Everything is 5S: A Simple Yet Powerful Lean Improvement Approach Applied in a Preadmission Testing Center
- Publication:
- Quality Management Journal
- Date:
- October 2014
- Issue:
- Volume 21 Issue 4
- Pages:
- pp. 10-22
- Author(s):
- Delisle, Dennis R., Freiberg, Valentina,
- Organization(s):
- Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Philadelphia, PA
Abstract
[This abstract is based on the authors' abstract.]Payment models pressure hospitals to optimize operational efficiency by doing better with fewer resources. Lean thinking provides the foundation for addressing these constraints. The use of approachable lean tools and methods offers the ability for organizations to improve rapidly. This article uses 5S (sort, store, shine, standardize, sustain) as a framework for process design and improvement in the healthcare sector. A pre-admission testing center applied 5S to the patient flow process, streamlining steps and eliminating waste. Results show that the 5S framework is an effective and simple model for process design and improvement. The authors recommend the systematic lean approach with healthcare processes in order to accelerate the rate of change. This is an open access article.