Page 125 - Lean six sigma demystified

104 Lean Six Sigma DemystifieD

Less Inventory Means Better Care

Another important aspect of Lean is the concept that inventory is funda-
mentally evil.
New York City Health and Hospitals Corp (HHC) found its 11 hospital
storage rooms stocked with over 10 million dollars in out-of-date supplies. By
switching to just-in-time inventory, fresh supplies arrive as needed 5 days a
week; this cut inventory in half and saved $5 million.
Denver Health used Lean to save $27 million in supplies and increased
productivity.

How to Get a Faster Hospital in Five Days

The only realistic hope for substantially improving care delivery is for the old
guard to launch a revolution from within. Existing players must redesign
themselves.
—Richard M. J. Bohmer

Although the case studies in this chapter offer some constructive ideas, most
clinical staffs will not implement an improvement unless they have a hand in
its design.

Improvements Are Possible If It Helps the Patient or the Provider

Health care professionals want to help create improvements that

• Increase patient safety and satisfaction
• Improve quality of care

• Reduce lead or turnaround times
• Improve productivity without compromising patient outcomes
• Reduce medical errors

How Is It Possible to Get a Faster Hospital in 5 Days or Less?
It Takes a Change in Focus

In the traditional world, medicine is organized around what doctors do rather than
what patients need.
— Thomas H. Lee