As we do most years, last year, in the midst of Covid, we at Catalysis had the opportunity to review our True North metrics. Were we moving the needle? Were these the right metrics? For our quality and customer service metrics, we couldn’t unequivocally and enthusiastically answer “Yes!” – so we took the time to […]
What comes first technology or process? As lean thinkers we know it’s always the process first. Healthcare is not wanting for technology. We’ve spent the last ten years implementing electronic health records, replacing legacy financial systems, and building information flow systems that allow caregivers to have access to real-time data at the point of care. […]
https://createvalue.org/articles_and_news/john-toussaint-reflections-comes-first-technology-process/
This year has been an eventful one for my family. We had the regular COVID restrictions and wished we could all be together celebrating life’s many milestones. This year also brought unanticipated opportunities of spending time with loved ones as inpatients (non-COVID) in several different hospitals. This is the kind of Gemba you never want […]
https://createvalue.org/blog/remember-patient-room-white-boards/
In the past few months, I have been asked if there is a difference between the Lean Management System and Shared Governance. Yes, but… I see the Management system is a foundational element to the Shared Governance process and will support the work done in Shared Governance to progress toward the desired results.
The conversion of paper medical charts to digital has been a massive effort over the past 10 to 15 years. The energy has led to the creation of an integrated patient record with every bit of information needed to provide diagnosis treatment and prevention while allowing full access of information to the patient. In this […]
An A3 is typically thought of as a business process related to strategy or problem-solving. An A3 can also be a powerful personal development tool. Let’s walk through how to use an A3 for personal development. Starting on the left-hand side as usual, think about your leadership actions and behaviors and ask yourself the following […]
I was talking to a colleague this week who is the lean transformation leader at a large multispecialty physician group in California. He has a great deal of lean transformation experience. He asked me, “So what’s next? We have taken the transformation journey as outlined by Catalysis and we want to know what’s next.” It […]
https://createvalue.org/articles_and_news/john-toussaints-monthly-reflections-whats-next/
Plan, do, study, adjust, or PDSA, can also be thought of as the improvement cycle. These four steps outline the problem-solving process that leads to improvement. Often people struggle with consistency in completing the cycle because they want to plan and do and then move on to the next problem.
https://createvalue.org/blog/pdsa-is-part-of-life-make-it-part-of-your-work/
I have had to answer many people during my career why I should espouse this management philosophy that is so hard to learn. The reason is simple; it saves lives. This has never been more clearly demonstrated than the work we witnessed in Westrand and Johannesburg, South Africa. The results CEOs Gladys Bogoshi and Grey […]
Over the years I have often been asked what I would do differently if I were to lead another lean transformation. The list is too long to cover in this monthly letter, but I would like to highlight two important learnings that would shape the transformation differently. View this message on Youtube. I would be […]
