title: Lean Manufacturing Improves Emergency Department Throughput and Patient Satisfaction.
abstract: A multidisciplinary team led by nursing leadership and physicians developed a plan to meet increasing demand and improve the patient experience in the ED without expanding the department's current resources. The approach included Lean tools and engaged frontline staff and physicians. Applying Lean management principles resulted in quicker service, improved patient satisfaction, increased capacity, and reduced resource utilization. Incorporating continuous daily management is necessary for sustainment of continuous improvement activities.
authors.affiliation: Author Affiliations: Director Value Stream Initiatives (Ms Kane), Vice President Emergency Services (Ms Rimicci), Director of Emergency Services (Ms Callagy), Chief Operating Officer (Mr Hereford), and Director of Research, Patient Care Services (Dr Pickham), Stanford Health Care, and Emergency Physicians (Drs Shen and Norris), Stanford Medicine, California; and Student (Ms Chui), Department of Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles.
authors.forename: Marlena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kane
authors.forename: Kristen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chui
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rimicci
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Callagy
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hereford
authors.forename: Sam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Norris
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pickham
mesh_terms: D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D058996:Quality Improvement / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States