Around the year 2000, several hospitals in the American Northwest started implementing the Toyota production system. The silent revolution began to take its course. Today, virtually any new hospital in the United States is designed and built according to Lean principles. Hospitals which follow a Lean Hospital strategy are more successful: Patients are always put first, and patient experience and patient safety are main objectives. This leads to an increase in motivation and commitment on the part of the employees, as well as an increase in medical quality and cost effectiveness. Lean Hospital is a philosophy, a proven and comprehensive way of thinking. Those who embrace Lean in a holistic way to operate, advance and lead their organization will be successful. Lean Hospital is new, exciting and fascinating. Lean really works in a hospital context and is thus the prime choice for any hospital that needs to sustain its position in the face of economic pressure and competition. This book introduces its readers to the world of Lean Hospital, step by step. Easy to read and precise, it shows how to successfully apply and implement the Lean Hospital philosophy.

with contributions by: M. Alkalay - Dr. A. Angerer - T. Drews - C. Jäggi - M. Kämpfer - I. Lenherr - J. Valentin - C. Vetterli - D. Walker