Systems Thinking: Bringing It Closer To Home

A mindmap illustration of a systems approach to many of the things that affect your take home (net) pay

When we think about all of things that we need to consider when negotiating compensation with a potential new owner/manager, most of us are probably only concerned about base pay, production percentages and benefits packages. If this is good, we're good. And, I used to be in this same group. But, experience can be a ruthless teacher.

So, let me share some of my experiences with those of you that have not racked up forty plus years in the profession, working on both side of the "boss" desk, in private and corporate environments, in practices of two to six doctors, in low cost/high volume and high cost/low volume practices. Maybe, you won't have to reinvent the wheel. Plus, I think this is a good illustration of understanding things from a systems point of view.

What is a system? Thank you for asking! A system is the "game" with all of its "rules" that affect us, the players, and determine if and how "we win or lose." It is all of the departments, policies, procedures, cultures, ways of thinking, agendas, biases and ignorance that come to bear on a particular area or person, namely us, the employee.  Workers are at the mercy of the systems. They have no control over systems. Leadership is responsible for systems. However, in order to know how you will fare, you need to appreciate the intricacies of the "game." You need to think from a systems stand point.

Most of us veterinarians, these days, work on a production basis, i.e. we are paid a certain percentage of what we produce in medical and surgical fees less taxes and certain deductions. Many times there is a base salary in the mix, also.  So, for example, we are paid the greater of X% of our gross production or a salary, whichever is higher for the current period. And we are happy!

But this is only the tip of the iceberg. Looking at the illustration above, one can see there is much more involved than one might expect.

U.S. Tax Code

• Obviously, you have to pay your "favorite uncle" first. And, the government is a humongous system!

Employment Contract

• Percent of gross, obviously.
• Base salary. Usually, you either get your percentage of production (POP) or the base salary, whichever is higher for the period. Ideally, this is designed to give you a minimum paycheck while you are building your production. However, I have been in "systems" where the language of the contract was that POP was not based on gross production, but on gross COLLECTED production, i.e. if the client didn't pay the bill, I didn't get any POP for that invoice. So, my paycheck is dependent on the practice's accounts receivable system; an area I, as an employee, have no input or say about.
• Negative ProSal. This is my terminology for having to pay the practice back for any base salary paid but that your POP failed to cover. For example, in the first pay period of the month, I get $500.00 base salary. At the end of the month,  I get paid another periodic base salary of $500.00. I produced $4000.00 by the end of the second pay period of which I'm entitled, by contract,  to 20%, or $800.00. They already paid me $1000.00, yet my POP only amounted to $800. So, they TAKE BACK $200.00 of "overpaid wages" and my last paycheck for the period is only $300.00. It wasn't an either/or situation, at all. It amounts to straight production. The base salary language in the contract was "smoke and mirrors." 
• Play close attention to the Non-Compete clauses. It may not affect your earning potential with the present owner, but it very well could affect future earning potential with a different employer. (This also goes for relief Veterinary services. If you get asked to come to work for a practice that you worked at through a relief service, it might be a violation of the non-compete agreement you signed (Remember?) with the service.)

[A sideline note here. I contracted to work 4.5 days/ week for a set base salary. A pay period was every two weeks. So, I agreed to, and was available, to work  four days every week plus every other Saturday. During the first  two-week work period of my employment, my employer only scheduled me for three days each week and no Saturday. They weren't that busy. However, I only got paid for six days of base salary. This is not the definition of salary. That is per diem pay. I protested and received the other two days of salary. My point was that I was agrreable, available and willing to work the 4.5 days per week. It was their choice not to have me come in, not mine. Unless, it was my choice not to work, I was entitled to my base salary. Be careful, employers, especially of some smaller corporations (that may be under capitalized), may try to cut expenses any way they can dream up. Their "best interests" are sometimes in direct opposition to your best interests. Their systems are their systems!]

Policy Manual

• This is where a lot of the detail about "perks" and "comps" are listed. The point here is that the Policy Manual may take on the same power as any other contract, especially if the contract refers to items in the manual. (So, get and read the Policy Manual as if it were a contract,  because it very well may be.)
• Other items may also affect your take home pay. How much PTO do you get? How is it accumulated? How much is a "days wages"  worth if you take more PTO than allowed or take it before it has accumulated? What insurance is offered? What is the employee portion? Is there any allowance for CE? Is it enough to go to a major convention in order to cover all required hours for licensing? Who pays for uniforms? What retirement programs are available? When do they take effect? Is there employer matching? How much? When are you considered vested?

Practice Demographics

• Where your practice is located may affect your potential pay. Which state? Urban, suburban, rural? High percent of nearby non-residential establishments (businesses)? Neighborhoods mostly house or apartments? Are the residents young with kids (and pets!), older and on Social Security, or single, career climbers? What socioeconomic level is the majority of the residents? What is the level of discretionary income? Unfortunately, considering these types of things is important.

