Process Improvement in Healthcare through the Application of Lean Concepts

The healthcare service in government hospitals in Malaysia demands a paradigm shift in patient engagement. One of the objective of this project is to reduce the length of stay (LOS) of the patient in the hospital when they are receiving treatment in the Emergency Unit by implementing the Lean Concepts in healthcare system. Other hospitals that already implement Lean Healthcare in the system have proven that it is possible to reduce LOS and at the same time increasing the throughput in the Emergency Department. Among the related Lean Tools that will aid in this project are Value Stream Mapping (VSM), Kaizen, 5s, Bottleneck Analysis, Kanban, Key Performance Indicator (KPI) and Work Standardization. This project is analyzing the time taken along the process to identify and understand where the bottleneck is and thus finding ways to reduce the bottleneck in the process. In return, it will indirectly reduce the LOS of the patient in the Emergency Department.