Reduce waste and increase efficiency when you use lean construction techniques.  Streamline the planning and building phases of your medical facility with these lean design methodologies. It’s all in the planning. Whether you’re building an ASC or orthopedic center, you need to start smart. Lean construction design ensures your building or remodeling project will progress smoothly without glitches, and without wasting a dime. Lean medical construction techniques help by:
  • Cutting back on overhead costs for your medical practice
  • Increasing staff productivity
  • Improving patient satisfaction
  • Preventing medical errors

What is lean construction?

Lean construction is a practical way of designing medical offices for optimal success. It’s used during planning and construction to help you meet your project goals with efficiency. An example would be “5S,” defined by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) as a “system to reduce waste and optimize productivity through maintaining an orderly workplace and using visual cues to achieve more consistent operational results.” The 5 S’s are sorting, setting order, shining (cleaning), standardizing and sustaining your medical environment. To achieve these standards, the EPA recommends keeping medical spaces well organized. Also, specific procedures should be restricted to operational medical spaces. Lean construction design sets the groundwork for efficient work flow. It can help to prevent mislabeling of blood samples or accidental contamination.

Pull planning

Pull planning is a lean construction planning method based on the projected completion date. Goals are scheduled based on the time frame needed from the end date and backwards.

Value-stream mapping

Value-stream mapping incorporates details scheduling of each individual project and design phase. These include:
  • Identification of the project.
  • Updating the construction project details in real time, including new information and set-backs.
  • Isolate steps that are causing delays and waste, and use measures to avoid them.
  • Create a map that charts new lean measures issued to improve productivity.
  • Execute new changes to reduce waste and save money on your building project.

Using lean construction in your medical facility

One hospital is using cardboard “patients” to simulate medical scenarios during the planning phase of remodeling. This gives them a visual aid determine if the layout is designed realistically for optimum productivity. According to, Akron Children’s Hospital CEO Bill Considine, “What differentiates Lean projects is the focus on collaboration and extensive planning long before construction begins.” Read the article on Modern Healthcare Magazine. Sources: How Lean Design, Construction Techniques Trim Healthcare Costs Lean methods trim hospital’s construction costs Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net