On the Mend

A gem for any lean healthcare enthusiast or beginner.
In this book, Co-author Dr. John Toussiant explains the lean transformation journey of Thedacare Health System in the US over seven years, the early beginnings, ups and downs, pains and triumphs, managing change, techniques and lessons learned, in an anecdotal and story like fashion.
This book shows how could any healthcare system transform from the traditional management style to a lean management thinking, and what needs to be done to achieve that.
For me, this is the best book I’ve ever read so far about healthcare lean transformation, and it’s a must read for any executive thinking (or not thinking for that matter) about running a health system in a lean way.
There are so many detailed examples of how to build the culture, set standard work for training and actual work, the results of applying lean on both clinical and business sides.
At the end, a nice chapter about where to start your lean journey and what would Thedacare do differently if they had to start again, provided to all of us on a silver plate.
Some of the many lessons you could learn are:
1- The critical role of executive leadership in building a lean culture and system. Sounds like a cliche but for a very good reason as explained thoroughly in the book.
2- In Lean management, the focus is always about the patient, not the organization. The organization will definitely benefit along the way.
3- Traditional medical teaching and upbringing of clinicians and the challenges that creates for change.
4- The importance of data and info in making the case for change and guiding the improvement work.
5- Aligning everyone in the organization to the true north through Hoshin Kanri..
6- Empowering everyone at all levels to be a problem solver.
7- The need for standard work for managers to lead and manage in a lean way.

If you are looking for one book that shows you how a traditional healthcare system moved into Lean thinking, this is one of the best out there.