The Lean Prescription

Patricia A. Gabow, MD, MACP, was CEO of Denver Health from 1992 until her retirement in 2012, initially transforming it from a department of city government to a successful, independent governmental entity and then leading its Lean transformation. Denver Health's Lean effort earned the Shingo Bronze Medallion for Operational Excellence, the first healthcare entity in the world to receive such recognition. Prior to becoming CEO, Dr. Gabow was a practicing nephrologist and academic researcher serving as chief of nephrology, director of medical services, and chief medical officer at Denver Health. Dr. Gabow is a member of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Board of Trustees, the Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Value and Science Driven Health Care, the National Governors' Association Health Advisory Board, and a senior advisor to Simpler. She is a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and has authored more than 150 articles and book chapters. She earned her MD degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. She has received numerous awards including the AMA Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Public Servant, the National Healthcare Leadership Award, the David E. Rogers Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the Health Quality Leader Award from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), and was elected to the Association for Manufacturing Excellence for her work in bringing Lean into healthcare. Philip L. Goodman, MS, RRT, was the director of the Lean Systems Improvement Department at Denver Health, overseeing the Lean facilitators and Lean educational initiatives. In this role he led the operational aspects of the Lean transformation effort, the Black Belt training program, and the Lean Academy at Denver Health. Goodman was employed at Denver Health from 1979 until his retirement in 2013. Prior to directing the Lean Systems Improvement Department, he was the service line administrator for the Department of Medicine and director of respiratory therapy at Denver Health. Goodman is a Denver Health Master Black Belt and a registered respiratory therapist. He earned his master's degree in healthcare administration from Regis University in Denver. Goodman has conducted numerous presentations of Denver Health's Lean transformation effort at the national level.

Why Worry about American Healthcare. Role of Leadership in Health System Transformation. Why Pick Lean for Healthcare Transformation. Toyota Principles and Working Concepts of Lean. Lean Tool Box. Structure for Lean Implementation. Deploying Lean. Metrics, Reporting, and Information Archiving. Outcomes and Lessons Learned.