Lean management in hospitals: Evidence from Denmark

Jacob Dammand (), Mads Horlyck (), Thomas Lyngholm Jacobsen (), Rainer Lueg and Rasmus Laygardt Röck ()
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Jacob Dammand: Aarhus University School of Business and Social Sciences, Department of Economics and Business, Fuglesangsallé 4, 8210 Aarhus V, Denmark
Mads Horlyck: Aarhus University School of Business and Social Sciences, Department of Economics and Business, Fuglesangsallé 4, 8210 Aarhus V, Denmark
Thomas Lyngholm Jacobsen: Aarhus University School of Business and Social Sciences, Department of Economics and Business, Fuglesangsallé 4, 8210 Aarhus V, Denmark
Rasmus Laygardt Röck: Aarhus University School of Business and Social Sciences, Department of Economics and Business, Fuglesangsallé 4, 8210 Aarhus V, Denmark

REVISTA ADMINISTRATIE SI MANAGEMENT PUBLIC, 2014, vol. 2014, issue 23, 19-35

Abstract: This single-case study explores whether Lean management can improve efficiency in patient treatment at hospitals. Using a case study methodology, we investigate the implementation of Lean at Odense University Hospital (Denmark) and rely on both qualitative and quantitative data for our analysis.We find that efficiency in patient treatment increased, for example through reduction in waiting times, higher process cycle efficiency when patients were treated at the hospital, and shorter walking distances for staff. This was achieved through the use of various Lean tools, such as Kaizen tablets, elimination of non-value adding activities, and Gemba mapping. Success factors in the implementation of Lean were financial pressure from the government under increasing expectations from patients, openness of the hospital’s top management toward practices from the private sector, thorough employee involvement, provision of the necessary funding for the change toward Lean, and a better definition of what the business model of our case organization is.This study illustrates a successful implementation of Lean in a public hospital. Thereby, it contributes that practices from the private sector can be successfully transferred if they are adapted to the quite different business models of organizations in the public sector.

Keywords: Business model; lean management; new public management; lean implementation; public sector organizations; Kaizen. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I18 M10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:rom:rampas:v:2014:y:2014:i:23:p:19-35

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