Recently, an article ‘Approach to efficiency in healthcare is not well thought through’ (Aanpak effieicny in de zorg is ondoordacht) appeared in 'Medisch Contact' by W.H. van Harten, E.W. Hans en W.A.M. van Lent. In this article, they assess the business methods of the last years in Dutch hospitals, including lean management. They conclude that the methods are often accidentally or fashionably chosen. They also argue that there is little scientific evidence for the methods. Click here to read the whole article (in Dutch).
What I like about the article is the long-term perspective with which they look at the application of the methods. I also l and that they base this on the current problems of individual hospitals and they thus emphasize the importance of customization. Their final conclusion is:
“The variety of combinations of organizational development, type of problems and available methods requires a customized solution. Approaches that stress a culture of continuous improvement and that leave room for personal interpretation, such as lean management, seem therefore to offer currently the most perspective and besides that, they are easy to maintain. And that is very important, because introduction takes years in large organizations.”
I illustrate a few statements about the various methods:
