The 7 Flows of Lean Healthcare

As much as I would like to take credit as the original creator of the concept of the 7 Flows of Healthcare, I must admit that I can’t. And as much as I would like to cite the original source, I can’t find it! I learned of the 7 Flows during several Lean process improvement training sessions and while doing Lean design work on a number of healthcare facilities.

Whether you are beginning a new construction project or a renovation of an existing area, the 7 Flows of Healthcare apply when attempting to attain the best efficiency and flow. Over the years, I have seen variations of the 7 flows. I’ve created the diagram below to create a common understanding of what we mean when we at Studio+ reference the 7 flows. Each of these points is interconnected with the others.

With Lean, we identify and eliminate waste, reduce errors that occur within each process and the system as a whole. While there are no universal solutions in healthcare, there are universal issues that improve patient satisfaction and outcomes when optimized.

In my next post, we will review the 8 Wastes. In a third post, I will tie them together in an analysis on the Studio+ Lean philosophy.