title: Using LEAN to improve a segment of emergency department flow.
abstract: Emergency department (ED) overcrowding is an organizational concern. This article describes how Toyota LEAN methods were used as a performance improvement framework to address ED overcrowding. This initiative also impacted "bolus of patients" or "batching" concerns, which occur when inpatient units receive an influx of patients from EDs and other areas at the same time. In addition to decreased incidence of overcrowding, the organization realized increased interprofessional collaboration.
authors.affiliation: Author Affiliations: Administrator, Patient Care Services (Ms Vose); Administrative Partner, Patient Care Services (Ms Reichard); Systems Analyst, Care Continuum (Ms Pool); Director, Patient Care Services (Ms Snyder); Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine (Dr Burmeister), Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Courtney
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vose
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Reichard
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pool
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Snyder
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Burmeister
mesh_terms: D003441:Crowding; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D016529:Emergency Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017064:Process Assessment, Health Care; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014218:Triage / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States; D016526:Workload