Lean concepts are based on the overriding philosophy of continuously searching  to reduce waste; waste being defined as anything the customer is not willing to pay for.  This overriding philosophy of waste reduction and focus on what the customer wants and values has developed into a set of operational practices and methods that are unique in the realm of operations management.

·         The lean concepts and practices that are focused on waste reduction are closely related to Industrial Engineering theories and practices. 

·         The lean concepts and practices that are focused on the customer wants and values are closely related to Total Quality Management (TQM) theories and practices.  

However, Lean concepts bring these two areas, and a few others, together in ways that form a unique blend of methods that integrate the whole workforce into the process

The primary goal of the Lean Practice is the reduction of waste. Poor quality is a waste of time and materials, Wasting time and materials leads to higher costs. Toyota has shown us that reducing waste requires looking carefully at what creates value for the customer, and eliminating all other activities.

The following questions may help you to understand waste in the dental office.

·         Does sitting in the waiting room create value for the patient?

·         Does waiting at the front desk to pay create value for the patient?

·         Does filing create value for the dental patient?

·         Does a poor treatment for any reason create value for the patient?

·         Do mistakes in billing create value for the patient?

·         Do too many, or not enough, treatments create optimum value for the patient?

Are patients the only customers of the practice? No, the dentists and staff are also customers of the practice. Additional questions related to the internal customers of the practice may shed more light on practice waste.

·         Does improperly targeted marketing create value for the practice?

·         Does too much floor space create value for the practice?

·         Do undertrained assistants create value for the practice?

·         Do mistakes in language use (poor scripts, no scripts) create value for the practice?

·         Does a lack of teamwork create value for the practice?

·         Does too much staff create value for the practice?

·         Does staff standing around create value for the practice?

·         Does the lack of proper incentives create value for the practice?

The objective then, is to eliminate waste everywhere in the practice. Another way to say that is the practice focus should be on the creation of value and the elimination of non-value-added activities.

Robert Angeli contributed to this page.