Inventory

• It may not be immediately evident, but inventory is another system that can affect your paycheck. If you don't have it, you can't sell it. If you can't sell it, you can't earn your POP. And if this happens too much, frustrated clients will leave to go to practices that do have what they need, when they need it. (Diminished long-term growth; less net income in the future)
• The inventory system is influenced by other sub-systems, policies and procedures. For example, the method of triggering reorders (tags, want lists, kanban bins, etc.) % of stock outs, availability of alternative drugs (variety), reorder point (is enough drug available to get through the next order/delivery cycle) to name a few.
• The Lean concept of Just-In-Time thinking is the utilization of inventory (or any resource) only when it is needed, where it is needed and in the amount needed. Seems like a good rule of thumb, but, as with most things, it is relative. In reality, the time from selling out to ordering to receiving new product is not instantaneous. Therefore, some level of safety stock is necessary to keep on hand. How much depends on many of these aforementioned systems and sub-systems are at work and is the big question (Google 'Economic Reorder Point' and/or 'Economic Reorder Quantity').

Average Client Transaction (ACT)

• One of the major drivers for net income is the the ACT.
• But, the ACT is influenced by the practice's fee structure, the portfolio of services and procedures offered and whether the there are discounts and coupons available for clients to use (and how your contract counts their value toward gross production).

Appointments

• Appointments is another one of the systems that affects your net income, especially appointment density; the number of appointments available per hour or per hour per doctor. Are appointments scheduled on the hour? Half hour? Quarter hour?
• What are the hours of operation each day? What days of the week?
• How many surgery days per week? Who gets what days?
• Can any Doctor see any client/patient who doesn't have a preference? Or, are all clients already assigned to other vets so that you will have to "build" your clientele from scratch with new clients to the practice? And, therefore...
• How quickly is the practice growing and what is the practice's marketing strategy (another system)? You can't earn from clients that don't walk in the door!
• How many other doctors are vying for clients? What is the internal competition like? (Believe me, there is ALWAYS some level of internal competition, especially as long as compensation is based on POP.)

Gender Differences 

• Does this occur in Veterinary Medicine?

This is probably not an exhaustive or complete list of influencers on your net income. However, I'll bet it encompasses more than you previously considered.

Glance back at all of the different systems; all of the different policies, agreements, understandings, aspects of the practice you work for and/or all of the "games." How many of them do you have ANY control or, even influences, over? Taxes? Inventory? Your practice's demographics? Accounts Receivable policies? Fee structure? Appointments? Marketing? You have partial influence in the contract. The Policy Manual??  Yet they determine your ability to survive, grow, enjoy life, contribute to your world?

This is why thinking in terms of all the system involved is so important. And understanding how changes in one area can have profound effects in another.

The last time I interviewed for a job that paid on POP,  I asked to see the last several periods of ACTs, and gross income. I looked at their state of inventory and asked about how they order drugs. I asked how much a rabies and distemper vaccine, plus a fecal exam, routine deworming and flea/heartworm would cost the client. This is one of my "index" invoices that I use to evaluate fees between practices (other "index" invoices include routine canine spay + pre-anesthesia blood work + IV cath/ fluids + pain injection + pain meds to go home or a dental prophy without extractions + routine labs + IV cath/fluids. It is simular to how one might use the S&P 500 Index to evaluate other investments or how the Consumer Price Index works). I had them show me the appointments over the last few months. I drove around the practice to check out the neighborhood. I "Googled" the practice to see client reviews. I checked out if they board, do grooming or have dental xrays and ultrasound. What does the staff look like? Enough to support good client flow? Trained well enough that I only have to worry about that which I am uniquely trained and licensed for? I was interviewing the practice as much, or more, as they were interviewing me.

Just like playing Black Jack in Vegas, I know the odds are in the casino's favor (they set the rules; system) but, I want to get as much in my favor as I can. So, maybe I can choose to play at a casino where they use only three decks versus five, or one that reshuffles only after 75% of the boot is dealt, versus 50%. The more I understand the systems in use, the better my choices will be (hopefully!).

I worry about the young, naive vets coming up who haven't had the level of experiences that I have had.  They are at the mercy of their employer's systems, more and more of which are large, faceless corporations (or "wannabe" corporations) with much deeper pockets and, possibly, a different perspective and agenda. Who will speak up for these neophytes? Who will watch over them? The fox that is in charge of the hen house?

Maybe, it is time for the younger generation of veterinarians, vet techs, vet assistants  and receptionists to consider forming an employment union, the way workers had to during the Industrial Revolution, and for the same reasons. There is power in numbers they say! And, it is the "power" that determines the "game". The Registered Nurses had to do it.

Thanks for reading.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

“Respect for people” is a fundamental principle of Lean and a major difference between Lean and the Western, more Taylor-esque, concept of management. The Western tradition, which is still a part of educating MBAs, is that management knows best and makes all decisions. Workers are to do as they are told.

