Lean Hospital

What does being lean have to do with operating a hospital? Well, when you’re talking about the lean method known as the Toyota Production System, it just may be what puts hospitals back in the driver’s seat of their bottom lines.

Six years ago, few hospital administrators had ever heard the term. Today, it is sweeping through cash-strapped hospitals across the country.

Originally envisioned by the Japanese automaker as a way of doing more with less, the much-copied management system is becoming the gold standard for hospitals. They are betting that going lean will streamline processes, increase employee satisfaction, improve their finances, and most importantly, enhance patient care.