Potent Medicine Receives Shingo Research and Publication Award

Potent Medicine:  The Collaborative Cure for Healthcare written by John Toussaint, has been awarded the 2013 Shingo Research and Publication Award.  The award is given annually by The Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence, a not-for-profit organization that is part of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University. It recognizes a book's contribution to the body of knowledge surrounding operational excellence.

The Shingo Prize is well-respected among lean organizations and leaders,said Dr. Toussaint, CEO of the ThedaCare Center for Healthcare Value. This recognition is the Good Housekeeping seal of approvaland confirms that the book content meets the highest standards for excellence. For Shingo to honor Potent Medicine with this award is both humbling and gratifying.

In Potent Medicine, Dr. Toussaint offers practical advice to transform healthcare and deliver better patient value. Doctors, patients and payers need to commit time and energy to the solutions described in this book. It serves as a call to action for healthcare leaders, policy makers, and patients to illustrate the changes required for improved delivery of care, improved transparency of patient safety, and payment reform.

"We can't just keep paying for additional procedures, said Dr. Toussaint.We need to focus on paying for health and creating value for patients. Potent Medicine is not a book of theory. It demonstrates what we have done in Wisconsin and offers examples of successful in-the-trenches collaboration and experimentation.

From a patient's perspective, Potent Medicine discusses specific concerns about the lack of understanding regarding health data and payment and what consumers can do to foster better physician-patient engagement."

Dr. Toussaint's first Shingo Award-winning book, On the Mend: Revolutionizing Healthcare to Save Lives and Transform the Industry, uses plain language and real-life examples to explain lean healthcare.

The Shingo Prize promotes excellence in organizations through application of universally accepted principles of operational excellence and seeks to empower people and transform organizational culture. Authors of Shingo Award-winning books will be honored at the 25th Annual Shingo Prize International Conference held May 6 10 in Provo, Utah.

For details on the Shingo Awards Ceremony, visit shingoprize.org/2013Conference/index.html.