ED Manag. 2012 Jul;24(7):79-81.
Administrators at LifePoint Hospitals, based in Brentwood, TN, used lean manufacturing techniques to slash wait times by as much as 30 minutes and achieve double-digit increases in patient satisfaction scores in the EDs at three hospitals. In each case, front-line workers took the lead on identifying opportunities for improvement and redesigning the patient-flow process. As a result of the new efficiencies, patient volume is up by about 25% at all three hospitals. At each hospital, the improvement process began with Kaizen, a lean process that involves bringing personnel together to flow-chart the current system, identify problem areas, and redesign the process. Improvement teams found big opportunities for improvement at the front end of the flow process. Key to the approach was having a plan up front to deal with non-compliance. To sustain improvements, administrators gather and disseminate key metrics on a daily basis.
总部位于田纳西州布伦特伍德的生命点医院的管理人员运用精益生产技术，将等待时间大幅缩短了30分钟，并使三家医院急诊科的患者满意度得分实现了两位数增长。在每个案例中，一线工作人员率先识别改进机会并重新设计患者流程。由于实现了新的效率提升，这三家医院的患者数量均增长了约25%。在每家医院，改进过程都始于改善，这是一种精益流程，包括召集人员绘制当前系统的流程图、识别问题区域并重新设计流程。改进团队在流程前端发现了巨大的改进机会。该方法的关键在于预先制定应对违规行为的计划。为了维持改进成果，管理人员每天收集并传播关键指标。