There is a quotation by Henry Ford to the effect that the problem with workers is that, not only do they come with two hands, but also, unfortunately, a brain. Workers are not hired to think! Lean is much less of a top-down style of management, and much more of a bottom-up, inclusive, transparent style. This is not to say, however, that the asylum is completely handed over to the patients.

This core belief influences the relationship Toyota managers and supervisors have with their workers. For Toyota, management’s primary function is more of teacher and less of an organizational police officer. We now understand, more than before, that the focus for Toyota is not just on building quality automobiles, it is primarily focused on the building of problem solving, innovative, respected employees who, then, build quality, innovative automobiles.

Dealing with people from a basis of respect permeates every aspect of Lean.

Systems thinking:

Have you ever had the feeling that, at some point at work, you were damned if you do and damned if you don't? Or, that you are in the the middle of a Catch-22 situation? If so, you have probably been the victim of poor systems or systems colliding with each other. That feeling of not being in control or at the mercy of things bigger than you.

Thinking in terms of systems means understanding that the systems at work within an organization are management and leadership designed. Systems are the responsibility of management. Workers have no authority to control or overhaul systems. They are at the mercy of the systems. Yet, many times, staff are blamed for what is, in actuality, a system design problem.

For example, if a job is not being performed well, systems thinking would first consider such things as does the worker know that job is their responsibility, has the worker been trained adequately, does the worker have the necessary tools, and does the worker have timely and correct information?

Systems thinking is more respectful. It recognizes that systems should be investigated when problems occur before blaming people.

Value:

The Lean definition of value is that which the client wants and is willing to pay for, and that improves the health status of the pet, without defects and waste along the way. Our clients get exactly what they want, when want it and in the amount wanted. They pay for only value adding services. The concept of defining value from the client’s point of view shows respect for them.

Variance and overburdening:

Lean understands that large variances in workload can be the source of difficulties and overburden our staff. Lean suggests work loads try to be leveled as much as possible. Being watchful for the overburdening of staff comes from respect.

Just-In-Time

The Just-In-Time (JIT) concept is the procurement and delivery of resources, (whether that be drugs, supplies, access to diagnostic equipment and information, or patients, doctors and staff) just exactly where it is needed, just exactly when it is needed, and just exactly in the amount needed. Nothing more and nothing less.

With respect to staff and personnel, the Just-In-Time idea is based, in part, on recognizing and respecting the unique value of everyone's time and skills; to only use them when, where and in the amount needed.

Standardized work

Standardized work is the mutually agreed upon method to do or handle a certain process or situation that helps insure quality, timeliness and safety, and gets everyone on the same page working in the same direction. It shows respect by involving staff in its definition and formal writing, and by eliminating ambiguity and the anxiety it causes to workers that come from policy and process chaos.

Kaizen

Kaizen is a Japanese word that can be translated to mean “good change,” “change for the better,” or “continuous improvement.”

While improvements can be large, time consuming and expensive major changes, the most common are the small, daily, quick, inexpensive ideas submitted by staff that improve quality, flow, safety, value to the client and make work life just a little easier. Staff are on the frontline of our practices every minute of every day. They know, better than anyone, where and what the problems are. And, they probably know better how to remedy them than we owners and managers do.

Kaizen shows respect by recognizing what an asset our staff is, and allowing them to partner with us in improving the practice; to be engaged and be part of the solutions, rather than always being blamed for the problems.

5S

5S projects are the physical cleaning and reorganization of a particular room or area of the practice. It helps the staff to work with less clutter, frustration and confusion on a daily basis. It creates better flow within the hospital which increase value to clients; all ways of showing respect.

Go to gemba

"Genchi Genbutsu" (go and see) means that whenever there is a problem found, all relevant stakeholders (management and staff) should go to where the problem occurs (the “gemba”) and solve it together. It shows respect by recognizing that staff have valuable input to the situation.  

The Andon cord

On the Toyota production line, workers are provided with a mechanism to sound an alarm and ask for help anytime they find it necessary. The line stops if the problem is not quickly resolved. Toyota trains and trusts its employees to use the Andon cord when an issue of quality or safety is in question. It shows respect by creating a culture of safety and trust for anyone to speak up, even if they think there might possibly be an inkling of a concern.

It is my humble opinion that if veterinary staffs knew about and understood the Lean mindset and its worker-centric (and client-centric) philosophy, there would be such a grassroots revolution within the profession that owners, managers and corporation leadership would have no choice but to start thinking Lean within their practices. Maybe, we could start now and circumvent all of the "bloodshed."

Thanks for stopping by. Please share this blog with your contacts! And, let me know if you have any questions, comments or post ideas.

The Origins of Lean are Not All Japanese

Over the past few years, while discussing what Lean is with people, I have had one or two of them make comments to the effect that they weren’t interested in learning about anything coming from Japan (or any other foreign country!).

Now, while it is true that Lean did come from Toyota via the Toyota Production System (TPS) and Toyota developed this in Japan, much of what originally went into it came from the good ole' U.S. of A.

