The Leading Edge Group is dedicated to providing consulting, facilitation, and educational support to the broad healthcare sector. A Lean transformation program will succeed only when commitment comes from the top down for support and from the bottom up for implementation.
Patient Pathway Models
Through close collaboration with our healthcare clients, Leading Edge has developed an extensive portfolio of patient pathway models. These have been developed through Value Stream Mapping (VSM) exercises conducted with cross-functional teams familiar with each process being modelled. Each pathway is documented through a software tool which provides a graphical depiction of each process, and which also quantifies the process performance in terms of cost, time, work effort, and value added. Each model is reusable and adaptable, so a model can be locally tailored to provide an accurate, detailed, quantified patient pathway for a specific organisation.
New process models are being constantly developed and added to the library of existing models, which to date includes:
- Day clinic and day surgery treatments
- Operating theatre processes
- Medical oncology (chemotherapy)
- Haematology
- Fertility treatment
- Laboratory processes
The value stream map below depicts an Oncology Day Treatment process. This is the detailed process for a particular hospital in Ireland, but the model could be readily adopted to reflect the details of a similar process at a different facility.
Our Lean Healthcare approach is founded on research, experience, and practice and it encompasses proven and rigorous elements of continuous improvement. Creating a cultural mindset shift across an organization where change is embraced is vital in achieving this. In acknowleding this requirement, our consulting and educational approach for developing a Lean culture that is scalable and sustainable across an organization is based on the following:
- Developing strategic and execution plans that have a clear set of criteria that can be used to determine the relevance of new opportunities compared to existing priorities.
- Creating a suitable governance structure for ongoing support and review. Understanding who has decision-making responsibilities is critical if the needs are to be immediately capitalized upon.
- Resource allocation at appropriate span of control. This enables leadership to understand organizational needs and have the ability to effect change within their span in a timely manner.
- Empowering and educating employees and management so that they can be directly involved in the development and sustainability of Lean at each organization.
- Developing a relevant assessment criteria and strategies to ensure that each Lean implementation is continually monitored and adjusted where necessary.
Our Lean Healthcare approach reflects a Lean transformation journey that addresses elements such as strategic alignment, organizational change management, project management, technical education, and practical application of Lean tools for overall change. Our approach is based on our experience of delivering Lean transformation programs. It is based on working with an organization as opposed to 'doing Lean' for them. Specific consulting programs include:
- Strategic workshops for healthcare executives
- Developing appropriate governance structures for Lean healthcare transformations
- Pilot Kaizen events
- Value stream investigations
- Conducting maturity path reviews
- Project management of Lean healthcare transformations
- Service Improvement Maturity Model (SIMM)
The Leading Edge Group performs an annual Lean Healthcare assessment to probe an organization using our proprietary evaluation criteria called SIMM. The SIMM assessment is based on the management principles developed by Jeffrey K. Liker in his book The Toyota Way. These Lean principles are organized into four main categories: strategy, process, value-added networks, and continuous improvement. Based on the specific findings, a score is attributed and used to establish a rating for each of the 14 principles. Each rating is based on its overall influence and impact on the organization's business.
