17

Aug

NOVACES will host a Lean Healthcare Training in Valdosta on September 24 thru 28. Rising pressure for medical facilities to become more efficient and to control costs is creating a need for professionals who can implement Lean Healthcare, a process improvement methodology that has proven to speed up the adoption of new ideas and change to create the best place for patients and their families to receive care.

Local healthcare leaders in Georgia and Northern Florida, such as Lou Strickland, Practice Administrator for the Shaw Center for Women’s Health in Thomasville, GA, agree that a training course like this one responds to the increased demand for process improvement and change management skills for today’s professionals. “Lean process improvement has been a quality and efficiency focus in other industries for years, bringing that culture to healthcare is a strategy for improving service and clinical quality as well as cost containment. Process improvement is a big focus for the Shaw Practice as we pursue certification as a Patient-Centered Medical Home,” said Ms. Strickland.

Physician involvement is a key to so many of the improvements being implemented during Lean healthcare workshops. It is no surprise that physicians are getting trained to support these improvement initiatives. A recent training at St. Alexius Medical Center included Dr. Shiraz Hyder MD, who is a neurologist at the medical center’s specialty clinic. Dr. Hyder recognized an interesting parallel from the physician’s perspective, “Finding solutions to patient problems is second nature to a physician as they have been trained accordingly; finding solutions to systems and operational issues requires a different set of skills. Having a Lean Green Belt certification is like having an ACLS or ATLS certification, it is a proof that you have acquired necessary skills to rally a team, analyze and fix a problem.”

The Lean Healthcare training requires an instructor that understands hospitals and private practices, and course materials that are designed for teaching the concepts for application in a healthcare setting. NOVACES, a firm that specializes in teaching performance improvement to healthcare organizations, will be hosting the course at the Valdosta Hilton Garden Inn. Those who attend the course will have an opportunity to receive a Green Belt certification, a much sought after distinction for healthcare professionals looking to enhance their careers and improve the industry.

The training is a hands-on learning experience with a special healthcare simulation to help participants really understand how to apply Lean in healthcare. “This is a opportunity to learn some of the most effective tools to solve healthcare challenges. Investing in continuous improvement is a must for those who are serious about healthcare excellence,” said Deborah Smith, Senior Vice President of Healthcare Services for NOVACES.

Registration is now open for the course, and is available at http://www.novaces.com/georgia-lean-healthcare-training or by contacting Noel Huston at 504-544-6888 x203. A portion of the proceeds from the training will go to benefit the Physicians’ Institute for Excellence in Medicine, a foundation of the Medical Association of Georgia.