will use this one document to make future financial decisions basing their assumptions on data from the previous six months when the budget process began. This is known as the push style of budgeting. Conversely, some hospitals are changing their annual budget process from push to pull, and have reduced the time spent on budgets by 60% or more. Continue reading →
In 2008, as the U.S. economy tanked, Congress passed a $700 billion stimulus package to fund ‘shovel ready projects’ to put Americans back to work and America back on its feet. They specifically designated $30 billion to wire the American healthcare system. The Office of the National Coordinator was created to manage the digital transition and Meaningful Use came to life. The idea, of course, was that the investor (the U.S. Government as a proxy for the U.S. Taxpayer) must see a return on investment in the form of demonstrated use of the technology it had just funded, thus ever increasing strings were attached to Meaningful Use incentive payments. The $30 billion fund will be exhausted by year end 2014. The compliance carrot of increased revenue is progressively being replaced by the threat of penalties for noncompliance. Now what? Continue reading →
Today (as I write this) is Veteran’s Day. I’m a veteran. My wife is a veteran. My dad was a veteran. My father-in-law is a veteran. Most of my uncles are, or were, veterans. Some of my best friends are veterans.
There are some (including some in Congress) who feel that changing the bureaucracy is not enough. For instance, Representative Jeff Miller, Florida Republican and Chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said “A bureaucratic reshuffle isn’t a substitute for firing employees who were responsible for the wait lists, ignored whistleblowers, or otherwise put the department’s needs ahead of veterans.” Continue reading →
I just went to the doctor’s office for my annual physical. In my market, I have to schedule this appointment a year in advance, and there are no automatic reminders. So when a year rolls around, there is always some sort of scheduling conflict that makes me have to reschedule. This time, when I called to reschedule, the very polite front desk person said next available was seven months away! Oh boy, I had no choice but WAIT.
When the appointment finally rolled around, I sat in the waiting room for over an hour. I wished someone had let me know ahead of time that Continue reading →
Today (as I write this) is Veteran’s Day. I’m a veteran. My wife is a veteran. My dad was a veteran. My father-in-law is a veteran. Most of my uncles are, or were, veterans. Some of my best friends are veterans.
