The conference is organized by GBMP (Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership), a not-for-profit group whose mission is to sustain a strong and vibrant regional economy by improving the operational profitability and competitiveness of existing and emerging organizations, large and small, through training in Lean and continuous improvement principles. GBMP was of substantial help to me and my hospital as we introduced Lean to our leadership and staff. I do not exaggerate when I say that their advice saved us millions of dollars, improved the work environment, and enhanced patient care in our hospital.
Starting with an introductory address by John Shook, CEO of the Lean Enterprise Institute, entitled, "Outsourcing: The Big Lie," the sessions move on to a compendium of practical advice, progress reports from a variety of industries, and ample opportunities for networking. It will be excellent for health care people, but also those from other fields. You can register for the conference here.
GBMP's President, Bruce Hamilton, is probably best known for his video Toast, an introduction to Lean concepts. Here he is with an abbreviated version about the conference (click here if you cannot see the video):
This is a must see/hear:
ReplyDeleteLean in High-Stakes Medicine: Kaizen Without a Net
Panel: Kevin McGuire, MD MS; Carrie Tibbles, MD; and Michael Howell, MD MPH
The Emergency Department. Spine Surgery. The ICU. These are places where – when things go wrong – they can go really, really wrong. Quite literally, people die, they end up paralyzed, they require life support. A five-minute delay in availability of a piece of equipment whose inventory was reduced in a 5S process may truly mean the difference between life and death, walking and not, permanent brain damage or neurologically intact survival.
Although Lean has made inroads into healthcare, penetration into these types of high-stakes medicine has been slower. The panelists, who are all actively practicing physicians, will discuss real-world case studies of Lean implementation in exactly these environments: the ED, the OR, and ICU. These are exactly the places where physicians are most reticent to change -- but they are also places were Lean may offer the most benefit. At the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), a key Lean dissemination strategy has been the intensive training of physician leaders in each department. The panelists are graduates of this program, which is led by the Office of Business Transformation and involves 6 – 8 weeks training, mentorship, and practical experience. They will discuss successes and challenges, as well as the lessons learned in this early phase of Lean transformation. Specific topics will include common themes of success (buy-in and engagement of both front-line clinicians and those with political capital to move projects forward, relentless application of nemawashi, fiscal disincentives for providers, etc.) and concrete examples of using Lean methods to improve spine surgery, the emergency department, and the ICU.
Kevin J. McGuire MD MS is the Chief of the Orthopedic Spine Service, Co-Director of the Spine Center, Director of Combined Spine Fellowship at BIDMC and Spine’s section editor Health Care Delivery Science.
Carrie Tibbles, MD is the Associate Director of Graduate Medical Education, and the Associate Program Director of the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency.
Michael D. Howell, MD MPH is the Director of Critical Care Quality and the Director of the Research Core for InSIGHT (Integration of Standard Information Gathered using Healthcare Technology) at BIDMC. He has held several national leadership positions in quality and safety in intensive care medicine and is a nationally recognized leader in critical care quality improvement.