There were four primary entities from the United States that had an influence on and are responsible for a very large part of what came to be TPS. They are:

1. Henry Ford and Ford Motor Company
2. W. Edwards Deming 
3. Training Within Industry (TWI)
4. 1950s U.S. grocery stores

Henry Ford

The first influence came from Henry Ford's idea of the assembly line and mass production, allowing the increased manufacturing of identical products by several orders of magnitude. 

These concepts included highly standardized parts, which also allowed for the quick replacement of defective parts with identical replacements, which saved time. But, the mindset was still based on inspecting and repairing defects after the fact instead of preventing defects, as Toyota had already been focusing on. 

Not to mention that most of these defects weren't caught until the whole auto had been built, so sometimes it was just as easy to scrap the car altogether. 

But, what the heck! America was victorious after the war and had plenty of returning workers and plentiful resources. What’s a few thousand defective products and the time and labor to fix the situation? Japan was a defeated country with a scarcity of resources, which required them to be more creative.

Toyota, as well as the rest of the world learned from Ford as he started the mass production assembly line. However, they would tweak it quite a bit in the years to come. And, others would learn that Lean applies in environments that are not moving assembly lines.

W. Edwards Deming 

In recent years, a Toyota executive said:

"There is not a day I don’t think about what Dr. Deming meant to us. Deming is the core of our management.”

W. Edwards Deming was an engineer, mathematical physicist, and statistician during the twentieth century, becoming one of the greatest quality gurus of all time. In 1947, Dr. Deming was asked by the United States to go to Japan to help with the census during the post war restoration efforts. While he was there in that capacity, he gave a series of lectures on quality and process control to the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers. They eagerly incorporated his material into their thinking. The Deming Prize is still given out in Japan for examples of the highest quality organizations.

The PDSA (or PDCA) cycle is also known as the Shewhart cycle (or the Deming cycle)

From Dr. Deming, Japan and Toyota learned about building quality into the product at the gemba, the PDCA cycle and systems thinking.

Training Within Industries (TWI)

When the United States decided to enter World War II, most all able bodied men were ushered into military service. This left a large deficit in the workforce population, especially at a time when the military industrial complex was gearing up. In order to replace this workforce, women were recruited to fill these positions. Think of “Rosie the Riveter.”

The problem, of course, was that these new hires had little to no training in industry. Because the need was so immediate, the war department started the Training Within Industry (TWI) program.

Training Within Industry was a predominately volunteer program to help get new workers up to speed as quickly as possible. Many of the TWI trainers were loaned to the project by manufacturers, which continued to pay their salaries.

No manufacturing company was forced to utilize the TWI program. They had to request TWI help, and many did. There were also cases where TWI was used in healthcare.

There were four training programs offered at different times called the Jobs programs. These included the Jobs Instruction (JI) course, the Jobs Methods (JM) course, the Jobs Relations (JR) and, later, the Jobs Safety (JS) course. 

The program was very successful and contributed greatly to the United States being among the victors. When the war was over and the United States was helping to rebuild Japan, the TWI programs were exported. Manufacturers, including Toyota, enthusiastically incorporated the concepts into their own cultures. There is still a copy of an original TWI manual in the Toyota company museum. 

Once the war was over, the War Department ended the TWI program, the men returned to their jobs, the industrial revolution was on its way, resources were plentiful, manufacturers didn't see the need of TWI in their companies and interest in TWI dwindled to almost nothing. In recent years, however, there has been a renewed excitement in the old programs and methods.

The TWI Job Instruction (JI) course
This course was designed to teach supervisors how to teach new workers. These people knew their jobs well and had a lot of experience, but many didn't understand how to teach someone else. This course showed them how to dissect the job into its individual steps and provided them with a standard way of instructing on a step-by-step basis. This was the nidus for TPS's standardized work.

Training cards (as shown above and below) for each of the “J" courses were given to students to constantly refer to when dealing with their workers at their jobsite. This was necessary to protect the uniformity and integrity of the material throughout the project.

The TWI Job Methods (JM) course 

Job Methods taught how to improve the work being done. It was the impetus for kaizen or continuous improvement.

The TWI Job Relations (JR) course

The Job Relations course instructed supervisors how the deal with interpersonal relationships and conflicts. Toyota's commitment to the respect of workers and people came from this information.

These early concepts eventually evolved into Toyota's Improvement Kata and the Coaching  Kata. These are the standardized work of how managers and supervisors teach and mentor their direct reports.

1950s United States Grocery Stores 

Toyota executives who had come to the United States to observe and learn were intrigued by the way our grocery stores replenished their shelves at night with only those items that had sold that day. By the next morning, when the store reopened, the shelves were full for customers to purchase and the cycle repeated. 

