The Lean Healthcare Dictionary: An Illustrated Guide to Using the Language of Lean Management in Healthcare

In today's healthcare economy, with reduced reimbursement and closer scrutiny of quality patient care, the concepts and terminology of Lean management are becoming invaluable to nurses, clinicians, administrators, and other healthcare staff involved in improvement. Conversely, a basic grasp of common healthcare terms is essential for process improvement specialists who aren’t necessary fluent in healthcare terminology.
The Lean Healthcare Dictionary: An Illustrated Guide to Using the Language of Lean Management in Healthcare is designed to bridge the gap between Lean practitioners and healthcare professionals. This comprehensive dictionary defines essential Lean and healthcare terms to help create a common language for anyone involved in Lean healthcare improvement activities.

Providing quick reference to the language of Lean management in healthcare, the dictionary includes diagrams and charts that illustrate concepts and aid in understanding. Each entry in Part I provides a succinct description of a Lean term as used in a healthcare setting. Healthcare terms and acronyms that commonly arise in the course of Lean transformations are defined in Part II.

The content of this dictionary is firmly rooted in the hands-on experience of Rona Consulting Group, whose principals have designed and led groundbreaking applications of Lean management in emergency rooms, operating rooms, labs, hospitals, and major medical centers.