Surrounded by Engaged Difference-Makers at the 2018 Lean Healthcare Transformation Summit

The Talon team had the privilege of attending the outstanding 2018 Lean Healthcare Transformation Summit in June in Chicago.

The ninth annual gathering of Lean healthcare executives and professionals resonated with our team in an impactful way. Now, we are excited to pour this energy and knowledge back into our company to purposefully serve the needs of hospitals and facilities.

What Was Impactful About the Lean Healthcare Transformation Summit?

The Lean Healthcare Transformation Summit can be summed up by two words: mission and difference-makers.

– Healthcare leaders and process improvement professionals were in Chicago with a mission. Each person that we came in contact with was intentional in their desire to learn from each other, hear other people’s ideas to bring back to their hospital or facility, and encourage each other to continue on their Lean journey.

It was exciting to hear stories from hospital representatives at various points in their Lean journey. Some hospitals are so mission-driven in their practice of Lean that they sent 35 representatives to the conference.

While some hospitals who were present are far along in their journey, other hospitals have not started or are at the preliminary stages still trying to figure out how to bring Lean to their system. These representatives were attending the largest Lean healthcare conference in the industry specifically to gain community support and valuable information to bring back to their respective hospitals.

– We had the feeling of being surrounded by engaged decision-makers. Throughout the conference, we encountered energized Lean professionals who clearly want to make healthcare better.

One of the unique advantages of practicing Lean in your facility is that you do not need to be a senior leader or hospital administrator to be a difference-maker. Because Lean focuses on growing the capabilities of all people, everyone from senior leadership to clinical or professional staff is empowered to be a difference-maker.

The conference united each level of difference-makers around the shared goal of influencing change in their role. This idea was reflected in a session about the importance of leadership to champion Lean and engage the entire staff in being part of the change.

The Lean Healthcare Message is Worldwide and Data-Driven

The Lean Healthcare Transformation Summit taught us that the message is spreading internationally. There was strong international representation from countries such as Canada England, Brazil, Singapore, and South Africa.

Additionally, we learned about the supporting evidence for workflow optimization: an abundance of data that indicates Lean is transforming the capabilities of domestic and international hospitals.

Stephen Shortell from CLEAR (Center for Lean Engagement & Research in Healthcare) presented data-driven surveys with evidence that Lean is transforming healthcare. We heard a similar message from keynote speaker John Toussaint, the Executive Chairman of Catalysis.

These messages and the overall discussions with Lean professionals captured why there is excitement throughout the Lean healthcare community about the power of Lean to grow the capabilities of hospital staff and heighten patient engagement to improve patient outcomes.

Talon Walks Side-by-Side With Hospitals on Their Lean Journey

Our team of difference-makers wants to help healthcare organizations on their journey to improve operations through scientific problem-solving and process improvement. Our specialty is optimizing workflows to support the safe and efficient flow of medication from Pharmacy to Nursing to the patient.

Specifically, Talon offers the MedCab™ and MedCart™ product lines that enhance the capabilities of hospital staff to best serve patients through accurate medication dispensing.

Our team would appreciate the opportunity to discuss how our solutions can support your facility — whether in Texas, in the U.S., or even internationally. Contact our team today to have a conversation about the needs of your hospital or facility.