Lean Healthcare: Identifying Wastes

Waste can be defined as any element of a process that adds time, effort, and cost but no value. It is estimated that more than 30% of healthcare spending does not add much value for patients, and is considered as different types of waste. Identifying wastes is the first step towards reducing them. This course explores the concepts of value-added and non value-added, or waste, by providing examples of how employee activities can be viewed through the lens of the customer or patient. Gemba is introduced as a method for the identification of waste. The eight types of waste are defined and described.