Auburn Technical Assistance Center (ATAC)
EAST ALABAMA MEDICAL CENTER LAUNCHES ‘EPIC’ JOURNEY TO CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
East Alabama Medical Center (EAMC) in Opelika, Ala. has partnered with the Auburn Technical Assistance Center (ATAC) at Auburn University to launch a long-term initiative to implement Lean Continuous Improvement throughout the hospital operations.
Dubbed ‘EPIC’ – EAMC Performance Improvement Culture -- EAMC's program represents its commitment to instilling and sustaining a culture of problem solving, standardization and improvement as its standard operating practice.
Lean Continuous Improvement is based on the production process so effectively employed by Toyota in the automotive manufacturing industry, and is widely used among manufacturing and other industry. Its approach, focused on eliminating or reducing waste and non-value-added activities from a process, is readily transferable to other processes. A number of well-known hospitals, such as Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, Washington are implementing Lean into healthcare and achieving some extraordinary results in cost reductions, patient care improvements and satisfaction, overall efficiency, and boosts in employee morale.
EAMC began working with ATAC in 2007 when personnel from its process and quality organizations began participating in ATAC’s open enrollment courses. When EAMC administration determined that there was value to be gained by spreading Lean Continuous Improvement throughout the hospital organization, ATAC was selected as a training provider and implementation facilitator.
ATAC Lean Specialists have visited and studied Lean implementation at Virginia Mason and at other healthcare facilities and have tailored the training and facilitation programs being conducted at EAMC to healthcare. ‘EPIC’ includes introductory training in Lean Continuous Improvement for various employee groups, coaching and facilitation in conducting multi-day Rapid Improvement Events focused on a variety of EAMC processes; and strategic planning with EAMC’s Administrative Team in rolling out the programs hospital wide.
Dubbed ‘EPIC’ – EAMC Performance Improvement Culture -- EAMC's program represents its commitment to instilling and sustaining a culture of problem solving, standardization and improvement as its standard operating practice.
Lean Continuous Improvement is based on the production process so effectively employed by Toyota in the automotive manufacturing industry, and is widely used among manufacturing and other industry. Its approach, focused on eliminating or reducing waste and non-value-added activities from a process, is readily transferable to other processes. A number of well-known hospitals, such as Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, Washington are implementing Lean into healthcare and achieving some extraordinary results in cost reductions, patient care improvements and satisfaction, overall efficiency, and boosts in employee morale.
EAMC began working with ATAC in 2007 when personnel from its process and quality organizations began participating in ATAC’s open enrollment courses. When EAMC administration determined that there was value to be gained by spreading Lean Continuous Improvement throughout the hospital organization, ATAC was selected as a training provider and implementation facilitator.
ATAC Lean Specialists have visited and studied Lean implementation at Virginia Mason and at other healthcare facilities and have tailored the training and facilitation programs being conducted at EAMC to healthcare. ‘EPIC’ includes introductory training in Lean Continuous Improvement for various employee groups, coaching and facilitation in conducting multi-day Rapid Improvement Events focused on a variety of EAMC processes; and strategic planning with EAMC’s Administrative Team in rolling out the programs hospital wide.
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