On a busy day last month in the I.C.U., it took Ms. Matthews just a few seconds to find the specialized tubing she needed to deliver medicine to an infant recovering from heart surgery. The tubing was nearby, in a fully stocked rack, thanks to a new supply system instituted by the hospital early last year following practices typically used in manufacturing or retailing, not health care.
Full article on running a hospital like a factory.
If hospitals were competing on price, they too would have adopted this system years ago. Even your local McDonalds and Taco Buenos have their assembly lines designed so the workers have quick access to the ingredients without walking all over the kitchen. If inefficient hospitals and clinics routinely went out of business, we might have a health care service industry that is far more advanced than what we currently experience.
I agree with Devon.
I think it’s important to note that most people object to the word “factory” because it implies a dehumanizing environment. However, if the purpose of the factory is to provide good, efficient care, then labeling it as such is probably a good thing. It seems a major oversight to let the health care industry perform by what other industries would consider obsolete standards.
The answer is yes. The NHS, for example, runs hospitals like as well as the Soviets ran their factories.
I disagree with Linda. I think hospitals can be run like good factories. Turning out superior products for less money.
Ken–depends on what entity is running the factory, doesn’t it?