Health Care Reform— But A Missed Opportunity

We applaud President Obama and the Democratic members of Congress for making universal health care the law of the land despite the many troubling questions unsettled in the legislative debate. Continuing uncontrollable cost is a deeply worrisome matter. The fact that healthcare delivery costs in hospitals did not surface in the national discussion is regrettable.

Improvement of healthcare delivery is a management problem—not a technological, financial, or medical issue. Major waste, on the order of 50 percent, occurs in hospitals in the form of unnecessary procedures, death and complications from medical and medication errors, and inefficient organization. Application of systems thinking for process improvement in every department is the answer.

Good News…How Hospitals Heal Themselves and its companion book The Nun and the Bureaucrat…How The Found an Unlikely Cure for America’s Sick Hospitals offers a guide to every hospital in reducing waste and improving patient satisfaction—without need for investment or outside consultants. Used by hospitals in every region, this valuable aid presents the experience of initially skeptical doctors, nurses, and administrators who ultimately transformed their care delivery systems. Available from the Lean Enterprise Institute ($40). Order now.