Very little inventory was kept in the back of the store which cut down on costs to warehouse a large inventory and the capital tied up in that merchandise. All of this appealed to a small company in a small, recovering country. Just-In-Time thinking was born from this U.S. grocery store concept

While there is definitely an Eastern philosophical hue to the Toyota Production System, the roots of much of the mindset, especially what we would consider the major concepts, originated from the United States. But, keep in mind that Toyota is not the same as every Japanese company. They've worked hard to create a special culture -- they've been willing to learn from other countries. How about you?

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This Kanban System Works

Several months ago, I helped a practice set up a small, experimental kanban system for drug inventory. This particular system uses a kanban card as the signal to re-order.

The other common system utilizes two bins to hold a predetermined amount of product. When the first bin is empty, it is  removed and placed in a specified place known as a kanban post. From here, someone routinely (determined by standardized work) collects the empty bins and refills them from a central supply area. These bins are then returned and placed under (behind) the bin currently in use. The cycle repeats. This type of system is most often utilized in work areas, such as exam rooms, treatment areas or the lab to manage syringes, blood tubes, gauze squares, microscope slides, etc.

This was the “system” that was used previously. Excess drugs were stored throughout the hospital wherever there was room, such as this exam room cabinet. Notice the somewhat haphazard way the bottles are arranged.  Nothing is labeled. There are two empty slots on the second shelf. What is missing and needs to be ordered? And, how many? How long has this shortage been going on?

This “system” requires a staff member to go to all the the different “nooks and crannies” in order to create a complete drug order. In addition, this person would need to be experienced enough to “know” what belongs in empty spaces and how many to order. Inventory must be taken daily in order to identify depleted drugs, and get them ordered and delivered, hopefully, before a doctor needs to prescribed them. There is no reserved supply to cover the time necessary to get a new order in. Fortunately, for this hospital, orders placed by 10:00a.m. would be delivered by 3:00p.m. Not horrible, but still a gap before anyone can use the drug. For many hospitals, the lead time is days, not hours. Daily ordering also means daily receiving, daily invoice reconciliation, and daily restocking of shelves. That’s a lot of muda (waste)!!

In the new system, a place was found to install a couple of shelf units to experiment with. The drugs and supplies chosen were arranged in alphabetical order, with a few spaces left open for future additions.

The front of the shelves were labeled for each item. A place for everything, and everything in its place!

Even at this point, a missing item would be noticeable and identifiable.

The final step was making and placing the kanban cards (the signals). In order to keep this experiment as inexpensive as possible and to allow for quick, easy changes, I used pink index cards. The cards were bent in an “L” shape so they would stand up and be more visible.

On the front of the cards, I wrote the name of the drug, its size (e.g. milligrams), the unit size (e.g. tablets per bottle), the number of units to order and the number of units to keep behind the card. Our goal with this system was to only need to order once weekly. We wanted no more than two months supply up front, if possible, and, at least, one week's worth behind the card. When a new order comes in, the inventory is rotated by placing the items behind the card in front and replacing the reserve stock behind; a FIFO ( First In, First Out) system.

Now, once a week, a staff member (any staff member, because the system makes this possible) looks at the shelves and records the item, size and quantity to order. Ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom!

An improvement experiment might be to place a bar code on the card and read it with a smartphone or tablet into a form to be faxed or transmitted directly into a vendor's ordering software.

There are several Lean concepts here.

1. It is visual. With a single glance and one can see what is needed and what is not.
2. Just-In-Time. Item are only ordered when they are needed and in the amount needed, but before they run out completely.
3. Elimination of waste (muda). Wasted time in ordering, receiving, reconciling  and shelving, i.e. once weekly vs once daily. Wasted space in warehousing large amounts of inventory. Wasted use of capital that might be needed for other situations. And, wasted transportation and motion by the vendor. Increased workload on the rest of the staff to “cover” for an employee to handle inventory on a daily basis.
4. Use of  small, inexpensive, manual systems to experiment with and work out the “bugs” before investing in and expanding the system to include all other drugs or supplies, such as office supplies, or implementing more advanced technology, such as expensive and cumbersome software.

I had the opportunity to speak with the doctors and staff last month. They are still using the system and admitted that it has resulted in near zero shortages of these drugs. They were planning to expand it to other areas in the very near future.

Thanks for visiting? Comments and questions always welcome.

Systems, Value, Flow and Respect

Part of the mindset of thinking Lean is seeing and understanding your practice as a collection of systems. Individually, they seem appropriate and functional. However, many times our different systems unintentionally “bump” into each other. When this happens, chaos and waste can result.

Consider this collection of systems found in veterinary practice:

A multi-doctor practice operates on a “base or percent of production” format to pay associate doctors. The base salary is low to encourage production. Very typical within our industry. However, there are some problems.

First, the paperless computer system is slow and the doctors are required to input not only their original medical notes, but also generate any necessary supplementary reports and summaries. 

Tech staff are not allowed to have anything to do with inputting any part of the medical records other than a simple history, primary complaint, weight, temp, pulse and respiratory rate (TPR). They are not permitted to enter any of the physical exam findings, test results, diagnoses (differential or definitive), treatment orders or client home instructions. 

