Lean management is an effective managerial strategy that has played a vital role in helping medical facilities remain successful long-term. Following are three important benefits of this style of management that no medical facility will want to miss out on.
Better Service to Patients
Lean management allows those who are closest to patients to handle matters in the way that best suits a patient's interest instead of sticking to hard and fast general rules that do not take into account the uniqueness of each medical situation. It promotes a culture in which information is shared and managers are present to provide instruction and enable efficiency rather than dictate particular policies.
Furthermore, lean management calls for the close examination of each medical process. This not only applies to surgery, in-patient stays and doctor appointments but also but also waiting times, payments, phone calls and other types of administrational work. The team tasked with examining each process then draws up detailed plans for how to make each process better. New ways of operating are implemented as needed and patients receive the benefits of working with a streamlined, efficient yet friendly medical institution.
Cutting Costs
Lean management eliminates the common habit of buying large quantities of items in order to get a discounted rate. While this purchase strategy saves a hospital money in the short-term, it is counterproductive because a hospital usually has to build more storage space to accommodate additional items and risks increasing its waste due to expiry. What is more, ongoing developments in the medical field commonly make items in stock redundant before they can be used.
Lean management also enables managers and supervisors to adjust workloads so that there is no need to hire additional personnel to fill certain job positions. This saves a hospital money that would have been spent on additional salaries and training new workers. Furthermore, the detailed analysis of each medical process usually reveals unnecessary expenses that can be reduced or cut back to save money without reducing efficiency or patient satisfaction.
Boosting Employee Morale
A core principal of lean management is the "no layoff" policy. Workers are free to give their jobs their best shot, knowing that there is no need to worry about improving the process to a point there is no need for a position at some point in the future. In most facilities, these process improvements are required to make the process more manageable for the employees that are over tasked today. Additionally, a hospital is able to use some of the money that it has saved by implementing lean management principles to purchase items that employees need in order to provide better and faster service. Top of the line mobile computer carts, medication carts and clinical procedure carts are just some of the many convenient new items available to save time, prevent mistakes and make life simpler and more convenient for hospital personnel.iStock-689524668
Lean management is a way of operating that can improve every aspect of medical care. Its main goal is to provide better care for patients; at the same time, it always reduces waste, improves employee morale and boosts efficiency. Any institution that wants to provide better service on an ongoing basis will find that lean management is the key to running a successful medical facility long-term.
Ready to go lean? Let the experts at Metro help you put space to work in your facility. Find your local Metro representative today.
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