Implementation and Impacts of Lean Redesigns in Primary Care Webinar

Lean is an organizational redesign approach derived from the automotive industry that is increasingly used in health care. It focuses on eliminating all types of waste and standardizing care. AHRQ’s webinar will highlight redesigns that occurred across 17 clinics. Strategies included standardizing medical equipment and supplies, revamping call center operations, creation of small teams with new workflows and co-locating physicians and medical assistants in shared workspaces. The webinar will examine conditions affecting the implementation and its outcomes. Webinar participants include presenter Dorothy Hung, Ph.D., Associate Scientist, Palo Alto Foundation Research Institute; moderator Michael Harrison, Ph.D., Senior Social Scientist, AHRQ’s Center for Delivery, Organization and Markets, AHRQ; and discussant Arlene Bierman, M.D., M.S., Director, AHRQ’s Center for Evidence and Practice Improvement.