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October 29, 2009
Lean Healthcare Goes International
Early in 2008, when The Massey School first began discussions with Massey MBA Alum Charles Hagood on the potential for partnering on the delivery of a professional development course on Lean Healthcare here at Belmont, the focus was a long-term plan for building a sustainable program to do what we could do to improve the quality of heatlhcare here in the U.S. A little over one year into the process, that partnership has quickly blossomed into what has become an internationally-respected training program for administrators and healthcare providers around the globe.
The fourth offering of the "Lean Healthcare Course," which was just finished last month on the Belmont campus, included 31 participants from the U.S., as well as five professionals from Singapore, and two who traveled all the way from New Zealand. In fact, the most recent course was filled to capacity back in September, with a waiting list now being managed for future registrants.
Why do healthcare professionals travel from so far away to Belmont for this one-week course experience? The answer is very simple. What Charles and his group of professionals are able to do in a one-week seminar gives participants a basic skill set that can save patient lives, as well as save what in many cases can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars or more within an organization over time. And at at time when the University of Michigan recently cancelled its own lean healthcare course due to low enrollment, Belmont's program is sold out.
According to Massey Associate Dean Joe Alexander, part of the difference is the quality of instruction within Belmont's program, with a national group of lean healthcare experts brought in from all over the U.S. to deliver their specific skills and expertise to attendees. The other difference is what The Massey School has long been known for in the delivery of its own academic programs--namely, "hands-on learning." In cooperating with the Inman College of Health Sciences and Nursing next door, HPP experts can now teach in state-of-the-art and nationally known simulation labs, offering participants the opportunity to learn by doing, rather than simply taking notes in a traditional classroom.
Building on what began as the Toyota Production System (TPS) for improving product quality, safety, and performance within the manufacturing industry, Heatlhcare Performance Partners was able to take those very same principles and adapt them to the healthcare environment. The results of that adaptation are being sought out by healthcare professionals from across the industry. Highly satisfied participants are now returning to their organizations and doing more than simply talking about improving healthcare--they're actually making change happen.
And the Massey-HPP partnership appears ready to move to an international forum this next year, with talks currently underway to expand program delivery to Europe in late 2010. For more information on the Massey Lean Healthcare Course, visit: www.buleancourse.com
Posted October 29, 2009 03:10 PM
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