Improving Healthcare Using Toyota Lean Production Methods

Book excerpt: What differentiates this book from other healthcare improvement books is that it is the only currently available book that presents a simple recipe of 46 lean steps for healthcare providers to reduce cost and improve quality. By taking these straightforward steps, healthcare providers can adopt the same lean methods which have enabled companies like Toyota to become so successful.The first part of the book explains cost and quality issues facing U.S. healthcare. From that understanding, the second part then teaches healthcare providers a 46-step recipe to reduce costs and improve quality by using Toyota Lean Production methods. With industry experts citing that as much as 40% of the total cost of healthcare production is attributed to wasteful processes, it is logical that reducing waste will lower costs. This is the basis of this book.Although other books have presented Toyota's lean methods, this book goes further by showing how to directly apply those successful methods to healthcare, where they are sorely needed. This book is intended to be a practical manual for healthcare providers to use to improve quality and reduce costs. It can be a multi-year strategic plan for healthcare providers to adopt.This second edition includes additional improvement steps and five new appendices of practical examples authored by renowned lean experts.