Creating and sustaining value: Building a culture of continuous improvement

International Summit on Industrial Engineering

December 08-10, 2014 DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel San Francisco Airport, USA

Saleem Chattergoon

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Ind Eng Manage

Abstract :

In 2011, Toronto East General Hospital (TEGH) began its journey towards developing a culture of continuous improvement. TEGH evolved into an organization-wide improvement system through a commitment to fiscal responsibility, practical innovation, team-based performance management, and daily management systems. Elements from various industrial engineering philosophies such as Lean, Six Sigma, and the Toyota Production System influenced the development of TEGH?s culture of continuous improvement as they were adapted to a healthcare context. This culture enabled TEGH to achieve the lowest Emergency Department wait times for admitted patients in its region, reduce length of stay for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease patients by 46%, and achieve some of the highest staff satisfaction scores in the province.

Biography :

Saleem Chattergoon received his Master of Business Administration at the DE Groote School of Business with a specialization in Health Services Management, and completed his Biomedical Engineering degree at the University of Toronto. As a certified Lean Black Belt, he has applied process improvement principles at the Toronto East General Hospital to achieve higher levels of performance in patient safety, access to care, and other dimensions of quality. He maintains a strong interest in improving the safety, accessibility and value of the healthcare system through innovation in health service delivery, health policy and healthcare technologies.