(Productivity Press: New York) -- Why does the United States rank 36th of all industrialized nations in health care? Perhaps the rampant inefficiencies of the system can help explain this dismal placement. There are bright spots, however. Innovative health care organizations, having recognized the waste in their facility, have taken a page from the Toyota production system known as lean thinking. Lean thinking begins with driving out waste so all work is value added, serving to raise the quality of the facility, employee satisfaction and ultimately the patient’s care and satisfaction.

In Healthcare Performance Press’ new book, A3 Problem Solving for Healthcare—A Practical Method for Eliminating Waste, author Cindy Jimmerson provides a way health care organizations can embrace lean methodology and practice by means of A3 problem solving.

 …