Lean has been primarily associated with manufacturing but a page or two of the book have been used by the healthcare sector as well.
Healthcare implemented an aspect of the process improvement strategy, a concept of Lean for quality improvement and cost cutting. In addition to cutting costs, the implementation of Lean Six Sigma in healthcare has improved the safety of the patient and reimbursement rates and established new standards around transparency.
Organizations seek professionals experienced in Lean Six Sigma in healthcare for the sake of process improvement. This comes from the assumption than an experienced professional would know where potential pitfalls would be. Even though healthcare organizations prefer experienced Lean professionals from manufacturing, the two sectors are very different from one another.
Becker’s Hospital Review asks the professionals to slow down while working in the healthcare because it tends to be less hierarchical than manufacturing and needs consensus for decisions. Any haste may result in losing of trust and support.
It is believed that the professionals in the healthcare would not lead by results but by relations. By building trust and sharing fears and possibilities, they would encourage everyone, from the top level physician to frontline workers, to be a part of the improvement program.
Doctors may be taken aback by the comparison of saving a sick human to manufacturing a car. So the process needs to adapt well to the sector to get the decision makers on board.
A known process improvement strategy is to combine Lean with Six Sigma to decrease variability in manufacturing and business processes. The blend of both Lean and Six Sigma not only aims to accomplish process improvement but also boost morale of the staff and buy-in.
Use of Lean Six Sigma in Healthcare will improve end results and save on costs.
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