Hardwiring Flow: Systems and Processes for Seamless Patient Care - Softcover

Dr. Thom Mayer has been widely recognized as one the nation's foremost experts in leadership, management, and customer service in healthcare. His skills as a speaker are legendary, and are attested to by the fact that he was named Outstanding Speaker of the Year for the American College of Emergency Physicians in the second year of the award, and has twice been given the Over the Top; Award, which is given to the highest rated speaker of the year for the American College of Emergency Physicians. Dr. Mayer has given Keynote speeches at numerous national conferences, including those for The Studer Group. Dr. Mayer has published over 60 articles, 60 book chapters, and has edited ten textbooks on healthcare leadership, customer service, and emergency medicine. Dr. Mayer wrote Leadership for Great Customer Service, about which leadership guru Tom Peters said, 'I honestly can t remember when I ve seen so much of so much importance crammed into a short book. This book is laser-like in its aim'; Most recently, Dr. Mayer wrote Leadership for Smooth Patient Flow. The Emergency Department and Hospitalists services for which he is responsible have won awards from virtually every survey company in healthcare, including one client whose scores rose from the first percentile to the 85th percentile in one year. On September 11, 2001, Dr. Mayer served as one of the Command Physicians at the Pentagon Rescue Operation, coordinating all medical assets at the site. In addition, physicians under his direction were the first to successfully diagnose and treat inhalation anthrax victims during the fall 2001 anthrax crises in the nation s capital. Dr. Mayer also serves as the Medical Director of the NFL Player s Association. Insightful lessons and anecdotes from all of these experiences are woven into his presentations. Without exception, client audiences have raved about Dr. Mayer s presentations, citing their warmth, wisdom, and extremely humorous presentation. Dr. Mayer s passion and energy in speaking about customer service and leadership in healthcare have resulted in valuable lessons and practical applications. Kirk B. Jensen, MD, MBA, FACEP, has spent over 20 years in Emergency Medicine management and clinical care. Board-certified in Emergency Medicine, he has been medical director for several emergency departments and is Chief Medical Officer for BestPractices, Inc. Dr. Jensen is a faculty member for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) focusing on quality improvement, patient satisfaction, and patient flow both within the ED and throughout the hospital. He chaired two IHI communities; Improving Flow Through the Acute Care Setting and Operational and Clinical Improvement in the Emergency Department. Currently he is a leader of the innovative IHI seminars Cracking the Code to Hospital-wide Patient Flow and Perfecting Emergency Department Operations. Dr. Jensen is a popular speaker and coach for EDs across the country. He is co-author of two books, Leadership for Smooth Patient Flow (2007 ACHE Hamilton Award winner) and Hardwiring Flow. He is the recipient of the 2007-08 American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Honorable Mention Speaker of the Year Award. Dr Jensen presents on patient safety, patient flow, operations management, and change management at the ACEP Emergency Department Directors Academy. In addition, Dr. Jensen served on the expert panel and site examination team of Urgent Matters, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative focusing on helping hospitals eliminate ED crowding and congestion as well as preserving the health care safety net. Dr. Jensen holds a Bachelor s Degree in biology from the University of Illinois (Champaign) and a Medical Degree from the University of Illinois (Chicago). He completed a residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Chicago

I coined a term a few years ago, rather awkward but to the point: 'gaspworthy' - as in, obviously, the audacity and power of the proposed program make you no less than gasp. Well, this is clearly a 'gaspworthy' effort. The healthcare debate is complex, but I have long believed that the true breakthroughs in healthcare will come, not primarily from external policy overhauls, but from the likes of superior application of prgrams such as 'flow' described herein. The big point: The approach laid out here is within the grasp of any hospital; it requires no alteration of outside forces. Hence, in my view, not to follow a path like this is a breach of duty to our patients as much as an inappropriate treatment protocol. Read it. Absorb it. Act. No excuses. Yes, 'gaspworthy'. --Tom Peters, One of the most influential business thinkrs of all time, Author of Reimagine: Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age and In Search of Excellence

A highly original and unexpected application inspired by the flow theory of optimal experience to the problem of managing patient flow in treatment centers. This book will be very helpful to anyone who is concerned to make sure that waiting for services will be minimal, and as enjoyable as possible - a huge boon in these days when wasting time is worse than wasting money. --Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Professpr of Psychology and Management, Claremont Graduate University

To the extent timing is important, Thom Mayer and Kirk Jensen have hit on the right topic at the right time. The entire healthcare industry is focused on cost, and their work on flow and systems does a terrific job of introducing the science, math, and art of flow management. As we are all grappling for new tools, this book is a welcome toolkit. --Bruce Crowther, FACHE, CEO, Northwest Community Hospital, Arlington Heights