Safety-Net Hospitals Look To Adopt Toyota’s Lean Model
Public hospitals, such as Los Angeles County Harbor-UCLA Hospital, are adapting carmaker Toyota's production system, known as the lean philosophy, to the way they store equipment, schedule surgeries and discharge patients. While some medical professionals are skeptical that the model will work in health care, others say hospitals already have found that using Toyota's strategy can improve care quality and safety for patients.
- "Hospitals Seeking an Edge Turn to Unlikely Adviser: A Carmaker" (Gorman, "State of Health," Kaiser Health News/KQED, 7/30).