A New Paradigm For Veterinary Practice Management

 

There is a new paradigm, a new methodology, with proven results over many different industries including human health care. The new model is the Toyota Production System (TPS), better known in the West as Lean, for its consistent ability to deliver both quality and value without the waste and frustration that we see in so many organizations.

Over the course of 70 years, Toyota has grown from being a small, domestic, truck manufacturer in a devastated post-war Japan to being the largest auto maker in the world, for a time in 2012, even surpassing America’s industrial revolution icon, Ford Motor Company. Additionally, they have been profitable in every one of those years except three. How has Toyota been able to accomplish such milestones? By relentlessly pursuing a strategy of operational excellence, which includes a leadership style and organizational culture that is very different than most companies.

Lean is not just a set of tools. Toyota’s own website describes their production system as being a combination of:

1. Technical tools and methods
2.  Management methods
3. Philosophy and mindsets 

Practiced together, this results in an organizational culture that develops people in the organization and sets up the organization for long-term success. Toyota also emphasizes that the main goals are improving flow (in the case of healthcare, providing the right care at the right place at the right time) and ensuring quality at the source. There is a foundation of safety being a top priority (for patients and employees) instead of being a separate program or initiative. 

            Toyota also described their “Toyota Way” management system as having two key pillars:

• Kaizen (continuous improvement) (http://www.leanvets.com/2016/02/kaizen.html)
• Respect for People 

Being respectful in the workplace is not just a matter of being nice. It means challenging people in a constructive way so they can grow and perform to the best of their ability. “Respect for people” is a phrase that is also sometimes expressed as “respect for humanity.” This means not just showing respect for all stakeholders (such as customers, employees, suppliers and the partners, the community), but also respecting our human nature. For example, Lean leaders understand that we have human limitations, such as making more errors when we get distracted or are physically or mentally exhausted. This drives us to error proof systems to help prevent common human errors, rather than just asking people to be careful.

In the Lean framework, operational excellence is based concepts, such as the following:

1. Value (http://www.leanvets.com/2016/02/value.html) is defined from the customer’s point of view.
2. Work relentlessly to reduce or eliminate waste (http://www.leanvets.com/2016/01/in-japanese-word-for-waste-is-muda.html).
3. Build a culture of continuous improvement.
4. Standardize work to improve flow.
5. Make problems visible and react quickly.
6. Understand problems and solve them at their root cause(s).
7. Demonstrate deep respect for workers and all stakeholders. 

Successful practices realize that long-term success comes from satisfied clients. Clients should truly feel we have their best interests at heart. Hopefully, they would choose our practice not necessarily because we are less expensive than another practice, but that they received value for the hard-earned money they spend with us. We are responsive to their desires, and we value their time as much as we value ours. Satisfied clients help resurrect the idea of positive, direct ”word of mouth" advertising.