LEAN-ing into professional development

The UTMB Health System embraces Lean Management systems principles, methods and processes to support meeting our Best Care outcomes. 

Using lean process improvement methods and tools, every work step is evaluated as to whether it adds value or is wasteful from the patient’s perspective.  

A Lean Management system empowers front-line providers and staff to identify and eliminate waste and to maximize value in their work processes by creating problem solvers at every level across the organization. 

As part of this commitment, the Health System has created a central System Optimization team of Lean Management experts. The team directly supports strategically aligned improvement, deployment and sustainment efforts.  It also uses a learning-while-doing model whereby team members are applying methods and tools directly while working on important problems to solve.  The members also teach lean core courses. 

The team’s methods for improvement bring in Health System staff who do the actual work and have them define opportunities for improvement; this makes their work world better as they help inform those improvements. 

The lean team is working with local teams and teaching them/coaching them on formal process improvement tools, which contributes to their overall development as professionals. 

The team members come with a variety of educational experiences and industry backgrounds. 

The current Lean Management team members are: