Breaking Silos in Healthcare: The Five Focusing Steps of the Theory of Constraints
Capitalize on the strategic advantages of the Theory of Constraints, to identify and remove barriers to improve healthcare.
Course Summary
This short course is designed to explore the Five Focusing Steps of the Theory of Constraints, an approach that has great potential to drive significant change in healthcare organizations. This framework challenges the assumption that to improve patient flow in healthcare systems, you need to improve everything that can be improved. It is quite the opposite! The course is an ideal starting point for healthcare professionals looking for fresh alternatives to improve patient flow in their systems. Rather than focusing solely on cost reduction, this approach centers on enhancing throughput.
The course consists of eight concise lessons that guide you through the rationale and logic underlying the Theory of Constraints and how it differs from other process improvement methodologies. The course culminates in an exploration of the Five Focusing Steps and their application to healthcare systems. You will gain a fresh perspective as you discover how these steps can be leveraged to address critical patient flow issues in healthcare delivery.
The course is based on the instructors' webinar that was offered by the Society for Health Systems.
Your instructors
James Rawson, MD
Dr. Rawson serves as the Vice Chair of Operations and Special Projects in Radiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Lead for Applied Engineering and Creating Value in Clinical Operations at the Center for Healthcare Delivery Science and faculty at Harvard Medical School in Boston. He uses process improvement to increase clinical capacity and throughput for patient care and to improve patient experience. Dr. Rawson is a SHS Board member and past President of the Association of University Radiologists. Currently, he serves as an Examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
Danilo Sirias, Ph.D.
Dr. Sirias is a Professor in the Department of Management and Marketing at Saginaw Valley State University. Dr. Sirias’ research interests include how the Theory of Constraints can improve patient flow in Emergency Departments, Inpatient Units, Operating Rooms, and Outpatient Clinics. He is co-author of the book: Smash the Bottleneck: Fixing Patient Flow for Better Care. In 2022, Dr. Sirias received a $245,000 grant from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund to apply the Theory of Constraints to improve access to behavioral health clinics. Dr. Sirias is currently a TOCICO board member.
