Lean Production in Health Care Is a Disaster for Workers and Patients Alike
Relentlessly driven to boost profits, US hospitals have introduced a management system called “lean production” that seeks to cut out any inefficiencies. The result has been disastrous: overstressed workers, unattended patients, and a hit to worker solidarity.
A nurse attending to a patient in an emergency room.
It’s no secret that health care in the United States is an abomination. We spend more on care than any other developed nation, and yet have worse health outcomes. How did this happen?
A big part of the answer is the profit motive. Treating health care like a capitalist industry has driven US hospitals to cut corners and endanger lives, all to maximize returns on investment.
To do so, many US hospitals have adopted a management system first used in auto factories. It’s called “lean production” — and it’s literally killing us.
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