tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post6170530339293183908..comments2024-03-26T00:25:34.026-04:00Comments on Not Running a Hospital: Jobs, jobs, jobsPaul Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065446378970179507noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-18809810825912983212007-11-26T23:00:00.000-05:002007-11-26T23:00:00.000-05:00We are in total accord!We are in total accord!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-2189665883107575082007-11-26T22:51:00.000-05:002007-11-26T22:51:00.000-05:00Thanks for responding. I didn't mean to imply, of...Thanks for responding. I didn't mean to imply, of course, that Lean is only about costs. As I often write about, Lean is primarily about safety and quality first. I'm glad you're making progress and have those goals.Mark Grabanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07953086531083611251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-62364300535899062562007-11-26T22:49:00.000-05:002007-11-26T22:49:00.000-05:00Many thanks (on all counts), Mark.Thus far, our Le...Many thanks (on all counts), Mark.<BR/><BR/>Thus far, our Lean activities have improved patient flow and made life more pleasant for the staff. As in, "Gee, I have time for lunch now!" or "I am not stressed out all day long."<BR/><BR/>As we get better at this and fold in the Value Capture methodology, there is clearly the potential to reduce the need for new staff, allow people to do more interesting and valuable work, or even allow some reductions by attrition.<BR/><BR/>However, I expect, first, to see improvements in quality and safety of patient care, along with enhanced working conditions for the staff. Those values are the ones that are most motivational in a place like BIDMC. I do believe, though, that cost savings will be a derivative benefit, as has been the case in the many cases described on your blog and elsewhere.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-82010652475442387162007-11-26T22:23:00.000-05:002007-11-26T22:23:00.000-05:00Paul, I know you have written before about using L...Paul, I know you have written before about using Lean methods at BIDMC. Can you comment on how you would expect productivity improvements to slow the need for hiring growth in certain areas? I'm not talking about working people harder, but eliminating the waste you described <A HREF="http://runningahospital.blogspot.com/2007/11/more-thanksgiving-thoughts.html" REL="nofollow">in your last post</A>. You're right that reducing waste (rework, searching for supplies, etc.) will free up time for nurses to spend more time on direct patient care. So, as patient volumes grow, you'd need more nurses, I understand that. Service and employee sat will improve.<BR/><BR/>But, what about ancillary areas, like the lab, pharmacy, perioperative services, areas where Lean has allowed hospitals to shrink headcount through attrition, as a follow up to productivity improvements?<BR/><BR/>I've written more about this over at my <A HREF="http://www.leanblog.org/" REL="nofollow">Lean Blog</A> if you are interested. I'm sorry we butted heads in the past, I think we have more common ground than we realized before.Mark Grabanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07953086531083611251noreply@blogger.com