It is estimated that for every minute spent by doctors seeing patients, at least one other minute is needed to perform this non-value adding work.

Appointments are capped at two 20-minute appointments per hour per doctor. By the time the client is checked in by the receptionist, escorted to the exam room by a tech, and subjective information entered into the (sometimes mind-numbingly slow) computer system, the doctor notified of the appointment and briefed, half, or more, of the 20-minute time has passed.

There are four exam rooms for two doctors seeing appointments. The doctors (and, therefore, the exams rooms) are appointed at the same times each hour, i.e. at the :00 mark and at the :40 mark.

Tech staff are not allowed to have anything to do with entering any part of the medical records other than a simple history, primary complaint, weight, temp, pulse and respiratory rate (TPR). They are not permitted to enter any of the physical exam findings, test results, diagnoses (differential or definitive), treatment orders or client home instructions.

Systems thinking. As one can probably figure out, with only 60 minutes in an hour and every 20-minute appointment actually consuming 40, you are 20 minutes behind after the first hour and that increases linearly each hour thereafter. 

The first slot each hour has a 20-minute break afterwards until the next appointment at the last 20 minutes of the hour. However, this appointment butts up against the next first appointment of the next hour. There is no 20-minute “safety” period here.

Over an eight-hour shift, one of two scenarios can result. 

First, this allows twelve of sixteen potential appointments to be professionally serviced appointments per shift. This may be fine provided the takt (basically, the rate of demand) is less than that. But, if you are growing, it means hiring more doctors, thus increased overhead. Hardly in line with “do more, with less resources, with higher quality, and less waste” motto of Lean.

Second, and much more realistic, is that the 16 scheduled appointments will be seen, but many, if not all, of them after the first hour will be seen late. And, the doctor and staff will need to stay almost three hour longer than their shift to finish everything required per appointment. (Or, if the practice is willing to forego 16 appointments per doctor shift, then they concede to only see twelve; a 25% cut in production!).

From an associate doctor’s perspective, who is paid mostly on production, this is a problem. It severely caps their ability to earn income. We talked, in one of the first blog posts, about systems and how workers can be at the mercy of systems in which they have no control.

The associate doctor has very limited control over the systems that affect his/her ability to earn, e.g. appointment systems (number of appointments/hour, who gets which appointments and so on). There are systems that affect the extent to which staff are trained to assist and facilitate, computer systems, HR/payroll systems (contracted production percentage, hours/weeks, time of shifts, days on surgery), etc. Systems are the domain of upper management or practice ownership.

Respect. One of the two main pillars of Toyota and Lean is "respect for people" (the other is continuous improvement). This situation, as described here, is disrespectful to doctors and veterinary technicians. It disrespects doctors by forcing them to spend so much time performing work other than what they are uniquely trained for and can earn from. But, it also disrespects the trained techs that are not being utilized (or trained) to their fullest capacity.

Lean promotes the idea that resources should only be used when they are needed, where they are needed and only in the amount needed. Anything else is waste (muda). Doctors are highly trained, unique resources. Their use should be very purposeful and intentional. The only person in a veterinary office who can diagnose and treat patients, i.e. generate fees, is the doctor. Any other "job" than these should be seriously reconsidered - and maybe assigned to somebody else.

Value. Remember, part of the Lean definition of “value” from the client’s point of view is something they want and are willing to pay for. How much do you think a client is willing to pay for a take home “Examination Report” or a  “Welcome to Our Practice” card handwritten by the doctor they saw? How much do you think they value being able to get in for an appointment and being seen promptly by a doctor, having their pet diagnosed correctly and promptly, and efficaciously treated?

Flow. As I have blogged about before, flow directly and profoundly affects value from the client's perspective. All of the above scenario negatively impact flow. So, value likewise suffers. And this is a form of disrespect to the client.

I spent about five years working for a major corporate veterinary practice. As a solo doctor, I was able to routinely see 35 to 40 patients each day, including six surgeries. One way I accomplished this was by instituting a system of forms and tech training that freed me from much of the medical records input without sacrificing accuracy or neglecting my responsibility for those records. 

I never had any issues with routine audits of my records by my directors and in one of my last years with the practice, was one of the top 20 producers in the entire national practice. 

The vast majority of my time was spent in the exam rooms and surgery doing the work I was uniquely qualified to perform, improving flow and creating value for my patients and clients. But, from my very first days on the job, my practice manager and I invested extensive time and effort in tech training and doctor/tech “choreography.” Staff members are one of the only practice assets that has the potential to appreciate and get better over time.

At left is the simple, quick form I used. I would draw it on the back of the “Permission to Treat” form generated by the front desk whenever a patient was seen so I wouldn't use a new sheet of paper each time.

I divided the sheet into six sections as shown. Each section corresponds to a specific part of a “SOAP” medical record as indicated.

I would write my notes, findings, lab results, differential diagnosis or tentative diagnosis, treatment orders, client instructions and follow ups in the appropriate sections. I then gave the form to the tech on the case for input into the electronic medical record (EMR) and headed off to the next patient with a different assistant. This typically consumed about ten minutes of the 30 minute slot. The tech would then present the treatment plan, collect and/or run any lab tests, give any injections, prepare take home medications, go over home instructions and set follow up appointments. They would also enter the line item fees for invoicing and escort the the client to the receptionist for check out. It was at this point that they would input the EMR, before starting all over with a new client and patient in a different room.

We typically scheduled six or seven 15-minute exams per every two hours of available time, This allowed some flexibility in the schedule as the techs and I “leap frogged” from appointment to appointment. In addition, we tried to only book three of the four exam rooms each hour. If the value stream of an appointment could not be completed within 30 minutes, we asked that pet be dropped off and techs in Treatment took over. I would come back to that patient later, when I had a break between exam rooms.

The understanding (and training, training, training!) was that the techs were to put everything I wrote on the form into the appropriate ”SOAP” section of the EMR. If there was other information or details they felt were important, then they should include that, also. They signed their initials at the bottom and put the form in a specified area on my desk for review and editing later in the day. The final responsibility for the medical records was mine and only mine, as it should be.

We also, at a later date, did away with a separate tech history and tech physical exam. The only history and exam that was important was the doctor’s. The newly available tech time was utilized to input the history, physical exam findings, treatment orders and home care instructions into the EMR in the exam room in real-time as I informed the client.

Note: This is also a good example of Standardized Work!

Tell me what you think. How does this impact your concepts of respect? How much of the daily work in a hospital should staff be allowed to do? Understanding that doctors are ultimately responsible for the medical records, are they the only individuals that can input them into the electronic medical records (EMR)?  What situations have you been involved with where you felt at the mercy of systems; a “catch-22?”  How was it resolved? How many clients actually value “the personal touches,” such as doctor-written welcome cards or examination summary reports vs being able to get their pet seen (and out!) in a timely and cost effective manner? One client out ten; one out of 100; 1000? Where do (would) you balance a conflict between flow and “that personal touch?”

Thanks for stopping by.

Einstein's Equation of Lean Relativity

No, not Albert Einstein! Moraito “Morey” Einstein, Albert’s third cousin, twice removed on his mother’s side.

Just kidding! However, this, in a simple equation, explains Lean.

“F” stands for Flow and “V” stands for Value from the client’s point of view.

Taiichi Ohno’s equation states:

                                      Capacity = Work + Waste

What this equation states is that there is always waste in our current state. When we remove some waste, we create a new current state, but there is still waste. We pursue perfection, but never achieve perfection.

If we substitute our total “Value Streams” for “Present Capacity” and “Flow” for “Work”, we get:

                                     Value Streams = Flow + Waste

Rewriting the equation gives us:

                                     Flow = Value Streams - Waste



This, then, is essentially what flow means. Flow is all the different processes (value streams) that occur in the management of a veterinary practice with as much waste removed as possible (and then continually improved).

Also, remember that Value is defined as that which a client desires (Dc) and is willing to pay for, that moves (Mp) the patient's condition toward the desired outcome and is performed correctly (without waste; W) the first time.

                                           V = Dc + Mp - W


Everything about Lean is about improving flow, because flow ultimately results in greater value. A3 problem solving, 5S projects, kanban, Just-In-Time (JIT) concepts, error proofing (jidoka), visual management, continuous improvement (kaizen), everything is aimed at pursuing the perfection of flow. We continually improve systems and processes in order to improve flow, and therefore, value. 5S organizes the hospital by removing clutter from work areas, organizing the areas so that they have only the needed equipment close to hand with a consistent place for everything and everything in its place. 5S also makes problems visible, and solving those problems allows us to improve flow.

For example, at our hospital we were constantly having to leave the exams rooms to find this or that item. Not good for flow! So, we went to each of the exam rooms and got rid of duplicate suture scissors, hemostats, tourniquets, etc. Then, the staff and I created a list of the supplies and instruments that we routinely use within the rooms. We chose a roll of tape, Vetrap, cotton swabs, gauze squares, clippers, a small supply of various syringes, a digital thermometer, a Nye tourniquet, a stethoscope, fecal loops, etc. We even put some blood tubes, Idexx spinners, and a bottle of heparin in each room to facilitate quick blood draws for lab tests. Finally, we organized the drawers so that they were the same in each exam room. Now, each room is the same, with the most used resources close at hand. In addition, we all now know, regardless of which room we’re in, that tape is in the right hand drawer and the tourniquet is in the left. There is less confusion. We don't have to think, “This is exam room 1, so the suture scissors are here...no, there...no, in that drawer.” There’s no more time spent searching for items. Also, doctors and/or staff can now quickly (visually) tell if the drawers are complete (standardized). If not, the problem is fixed right then so it doesn't continue to be a disruption. This improves flow, thus value.

