Lean Thinking Course

Lean Healthcare

Build better systems by building better leaders

What is Lean Healthcare?

Lean Healthcare is a methodology that hospitals, clinics, and other care facilities use to improve patient flow, reduce delays, and build more reliable healthcare operations. The University of Michigan approach to Lean Healthcare is people-centric, focusing on building leaders through rigor, relevance, and relationships.

Course Summary

Discounts

The following GoBlue pricing discounts are available and cannot be combined. Please contact us at [email protected] for a promotional code that will allow you to apply the eligible discount to your registration.

With 15 or more enrollments, you may want to consider a custom program for your organization. Please contact us to learn more about our partnership opportunities.

Once you have paid, a discount cannot be added retroactively.

THESE DISCOUNTS ARE NOT APPLICABLE FOR PARTNER PROGRAMS.

Name	Details	Level
Group Discount Level 1	Enroll 3-4 participants in one course offering.	5%
Group Discount Level 2	Enroll 5 or more participants in one course offering.	10%
U.S. Government	Current employees with .gov email (not applicable to government contractors).	10%
U.S. Military	Active duty personnel, reservists, retired or disabled veterans.	10%
Students	Currently enrolled student from any university; please send photo of date-stamped student ID.	10%
Michigan Engineering Professional Education Alumni	Past participants of any Michigan Engineering Professional Education certificate course.	20%
U-M Alumni	U-M alumni from any school or department – please send uniqname to [email protected] for confirmation.	20%
U-M Students and Staff	Current U-M students, faculty, and staff – please send uniqname to [email protected] for confirmation.	20%

The 3 Conditions for Sustainable Improvement

Rigor	Relevance	Relationship
Disciplined, evidence-based thinking. Structured experimentation, coaching, Gemba observation, and rapid PDSA cycles replace assumption-driven decisions.	Real projects, not case studies. Participants apply learning to actual clinical, operational, and strategic challenges — generating value while building capability.	Trust as infrastructure. Psychological safety, co-designing with interprofessional teams, and coaching.

This remote-live certificate course focuses not just on tools but on developing improvement as a leadership and interprofessional team capability. By integrating leadership development, coaching, employee engagement, and evidence-based process improvement, healthcare professionals can design and implement changes that result in sustainable improvement and people development.

This course is also available as a custom program.

Learning Objectives

The program focuses on organizational development, integrating Lean principles, systems thinking, and improvement tools. Our instructors encourage a broad vision of Lean as a catalyst for organizational culture change and continuous improvement. As a result of the Lean Healthcare course, you will be able to:

Explore practices to build dynamic teams
Lead Gemba conversations to engage with care teams
Design meaningful and measurable strategies that improve patient and staff experiences
Strengthen engagement and interprofessional collaboration
Develop organizational learning practices

Course Overview

LAPTOP REQUIRED FOR IN-PERSON OFFERINGS

Foundations of Self, System Thinking, and Gemba

Leaders examine how their own beliefs, behaviors, and leadership practices influence systems and teams.
Particpants develop greater self awareness while building disciplined observation skills—learning to see work as it actually happens and understand the interactions between people and processes.

Measure & Design Application of Rigor

Participants distinguish meaningful measures from excess metrics, build systems to capture the voice of the staff and patients, and run rapid Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) learning cycles on real challenges.

Co-Design & Integrating People and Practice

Co-design and develop habits of experimentation. Prepare for the next steps to integrate learning into a 90-day process and people roadmap for sustained organizational impact with rigor, relevance, and relationships.

Case Study: Your Voice Matters

Participants will use Lean tools and industry knowledge to practice a case study. This activity will prepare learners to solve real problems in the workplace.

Who Should Attend

Lean Healthcare can benefit:

Executive and clinical directors
Physician and nurse leaders
Quality, safety, and operational leaders
Interprofessional teams and emerging leaders
Healthcare professionals in almost any setting—hospitals, ambulatory, academic, and integrated delivery systems

Credentials

Digital Badge

Digital badge earned after successful completion of this course.

Digital Certificate

Certificate will be awarded upon successful completion of this course.

Instructional Team

Toni Benner

Lean Specialist and Instructor, Michigan Engineering Professional Education
Founder and Lean Transformation Coach, Healthcare 2020

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Lean Healthcare improve outcomes?

Hospitals and healthcare systems use Lean methods to improve patient flow, reduce wait times, and minimize errors in clinical and administrative processes. Teams apply tools like value stream mapping and standard work to streamline care delivery, improve coordination across departments, and enhance patient outcomes.

How is this course different from other Lean trainings?

While the University of Michigan Lean Healthcare course uses traditional Lean tools (including Gemba walks and PDSA), it has a strong focus on the people doing the work. This course heavily emphasizes people-centric leadership.

Do I need previous Lean Healthcare experience to take this course?

No, this course does not require previous Lean experience. Whether you’re brand new to Lean thinking or already have a foundation in the methodology, you will learn new actionable strategies that you can apply to your workplace.

How does remote-live training work?

This remote-live course is designed to be an interactive learning experience via Zoom. Participants engage directly with the instructors and other learners both through lecture sessions and activities. The Zoom sessions are spread out over several weeks, allowing time for participants to begin implementing what they’re learning in between sessions.

What other courses would be appropriate for healthcare workers?

Professionals in the healthcare industry may also be interested in Project Management, Six Sigma, and Leadership courses.

View Knowledge Base

Get Started

For more information or answers to any questions please email [email protected] or fill out the form.