The Value of Lean in Healthcare

One of the key principles of Lean thinking is to eliminate delays that consume up to 95 percent of the total cycle time (57 minutes per hour). If you’ve ever been a patient, you know that there are lots of delays. This is true whether you are going to see your local dentist or family physician, or perhaps a brief stunt at your local ER. Over the years, healthcare has made tremendous strides in reducing cycle time in various aspects of care. Outpatient surgeries are one example: Arrive in the morning, and leave in the afternoon. No bed required. But there is still lots of room for real-time improvement.

Over the years, we have consulted with many hospitals, medical and dental clinics on all kinds of projects. Perhaps the most powerful tool that can be applied immediately to start slashing cycle times, medical mistakes, and cost is Lean. And it doesn’t have to take weeks, months, or years. With the right focus and the right people in the room, it only takes a few days to find ways to speed up any healthcare process, which, in turn, will reduce errors and boost profits.

See how Remote Practice Managers can help boost your profit margins through process optimization.