The application of the TPS was considered an effective strategy for improving results and reducing costs by increasing the effectiveness of clinical care in hospitals. The TPS entered the medical sector at the beginning of 2000 and is commonly known as “lean healthcare”. The term “lean” originated in the Toyota Production System (TPS), which aimed to improve process efficiency. To increase their efficiency, hospitals implement Lean Healthcare (LH) processes with an emphasis on waste elimination and on providing a higher value to patients. Improvements in the clinical efficiency and elimination of wasteful practices may shorten the waiting time. In out-patient settings, prolonged waits have a negative impact on patient satisfaction. In addition, the length of stay and the waiting time in healthcare institutions are two factors that may directly affect the assessment of patient satisfaction. The length of stay is a general measure of hospital efficiency, commonly associated with a cost reduction when the LOS is reduced. The data show that a markedly shortened length of stay (LOS) influences the number of admissions and the patient turnover rate, which has a positive effect on a hospital’s management and costs. Waste reduction, efficiency improvements and patient safety trigger many activities aimed to improve the patient flow. This is a field where improvements may result in both cost reductions and in a significantly higher quality of care. The analysis shows that the application of LM tools may contribute to improvement in the functioning of hospitals and that further studies should focus on the development of the method to evaluate efficiency of the implemented solutions intended at shortening the hospital stays of the patients.ĭue to the growing pressure on financial results (constantly increasing debts of public hospitals in Poland) and the shortages of qualified medical personnel, improvements in patient flow organization have more and more often become an area of interest in healthcare units. Methods of data analysis and feasible solutions were developed in order to improve the economic efficiency of the unit. In addition, surveys were conducted among the medical staff to help identify the main causes of prolonged stays. The study was conducted in the neurology department and involved an analysis of data for the whole of 2019 and the first half of 2022. The aim of this paper is to present the application of Lean Management (LM) tools in a Polish hospital, which allowed for the identification of prolonged stays as one of the main issues affecting the service costs and the deteriorating financial results of the hospital. The implemented solutions have a goal of improving the service quality of lowering the continuously increasing operational costs. Healthcare institutions in Poland constantly encounter challenges related both to the quality of provided services and to the pressures associated with treatment effectiveness and economic efficiency.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |