GONE LEAN YET?
By Chris Correll
At some point, every Healthcare Technology
Management (HTM) department needs a good
overhauling. How do you create a lean
environment when we no longer deliver value
from own patient or staff perspective, when we
no longer eliminate wasteful processes or try to
continuously improve our work flow processes.
Every HTM department should be seeking to
challenge yourself, as a department innovator,
to find ways to better processes and policies, as
well as demonstrate a positive impact on
productivity, nearly zero mishaps, cost, quality,
and timely delivery of services. But you're on a
tight budget right? You can't afford to replace
➔ Define LEAN management
➔ Six waste process
➔ Show examples of departmental waste
The Six waste process represents forms on nonadded value waste within our healthcare
workplace. We will cover Transportation, Motion,
Inventory, Defects, Waiting, and Overprocesses.
First, Transportation waste is the unnecessary
movement of equipment, parts, double-handling,
re-doing a task something over and over and
over..., of supplies, or shuffling of inventory to
get access. Next, Motion waste is moving more
than what is necessary to do work such as,
walking to printers and fax machines to different
departments, excessive clicking of the mouse
because computer isn't functioning or you're on
What is LEAN management? The basic idea is your personal phone during work hours or social
to maximize service delivery to customers while media account, as well as searching for tools,
eliminating waste. Simply, LEAN means creating forms, manuals, and supplies in a messy
added value for patients and staff with fewer
cabinet. After that, Inventory waste is the
resources, fewer policy and/or process
excess ordering of equipment and supplies. You
restrictions, and ultimately fewer safety mishaps. should only purchase what you need to get the
job done. Next, Waiting waste is when
technicians wait for a machine to run, for a
Objectives:
delivery of a part, or for someone else to
complete a task or use te same test equipment
➔ Provide examples how to utilize LEAN
before the individual can start his/her tasks.
within your department.
your outdated computer equipment, that old
shelving which hold all those obsolete
equipment manuals, or those old broken
cabinets full of outdated parts… or can you?
Here is how we decide when it is time for an
upgrade as well as how to save our department
resources and money by doing it.