As the “Lean Movement” has made a toehold in healthcare in recent years, the personal skills of healthcare workers are likewise becoming more sophisticated in the realm of process improvement.

In the minds of clinical providers and supporters the term “process improvement” once conjured visions of quality directors and engineers with clipboards, but education and experience is changing the way frontline workers look at work and how leaders lead.  While terms from manufacturing greats like Toyota once raised eyebrows in the clinical setting, those same phrases are now inspiring workers to take a hard look at opportunities to make their service and their jobs much more satisfying.

Experience with the simple but straightforward concepts and tools of Lean  has boosted frontline involvement in making the way we work “work” better.  Applying the soul-deep philosophy of Toyota, respect for workers and creating the motivation and expectation to change work when the necessity arises, is at the heart of changing the culture of our industry.  

There is so much more to discover in the application of “thinking Lean” that it is exciting to anticipate what upcoming professionals will create with this new skill and how it will change the face of healthcare in the future.

This week’s entry was written by Amy Jimmerson, an associate of HPP’s affiliate company, Lean Healthcare West.  Amy has worked with both hospitals and small to mid-sized medical practices throughout the West and Rocky Mountain states with the implementation of Lean Healthcare principles and assists in the facilitation of our Lean Review © course.