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John Toussaint

Articles

  • Webcast Interview with Former ThedaCare CEO   view details
    "we believe there's at least a trillion dollars of waste in the present delivery system in the United States, at least a trillion dollars. Now we could get that trillion out guess what we could pay for we could pay for an insurance plan for everybody righ
  • The Promise of Lean in Health Care   view details
    and Leonard L. Berry, PhD. "When well executed, Lean transforms how an organization works and creates an insatiable quest for improvement. In this article, we define Lean and present 6 principles that constitute the essential dynamic of Lean management: attitude of continuous improvement, value creation, unity of purpose, respect for front-line workers, visual tracking, and flexible regimentation. Health care case studies illustrate each principle. The goal of this article is to provide a template for health care leaders to use in considering the implementation of the Lean management system or in assessing the current state of implementation in their organizations."
  • The Promise of Lean in Health Care   view details
    "Health care cases reveal that Lean is as applicable in complex knowledge work as it is in assembly-line manufacturing. When well executed, Lean transforms how an organization works and creates an insatiable quest for improvement. In this article, we define Lean and present 6 principles that constitute the essential dynamic of Lean management: attitude of continuous improvement, value creation, unity of purpose, respect for front-line workers, visual tracking, and flexible regimentation. ... Lean is a journey, not a destination. Unlike specific programs, Lean has no finish line. Creating a culture of Lean is to create an insa- tiable appetite for improvement; there is no turning back."
  • A Management, Leadership, and Board Road Map to Transforming Care for Patients   view details
    "This article offers an alternative approach: management by process—an operating system that engages frontline staff in decisions and imposes standards and processes on the act of managing. Organizations that have adopted management by process have seen quality improve and costs decrease because the people closest to the work are expected to identify problems and solve them. Also detailed are the leadership behaviors required for an organization to successfully implement the management-by-process operating system and the board of trustees’ role in supporting the transformation."
  • Improve the Affordable Care Act, Don’t Repeal It   view details
    "when patients do need care, the processes of care delivery must be redesigned to radically improve the patient experience and reduce errors; 250,000 people dying every year from medical error is unacceptable. Finally, individual hospital and provider outcomes must be made public to the consumer so patient choice can play a role in reform. Parts of the ACA are clearly on the right track to address health care reform. Other parts need to be significantly improved. The focus should be on improving the affordability of health care for every American. This should be the number one priority of the new government."

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