by Lee Fried, on 07 Jun 2006 02:02 pm
The Journey
Of Planes and Hospitals
I had a really interesting talk yesterday with my neighbor. It was the first time we had met and so we naturally drifted our small talk onto the subject of what we do for work. As it turns out, he is a Boeing line manager that has had over eight years of exposure to LEAN, which he views very positively.
He was excited when I mentioned that I am a LEAN consultant that is working in healthcare. His first comment was “man you guys really need it.” He then launched into a long story about all of the difficulties he has had in managing the decline in health of both his parents. He told me several horror stories both on the delivery system and insurance sides (none-within Group Health) about his attempt to coordinate his parent’s care and getting information that he needed. It was evident from the conversation that he really gets LEAN, because he never once talked negatively about the clinicians or staff, only the processes that had failed him and his parents.
The conversation was empowering, because I could see the excitement my revelation had on him and the hope it sparked. Yet it was daunting, because I need to take on the responsibility and the obligation to see through the changes that are necessary so that when my neighbor walks into a hospital that I have help transform he has as much confidence as when I walk onto a plane he has assembled!