"The new edition of this Shingo Prize-winning international bestseller lays out a framework for defining and understanding Lean hospitals. It starts off by examining the challenges faced by hospitals, including rising costs, falling reimbursement rates, employee retention, and patient safety and satisfaction. Full of examples and case studies, the second edition has been updated to reflect current pressures on hospitals, including the Affordable Care Act, and includes new and updated case studies. New material includes discussions on process audits, performance measures and suggestion management as well as a new chapter on strategy deployment"--Provided by publisher.

1. The case for Lean hospitals -- 2. Overview of Lean for hospitals -- 3. Value and waste -- 4. Observing the process and value streams -- 5. Standardized work as a foundation of Lean -- 6. Lean methods : visual management, 5S, and Kanban -- 7. Proactive root cause problem solving -- 8. Preventing errors and harm -- 9. Improving flow -- 10. Engaging and leading employees -- 11. Getting started with Lean -- 12. A vision for a Lean hospital.