Comments on: Getting Lean in the Physician’s Office http://www.managemypractice.com/getting-lean-in-the-physicians-office/ Technology, Information & Resources for Medical Practice Management Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:46:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Mary Pat Whaley http://www.managemypractice.com/getting-lean-in-the-physicians-office/comment-page-1/#comment-943 Mary Pat Whaley Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:44:35 +0000 http://www.managemypractice.com/?p=2256#comment-943 Thanks, Mark for your comment, and for the resources. I will definitely check them out. Let me know if you'd like to write something for my blog about Lean in physician practices. Best wishes, Mary Pat Thanks, Mark for your comment, and for the resources. I will definitely check them out. Let me know if you’d like to write something for my blog about Lean in physician practices.

Best wishes,

Mary Pat

]]> By: Mark Graban http://www.managemypractice.com/getting-lean-in-the-physicians-office/comment-page-1/#comment-941 Mark Graban Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:51:37 +0000 http://www.managemypractice.com/?p=2256#comment-941 You are right that it's tougher to implement Lean in an MD office because learning and starting to implement new methods does take time and resources. There's a catch-22: there's waste and it would help to eliminate it, but everyone's too busy (due to too much waste) to fix anything. So the cycle continues. If you want to start with a "lean project," one health system I worked with dedicated 2 people (from other primary care clinics) and 2 people from the hospital to do an initial 6-week lean "project." I hate the word project in this context since lean is an ongoing management system... but an initial project can be helpful or necessary to get the ball rolling. If you're a single unaffiliated clinic, this model would be hard to follow. But, I'd encourage you to look at the work done by a dentist in Jacksonville, Dr. Sami Bahri. He has an independent practice with a few providers and he's managed to do some great things through lean. It took many many years, but it has provided great benefits to his practice. I have recent podcasts with him on my blog and he has a new book out: Video podcast: http://www.leanblog.org/2009/06/leanblog-video-podcast-5-dr-sami-bahri.html Audio Version: http://www.leanblog.org/2009/06/leanblog-podcast-69-dr-sami-bahri-dds.html It *can* be done, it's just not everybody will be able to do it (this is true in the manufacturing world, as well - not everybody is "lean" even after 20 or 30 years of the industry knowing about lean). Mark Graban p.s. I blog a lot about lean in healthcare, in general, at my blog: www.leanblog.org You are right that it’s tougher to implement Lean in an MD office because learning and starting to implement new methods does take time and resources. There’s a catch-22: there’s waste and it would help to eliminate it, but everyone’s too busy (due to too much waste) to fix anything. So the cycle continues.

If you want to start with a “lean project,” one health system I worked with dedicated 2 people (from other primary care clinics) and 2 people from the hospital to do an initial 6-week lean “project.” I hate the word project in this context since lean is an ongoing management system… but an initial project can be helpful or necessary to get the ball rolling.

If you’re a single unaffiliated clinic, this model would be hard to follow.

But, I’d encourage you to look at the work done by a dentist in Jacksonville, Dr. Sami Bahri. He has an independent practice with a few providers and he’s managed to do some great things through lean. It took many many years, but it has provided great benefits to his practice.

I have recent podcasts with him on my blog and he has a new book out:

Video podcast:
http://www.leanblog.org/2009/06/leanblog-video-podcast-5-dr-sami-bahri.html

Audio Version:

http://www.leanblog.org/2009/06/leanblog-podcast-69-dr-sami-bahri-dds.html

It *can* be done, it’s just not everybody will be able to do it (this is true in the manufacturing world, as well – not everybody is “lean” even after 20 or 30 years of the industry knowing about lean).

Mark Graban

p.s. I blog a lot about lean in healthcare, in general, at my blog: http://www.leanblog.org

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