Kanban and JIT improve resource utilization by creating a system that provides drugs, supplies, staff schedules and doctor’s time, to name a few, only when needed, where needed and in the amount needed. This frees up cash, space, staff and doctors to do more patient care which improves flow which equates with higher value. Visual management techniques, A3 (PDSA) thinking, and “5 Whys” root cause analysis allow problems to be easily seen and fixed at the root cause(s), again, in order to improve flow and value. Even kaizen, the concept of utilizing our ultimate resource, our staff, to identify and fix problems and remove waste (muda) from our value streams is for the purpose of perfecting flow.

Time is money. And, time spent on wasteful activities and processes is money lost. Everything in our hospital, even wasted items, has to be paid for through income from clients. Otherwise, it comes out of our pockets, our bottom line. Value from the client's perspective means not being charged higher fees in order to cover waste.


All of this, then, is contained in the equation F=V. Simple, right?

The different individual concepts and “tools” of Lean are relatively simple. The difficulty is conceptualizing how the different elements interrelate to create Lean, putting it into operation within your practice and, then sustaining it long enough to get positive results and change the organizational mindset to automatically think Lean. But, that is a different equation and a different blog!

For now, just remember, “it's all about da flow, ‘bout da flow, ‘bout da flow…!“

What are your thoughts? Let us know.

Flow (One Piece Flow)

In a Lean manufacturing setting, products are ideally “pulled” through the value stream, one piece at a time, continually. There might be times when batches greater than one are necessary. But, the goal with Lean is to find ways to reduce batch sizes in a way that improves flow without harming quality. Each step is ideally adding value, without waste, when the customer requests it (although there might be some “necessary waste.”) It is a similar process when performing a service for a client. 

Think of a value stream as a relay race. When the gun goes off (initiation of the value stream), each of the four runners advances one baton in a predetermined order (using standardized work). Each runner runs his leg of the race quickly and skillfully (adding value), and the hand-offs (pull) occur smoothly and without delay (waste), just at the right time (JIT) when the next runner signals his readiness (kanban). The result is, hopefully, a flawless (perfect) execution, in record time resulting in a first place medal (satisfied clients). The runners are ecstatic and proud (confident and engaged). The fans go wild (positive word of mouth advertising)!

This is opposed to “batch and queue” production where batches of product are produced at one time and then stored before going on to the next step. This results in much “hurry up and wait,” a lot of work in process (WIP) inventory, large amounts of warehousing space, and longer lead times.

For example, a product requires three steps to produce. Each step requires 10 minutes. In “batch and queue” mode, 10 units are produced at one time. The first step requires 10 units × 10 minutes = 100 minutes. The second step requires 10 units ×10 minutes = 100 minutes. The third step requires 10 units × 10 minutes = 100 minutes for the entire batch. However, the first unit is off the line in step 3 after 10 minutes. Therefore, it requires a total of 210 minutes (the lead time) for the first unit to be available to the consumer, and 300 minutes for the entire batch to be ready. This is not considering any waiting time between the batch processing steps (which tends to occur any time we have batching). 

Compare this with one-piece flow, where the first unit is through step 1 in 10 minutes. It then progresses straight through step 2 in 10 minutes and, finally, straight through step 3 in 10 minutes. The total elapsed time until the consumer receives his product is 30 minutes, plus any delays between steps. One-piece flow results in a savings of 180 minutes and is 85.7% faster.

In a multi-doctor hospital, four 10:00 am appointments arrive at the same time. Each client requires ten minutes to get the primary complaint, update the client information, pull the file, write the date and reason for the visit in the medical records, weigh the pet, and enter that data into the medical records.

The receptionist checks in all four clients before signaling to the techs that clients are ready to be seen.  This means that the first client is not seen until 40 minutes after his/her arrival.

In one-piece flow, the first client could be seen within ten minutes of arrival (and probably be checked out and on the way home before the fourth client gets into an exam room).

Or, techs draw all of the morning blood samples of hospitalized patients before centrifuging and running any of the tests. This keeps the doctor from being able to formulate any treatment orders as quickly as he could if blood samples were run as they were drawn.

Flow is the result of good value streams, JIT, kanban systems and standardized work. Flow equals value to the client. What’s also unintuitive is that reducing batch sizes can improve productivity. People often think working in batches in faster. Sometimes this is true, but not always. It depends on the work and the setting. We do know that working in batches creates a lot of waste -- sorting, moving, inspecting batches, logging them in computer systems, etc. -- work that wouldn’t be required if we had better flow. 

Improving flow in healthcare settings often requires changes to the process, such as the physical layout of a department or clinic. In the Lean mindset, we’d challenge ourselves to ask why we have batching or a particular office layout. “It’s always been that way” doesn’t mean it has to be that way in the future. If it is not adding value for the client or pet, it's probably muda and needs to be removed from the system.