Process Improvement for Healthcare

With more than 15 years of applying a lean continuous improvement approach within hospitals, clinics, and practices to drive quality and revenue up and costs down (by improving patient flow, reducing hospital-acquired conditions, enhancing patient satisfaction, etc.), our process improvement team has the experience to work with you to combine assessment, coaching, training and/or the facilitation of learner-selected improvement projects to foster lean skills and build internal lean capacity. Our lean approach is so versatile that we even use it in complex community engagement activities to build and reinforce new connections and processes that emerge from strategy work.

Lean Green Belt

The Lean Daily Improvement (LDI) Facilitator possesses the basic knowledge, skills and confidence to effect change using proven lean methodologies, and understands how to make small but meaningful daily adjustments while work is being done, and to sustain the gains (holding metrics) made through other change efforts. LDI builds a team-based, continuous improvement habit at the point of service. Frontline workers, administrators and clinicians use LDI tools such as the team huddle, counter measures, and a visual management board to keep improvements on track as work is being done. Training can be completed onsite in a two-day classroom format; over a series of live webinars; or through our an LDI Course online through HealthTAP Direct. No prerequisite.

Lean Yellow Belt

The Lean Practitioner (LP) plans, delivers and facilitates-to-closure Kaizen and Rapid Improvement Events (RIEs). The focus is on learning how to facilitate the events to build organizational competency. The four-day classroom-based training curriculum is structured around HealthTAP’s RIE A3 problem-solving process.

Lean Black Belt

The Advanced Lean Practitioner (ALP) plans and facilitates multi-day Value Stream Analysis (VSA) events, and works to deploy advanced solutions such as Kanban and lean service cells. The learner takes on broader responsibilities including Value Stream Management and the facilitation of complex Rapid Improvement Events (RIEs) to ensure that successful solutions spread across the organization. The course involves four days of flipped-classroom-based training, and is structured around HealthTAP's VSA A3 problem-solving process. Prerequisite: Lean Practitioner course.

Process Prep (2P)

Process Preparation (2P) can dramatically improve service and process performance as well as allow insights into future processes. 2P is a team-based activity primarily used to develop a process for a new product or service, or where the current process is so unclear or indistinct that that really doesn’t exist. 2P is used in healthcare for new construction design; process changes or re-location; new product or service development; to address chronic problems/process not meeting goals; and new equipment layout.

The 2P methodology constructs/organizes the best known methods in the least wasteful way to create optimal performance in defined objectives. It produces right-sized, flowing processes that comply with lean principles to ensure the lowest possible levels of waste. The 2P steps include defining the scope, developing alternatives, narrowing and evaluating alternatives, agreeing on a proposed new process, simulating the new process, documenting the new process, creating standard work, and creating an implementation plan.

Let’s Work Through It — Together

Every organization’s technical challenges are different, and the right solution starts with understanding your unique needs. Let’s start a conversation and explore how Purdue TAP can help you move forward.

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