Providers who continue to sit on the fence about adopting Lean processes in their operations can look to the bottom line for evidence of need. This article highlights such problems as wasteful practices, excess inventory, unused capacity, and other factors that Lean operations can help solve. It describes how Lean process can be “designed-in” to the built environment.
The stage is set
As the Affordable Care Act celebrates its one-year anniversary, it is quite evident that with or without the act, healthcare delivery is destined to change. Predictions indicate that without significant change, a continued increase in healthcare spending may drive our economy to insolvency.
The majority of healthcare delivery organizations agree that “doing nothing” is not an option and together they can transform healthcare, and avoid an inevitable catastrophe. Becoming an “accountable care organization” (ACO) is one way to compel them to reinvent their processes. In this way, organizations can drive out waste, improve care, and decrease costs—even with increased demand from the boomer generation and the possibility of more uninsured people.
But how can design of the built environment help to remove waste and reduce the cost of care? Can Lean design drive operational change? To a large degree the answer is “yes,” but not without significant transformation of every healthcare delivery organization. The healthcare delivery infrastructure must change. Most improvement strategists caution that waste will get in the way of any improvement efforts, so the primary tactic is: Remove the waste first.
Operational impact—strategies for immediately reducing healthcare costs
The elimination of waste in current practice will go a long way to cut healthcare spending. A number of healthcare research organizations have identified specific areas where waste is most prevalent. Many of these wastes are being targeted by healthcare reform:
Comments
Post new comment