New Book Addresses Engaging Front-Line Staff in Sustainable Continuous Improvements

Lean healthcare expert Mark Graban announced the launch of his new book, Healthcare Kaizen: Engaging Front-Line Staff in Sustainable Continuous Improvements, co-authored with Joseph Swartz.

“Healthcare organizations are under incredible pressure to improve quality and reduce costs,” said Graban. “Kaizen, as a methodology, provides a way to engage front-line staff and leaders so they are more fulfilled through the improvement of their work, providing the best possible patient care.”

Over the past seven years, Graban has worked in dozens of healthcare facilities to help implement lean practices. Healthcare Kaizen focuses on the principles and methods of daily continuous improvement, or “Kaizen,” for healthcare professionals and organizations.

Healthcare Kaizen shares some of the methods used by numerous hospitals, including Franciscan St. Francis Healthcare, where changes were made to save about $2 million a year, as well as improvements to quality, patient safety, patient satisfaction, and staff engagement. Most importantly, the book covers the management mindsets and philosophies required to make Kaizen work effectively in a hospital department or as an organization-wide program.

All of the examples in the book were shared by leading healthcare organizations, with many full-color pictures and visual illustrations of Kaizen-based improvements that were initiated by chief operating officers, nurses, housekeepers, and other staff members at all levels.

Published by Productivity Press, Healthcare Kaizen is a 408-page paperback that retails for $59.95. For more information, visit www.hckaizen.com.