How Lean Operations and Planning can Impact the Hospital of the Future

"Lean thinking" is based on the removal of waste from a system - a premise of which many are familiar. The concept has been with us for several years in the form of time-motion studies, "spaghetti diagrams" and so on. Lean practices have begun to come into their own on the construction side of a project through the use of building information management systems (BIM) and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD). But what about the pre-design phase of a project? Is there a need for lean thinking here as well? This webinar will briefly talk about different planning tools that should be strongly considered when planning the hospital of the future, keeping in mind that removing waste and enhancing workflow and quality will have a positive impact on staff efficiency, patient satisfaction and the bottom line for the organization. But lean thinking needs to carry over and coordinate with the construction side of the project as well. The presenters will provide examples of how hospitals and systems are using lean practices from project conception through construction as the foundation for planning for the future.

About the Speakers

Terrie Kurrasch, FACHE, Senior Strategist/Planner, RATCLIFF

Gary M. Burk, AIA, NCARB, Principal Emeritus, Healthcare, RATCLIFF

David F. Chambers, Director, Healthcare Facility Research at Rice University Building Institute