Lean Management

Why Go Lean?

Using lean management strategies, ophthalmology practices can:

• Improve practice efficiency
• Decrease waste
• Increase profitability
• Improve patient satisfaction

How Lean Works

Lean encompasses these simple strategies:

• Know what your patients value. For many patients, this means more face time with care providers and reduced wait times.
• Find easy wins. Select a practice process challenge that will be relatively easy for your practice team to address.
• Try out your solution. Put your proposed solution into action and adjust as needed.
• Celebrate and share your successes. Easy wins build team solidarity and enthusiasm to continue improving the practice’s efficiency via lean.

AAOE Lean Resources

52 Lean Tips
As ophthalmic practices continue to face the challenge of decreasing profit margins, a renewed commitment to continuous process improvement utilizing lean principles can make a difference. As this can initially seem daunting, focusing on small, incremental changes can produce immediate results. AAOE^® has committed to providing 52 Weeks of Lean throughout 2023 to offer focused and relevant tips to improve efficiencies and ultimately maximize profitability.

• A New Perspective: Key Strategies to Go Lean

Lean Webinars

• Hone Your Retina Clinic Flow With the Lean Pre-Game Plan
• Think Lean: Reduce Costs, Increase Profitability and Improve Patient Satisfaction

Lean Articles

• EyeNet^® Practice Perfect: Going Lean, Part 1: Creating Value in the Ophthalmology Practice
• EyeNet Practice Perfect: Going Lean, Part 2: How to Get Started
• EyeNet Practice Perfect: Going Lean, Part 3: Improve Patient Wait Times
  • How a Simple Change in Thinking Can Help Your Patients, Your Staff and Your Bottom Line
  • How to Get Staff Buy-in
  • How You Can Improve Productivity and Patient Care
  • Tools for Efficiency and Effectiveness in the Ophthalmology Practice

Lean Guide

• The Lean Practice: A Step-by-Step Guide for Running an Efficient and Profitable Practice

Additional Lean Resources

• Applying the Science of Quality Improvement to the Ophthalmology
• How Can the EHR Help Improve Practice Quality and Volume?
• How a Manufacturing Process Transformed Health Care Delivery

Questions?

Email aaoe@aao.org.