Trends and approaches in lean healthcare

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to provide a review of the existing literature on lean healthcare. It seeks to describe how this concept has being applied and to assess how trends and methods of approach in lean healthcare have evolved over the years.Design/methodology/approach – The paper surveys the applications of lean healthcare in the current literature and classifies over 90 works according to a taxonomy suggested.Findings – Though there seems to exist an agreement about the potential of lean healthcare, it remains a challenge for academics and practitioners to evaluate lean healthcare under a more critical perspective.Practical implications – This work is helpful not only for healthcare practitioners and for researchers in private and public organisations, but also for journal editors and reviewers because it offers ready access to an up to date comprehensive review.Originality/value – Since lean started being applied in healthcare, no effort to provide a complete resource surveying the existing...

[1]  Gary S Kaplan,et al.  Seeking perfection in healthcare. A case study in adopting Toyota Production System methods. , 2008, Healthcare executive.

[2]  Thanos Papadopoulos,et al.  Stakeholder Network Dynamics and Emergent Trajectories of Lean Implementation Projects: A Study in the UK National Health Service , 2008 .

[3]  Ann Esain,et al.  Combining Planned and Emergent Change in a Healthcare Lean Transformation , 2008 .

[4]  Zoe J. Radnor,et al.  Learning to Walk Before We Try to Run: Adapting Lean for the Public Sector , 2008 .

[5]  Claire Moxham,et al.  Lessons for Lean in Healthcare from Using Six Sigma in the NHS , 2007 .

[6]  David Bamford,et al.  New Development: Using Lean Techniques to Reduce Radiology Waiting Times , 2007 .

[7]  D. Fillingham.  Can lean save lives? , 2007, Leadership in health services.

[8]  R. Barry.  Going Lean: Busting Barriers to Patient Flow , 2007 .

[9]  M. Viau,et al.  Six Sigma and Lean concepts, a case study: patient centered care model for a mammography center. , 2007, Radiology management.

[10]  Mohan Gopalakrishnan,et al.  Current Pulse: Can a Production System Reduce Medical Errors in Health Care? , 2007, Quality management in health care.

[11]  Christopher S Kim,et al.  The application of lean thinking to the care of patients with bone and brain metastasis with radiation therapy. , 2007, Journal of oncology practice.

[12]  Dana L Nelson-Peterson,et al.  Creating an Environment for Caring Using Lean Principles of the Virginia Mason Production System , 2007, Journal of Nursing Administration.

[13]  R. Resar,et al.  Basics of quality improvement in health care. , 2007, Mayo Clinic proceedings.

[14]  Masking reviewers at the study inclusion stage in a systematic review of health care interventions , 2007 .

[15]  Joe Aherne.  Think lean: Joe Aherne explains the advantages of educating healthcare staff in the principles and practices of lean thinking , 2007 .

[16]  Matthew R. Herasuta.  A “Lean” Laboratory , 2007 .

[17]  Michael Ballé,et al.  Lean as a learning system in a hospital ward. , 2007, Leadership in health services.

[18]  Lisa Cox,et al.  Improving emergency department efficiency by patient streaming to outcomes-based teams. , 2007, Australian health review : a publication of the Australian Hospital Association.

[19]  Ross Stolle,et al.  It's not easy being lean, but scripting can help. , 2007, Health management technology.

[20]  Melissa L Dougherty,et al.  Lean thinking across a hospital: redesigning care at the Flinders Medical Centre. , 2007, Australian health review : a publication of the Australian Hospital Association.

[21]  David I Ben-Tovim.  Seeing the picture through “lean thinking” , 2007, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[22]  J. J. Dahlgaard,et al.  Measuring lean initiatives in health care services: issues and findings , 2006 .

[23]  Ronald J. M. M. Does,et al.  Lean Six Sigma in a hospital , 2006 .

[24]  Chip Caldwell.  Lean-Six Sigma: tools for rapid cycle cost reduction. , 2006, Healthcare financial management : journal of the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

[25]  Jennifer Towne.  Going 'lean' streamlines processes, empowers staff and enhances care. , 2006, Hospitals & health networks.

[26]  David J Cooke,et al.  Beyond budgeting in an IDS: the Park Nicollet experience. , 2006, Healthcare financial management : journal of the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

[27]  C. Caldwell.  A high quality of care , 2006, IEEE Engineering Management Review.

[28]  D. King,et al.  Redesigning emergency department patient flows: Application of Lean Thinking to health care , 2006, Emergency medicine Australasia : EMA.

[29]  Daniel T Jones,et al.  Lean healthcare. Think yourself thin. , 2006, The Health service journal.

[30]  L. Pelletier.  Your Editorial Team at Work , 2006 .

[31]  John P. S. Verver,et al.  Lean Six Sigma in Healthcare , 2006, Journal for healthcare quality : official publication of the National Association for Healthcare Quality.

[32]  Ian Lazarus.  Providers, payers and IT suppliers learn it pays to get Lean , 2006 .

[33]  Anthony Manos,et al.  Make healthcare Lean , 2006 .

[34]  B. G. Hansen,et al.  Reducing Nosocomial Urinary Tract Infections Through Process Improvement , 2006 .

[35]  David Ollier Weber,et al.  Toyota-style management drives Virginia Mason. , 2006, Physician executive.

[36]  Jennifer L Condel,et al.  Improving Papanicolaou test quality and reducing medical errors by using Toyota production system methods. , 2006, American journal of obstetrics and gynecology.

[37]  Grace Esimai,et al.  Lean Six Sigma reduces medication errors , 2006 .

[38]  Thomas J Persoon,et al.  Improving preanalytic processes using the principles of lean production (Toyota Production System). , 2006, American journal of clinical pathology.

[39]  Alberto Portioli-Staudacher.  Lean Healthcare. An Experience in Italy , 2006, APMS.

[40]  J. Womack.  Colum - Lean consumption , 2005 .

[41]  Terry Young,et al.  An Agenda for Healthcare and Information Simulation , 2005, Health care management science.

[42]  Sharon J. Williams,et al.  CANDO: implementing change in an NHS Trust , 2005 .

[43]  Durward K. Sobek,et al.  Reducing waste and errors: piloting lean principles at Intermountain Healthcare. , 2005, Joint Commission journal on quality and patient safety.

[44]  Andrea Kabcenell,et al.  No Toyota yet, but a start. A cadre of providers seeks to transform an inefficient industry--before it's too late. , 2005, Modern healthcare.

[45]  J. Bahensky,et al.  Lean sigma--will it work for healthcare? , 2005, Journal of healthcare information management : JHIM.

[46]  Cathie Furman.  Implementing a patient safety alert system. , 2005, Nursing economic$.

[47]  Daniel T. Jones,et al.  Lean Solutions: How Companies and Customers Can Create Value and Wealth Together , 2005 .

[48]  Jennifer L Condel,et al.  Error-free pathology: applying lean production methods to anatomic pathology. , 2004, Clinics in laboratory medicine.

[49]  Bud Pate,et al.  Applying Quality Methodologies to Improve Healthcare: Six Sigma, Lean Thinking, Balanced Scorecard, And More , 2004 .

[50]  Kajsa Lindberg,et al.  Curing a meagre health care system by lean methods--translating 'chains of care' in the Swedish health care sector. , 2004, The International journal of health planning and management.

[51]  Martha Sunyog,et al.  Lean Management and Six-Sigma yield big gains in hospital's immediate response laboratory. Quality improvement techniques save more than $400,000. , 2004, Clinical leadership & management review : the journal of CLMA.

[52]  M. Trangle.  Pursuing perfection. Minnesota healthcare organization uses EBM and process re-engineering to successfully apply best practices to the treatment of depression. , 2004, Health management technology.

[53]  Kate Silvester,et al.  NHS Modernisation Agency's way to improve health care , 2004, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[54]  J. Klein,et al.  Using industrial processes to improve patient care , 2004, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[55]  Robert J Weber,et al.  Pittsburgh Regional Healthcare Initiative: a systems approach for achieving perfect patient care. , 2003, Health affairs.

[56]  P Walley,et al.  Designing the accident and emergency system: lessons from manufacturing , 2003, Emergency medicine journal : EMJ.

[57]  Sylvia Mobley Joyce Shelest Becky Bushell,et al.  Column: Site Visit: Discovering Lean Thinking at Progressive Healthcare , 2002 .

[58]  Naida Grunden,et al.  A region addresses patient safety. , 2002, American journal of infection control.

[59]  Max Allway,et al.  Shifting to lean service: Stealing a page from manufacturers' playbooks , 2002 .

[60]  S. Spear,et al.  Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System , 1999 .

[61]  D. Whitson,et al.  Applying just-in-time systems in health care , 1997 .

[62]  James P. Womack,et al.  Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation , 1996 .

[63]  S. Douglas,et al.  The Cost-Effectiveness of a Special Care Unit to Care for the Chronically Critically III , 1995, The Journal of nursing administration.

[64]  Jay W. Forrester,et al.  The Beginning of System Dynamics , 1995 .

[65]  S. Jacobs,et al.  Applying Just‐In-Time Philosophy to Healthcare , 1995, The Journal of nursing administration.

[66]  S. E. Heinbuch,et al.  A case of successful technology transfer to health care. Total quality materials management and just-in-time. , 1995, Journal of management in medicine.

[67]  M. Hammer,et al.  REENGINEERING THE CORPORATION: A MANIFESTO FOR BUSINESS REVOLUTION , 1995 .

[68]  D. Powell.  Counter Revolution: The Tesco Story , 1991 .

[69]  Daniel T. Jones,et al.  The machine that changed the world : based on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology 5-million dollar 5-year study on the future of the automobile , 1990 .

[70]  Eliyahu M. Goldratt,et al.  Theory of Constraints , 1990 .

[71]  Jeff Cox,et al.  The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement , 1984 .

[72]  A. R. Crathorne,et al.  Economic Control of Quality of Manufactured Product. , 1933 .