Senior hospital executives from across the country got a few tips on hospital efficiency -- from improving patient flow in the operating room to better inventory management -- from HHC leaders at an October 15 conference at Bellevue Hospital featuring the use of the Toyota performance improvement process know as "LEAN." HHC hospitals showcased a number of successful initiatives to eliminate waste, enhance safety and improve efficiency through the "lean" method, which has been dubbed "Breakthrough" by HHC. Sponsored by Simpler Consulting, HHC's partners in the Breakthrough initiative, the conference attracted more than 50 senior leaders from healthcare organizations across the US and Canada. Breakthrough improvement projects at Bellevue, Jacobi, Metropolitan and Woodhull were pointed to as models. HHC's leadership in this field of quality improvement was roundly praised by national patient safety guru James Conway, Senior Vice President at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and other healthcare leaders. HHC has been applying the Breakthrough process throughout NYC public hospitals since 2007, making efficiency improvement an ongoing and permanent process.

October 2009