Applications of lean thinking: a briefing document

This report has been put together by the Health and Care Infrastructure Research and Innovation Centre (HaCIRIC) at the University of Salford for the Department of Health. The need for the report grew out of two main simple questions, o Is Lean applicable in sectors other than manufacturing? o Can the service delivery sector learn from the success of lean in manufacturing and realise the benefits of its implementation?The aim of the report is to list together examples of lean thinking as it is evidenced in the public and private service sector. Following a review of various sources a catalogue of evidence is put together in an organised manner which demonstrates that Lean principles and techniques, when applied rigorously and throughout an entire organization/unit, they can have a positive impact on productivity, cost, quality, and timely delivery of services

Foreign Direct Investments in Business Services: Transforming the Visegrád Four Region into a Knowledge-based Economy?

Foreign direct investments (FDIs) in the service sector are widely attributed an important role in bringing more skill-intensive activities into the Visegrad Four (V4). This region—comprising Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia—relied heavily on FDIs in manufacturing, which was often found to generate activities with limited skill content. This contribution deconstructs the chaotic concept of “business services” by analysing the actual nature of service sector activities outsourced and offshored to the V4. Using the knowledge-based economy (KBE) as a benchmark, the paper assesses the potential of service sector outsourcing in contributing to regional competitiveness by increasing the innovative capacity. It also discusses the role of state policies towards service sector FDI (SFDI). The analysis combines data obtained from case studies undertaken in service sector outsourcing projects in V4 countries. Moreover, it draws on interviews with senior employees of investment promotion agencies and publicly available data and statistics on activities within the service sector in the region. It argues that the recent inward investments in business services in the V4 mainly utilize existing local human capital resources, and their contribution to the development of the KBE is limited to employment creation and demand for skilled labour

From Volume to Value: Transforming Health Care Payment and Delivery Systems to Improve Quality and Reduce Costs

Summarizes presentations on the changes in payment systems and organizational structures required to provide higher-quality health care, including episode-of-care payments for major acute episodes. Suggests pilot projects and implementation strategies

Community Health Centers: The Challenge of Growing to Meet the Need for Primary Care in Medically Underserved Communities

Provides an overview of community health centers, their patients, and recent federal and state funding cuts, as well as funding prospects for the centers' expansion to meet greater demand among patients newly eligible for Medicaid or private coverage

A Framework for Integrating Transportation Into Smart Cities

In recent years, economic, environmental, and political forces have quickly given rise to “Smart Cities” -- an array of strategies that can transform transportation in cities. Using a multi-method approach to research and develop a framework for smart cities, this study provides a framework that can be employed to: Understand what a smart city is and how to replicate smart city successes; The role of pilot projects, metrics, and evaluations to test, implement, and replicate strategies; and Understand the role of shared micromobility, big data, and other key issues impacting communities. This research provides recommendations for policy and professional practice as it relates to integrating transportation into smart cities

Servitization 2.0: The significance of product and service dominant logics for public service organisations

This conceptual paper explores servitization as significant to public service organisations (PSOs) within which there is a requirement to administer lean and sustainable provision. It specifically appreciates that the digital transformation of services has embraced customer processing machine technologies that facilitate volume growth alongside information sharing; thus, fostering co-operation within collaborative network systems whilst pro-actively operating as elements of the product-service system (PSS). It demonstrates the significance of good-dominant logic (GDL) and service-dominant logic (SDL) perspectives when considering servitization within specific PSOs, and therefore seeks to better understand the strategic and operational realities for the era of Servitization 2.0

CareOregon: Transforming the Role of a Medicaid Health Plan From Payer to Partner

Details Triple Aim pilot programs designed to offer patient-centered medical homes and multidisciplinary case management in an effort to improve population health, enhance patients' experience, and slow cost growth

Understanding the Importance and Impact of Technology in an Accounting Setting: Work Outcomes and Relationships with Clients

This study explores how technology positively or negatively impacts the accounting profession, and specifically, the impact on work outcomes (i.e. the effectiveness and efficiency of work) and relationships with clients. Three types of technology tools were featured in this study: Accounting and Analytics, Robotic Process Automation, and Communication Technology Tools and Platforms. Our research questions were (1) How much do technology tools improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the accountant? and (2) How much do technology tools affect the relationship with clients? After surveying professionals in the accounting field, we concluded that accountants believe that Communication softwares improve their efficiency and effectiveness the most, with Accounting and Analytics softwares just behind. We can also conclude that technology has a positive, or at the very least, neutral, effect on the relationship between professionals and their clients. Overall, it was found that in the accounting field, technology has a positive impact on work outcomes and relationships with clients

Transforming the Workforce to Provide Better Chronic Care: The Role of Nurse Care Managers in Rhode Island

This series explores the evolution of primary care systems to better meet the needs of consumers with complex health conditions. It demonstrates that changes in the workforce are required to empower consumers to better manage their health.The series is a collaboration of the National Academy for State Health Policy and the AARP Public Policy Institute. We recognize that it takes a team of skilled professionals to deliver improved chronic care. In this series, we focus on how registered nurses -- who make up the largest segment of the health care workforce -- are being deployed in ambulatory delivery systems to take on new roles. Future series will focus on other members of the health care team.We selected six initiatives that offer replicable policy strategies to develop, implement, and sustain patient-centered approaches to care. Each case study highlights one of these initiatives and provides policy recommendations and an "on-the-ground" look at the work of its nurses