Value stream mapping as a lean tool in hospital setting

The principle of lean is to eliminate the waste from the processes, with a focus on value-added activities for customers. The purpose of this article is to address the importance of lean implementation in the service sector, especially in health care settings, by focusing on the lean tool of the value stream mapping (VSM). The case study approach was used to show the applicability of VSM in the the rheumatology department in University Clinical Center of Kosovo (UCCK) hospital in which the current state is mapped by identifying process flows and waste activities. The study further developed a future state map to simplify the process. The study validates that lean applicability in the rheumatology department is achievable. It shows that the VSM brings out the positive impact on reducing patients’ time to schedule an appointment, simplifying the process for employees to keep track of patients’ data by a database, thus reducing the paperwork, and others. The processes of patients’ journey should be waste-free by eliminating waiting and providing full care to patients from the first process flow to the last one. It is the confined focus on a hospital setting in Kosovo in a single department. The case should be extended to other departments within UCCK hospital, and to other service firms to support the findings and have wider generalization. The results obtained from the study will help other hospitals and service firms to implement VSM. It deals with a real case study, which presents the application of VSM for implementing lean. © 2021, Chinese Society for Quality. All rights reserved.