ABSTRACT
Value stream mapping has been a popular tool to help hospital leaders see the entire picture across departmental boundaries. A value stream map (VSM) is a structured diagram that originated with Toyota, as something they call material and information flow mapping. VSMs identify how long each high-level process step typically takes to complete and, more importantly, the amount of waiting time between steps or departments. When creating a current-state VSM, the team needs to identify problems that need fixing, such as a long waiting time between steps in the process or high amounts of rework. After identifying improvements, the team also creates a future-state VSM that illustrates how the process should work or could work if redesigned. The product in a process can be a patient, an order, or a specimen, among other things. Traditional process improvement often focuses on doing the value-added work in a faster or more efficient way.
