As healthcare grows more complicated, Lean becomes more popular

The healthcare industry has proved to be relatively recession proof. At a time when many companies are buckling down, reducing staff, watching their budgets and shelving expansion plans, a number of healthcare organizations are improving their position in the market.

That isn't to say, however, that healthcare organizations are growing unhindered. Several new challenges have cropped up over the past few years, each of which are forcing doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff to rethink how they operate. The push to integrate new technology, a growing number of patients due to the aging Baby Boomer population, reduced health insurance payouts – these setbacks are all very real concerns for those in healthcare.

To compensate, many doctors are looking into new ways of running their practices. For some, new technology solutions provide the answer, enabling them to automate time-consuming processes. Others are staffing up in order to meet the increased volume of patients.

Lean healthcare

One tactic that has taken hold over some specific segments of the healthcare market is Lean. By integrating Lean healthcare, doctors are finding they are better able to meet a number of challenges. Kaizen is helping them to improve patient satisfaction, bolster production among employees, engage workers to create a better workplace and improve revenue.

Take, for example, Denver Health. The organization implemented Lean methodologies to help lower costs by $150 million. At the same time, Denver Health's mortality rate has achieved one of the lowest levels among 115 comparable academic medical centers.

Donald M. Berwick, a former administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, expects examples such as Denver Health to be the norm rather than the exception as programs such as the Affordable Care Act take hold.

“The law does this by targeting the underlying drivers of high healthcare costs: It supports and rewards caregivers for preventing complications of care, like healthcare-associated infections, which saves both lives and money,” Berwick writes for the Washington Post.

Regardless of which goal healthcare organizations are trying to achieve, Lean healthcare may be the answer. By leveraging the services of a company such as Enna, these organizations can integrate Lean mindsets in a way that will help them maximize productivity while eliminating useless waste. The end result will be a company that is more successful, both in terms of customer satisfaction and profitability.