Lessons Learned about LEAN in Healthcare with Dr. Jack Billi

Dr. Billiserves as Professor Emeritus in Internal Medicine and Learning Health Sciences(Medical School), Health Management and Policy (Public Health), and IntegratedSystems and Design (Engineering) at the University of Michigan. Dr. Billi'smanagement and research interests are in health services delivery, especiallythe use of lean thinking to improve quality and efficiency, the use ofcommunity collaboratives to improve quality and population health, clinicalpractice transformation, the creation and use of evidence-based guidelines, andconflict of interest management.   For 18 years Dr. Billiled the Michigan Quality System, the University of Michigan Health System’s(UMHS) business strategy to transform clinical operations through deployment ofscientific problem solving and coaching at all levels.  MQS built onclassic continuous quality improvement, incorporating holistic principles oflean thinking such as supporting workers and managers to take initiative to fixroot causes of problems daily, supported by daily management systems, valuestream management, and strategy deployment.  The goal of MQS was toimprove safety, quality, timeliness, financial stewardship, and people engagementin healthcare delivery through problem solving by every worker and leader,every day.Dr Billi has helped hundreds of teams of physicians, other clinicians,administrative leaders, and trainees learn practical problem solving throughhands-on A3 workshops using their real work problems. Dr Billi led workshopson lean thinking within and outside UM, including a joint program with the UMCollege of Engineering with a nationwide draw.Dr. Billi hascontributed to many statewide initiatives to improve quality and efficiency ofcare, especially the use of community collaboration to supportimprovement.  UMHS serves as the coordinating center for over 20 statewideCollaborative Quality Initiatives (www.bcbsm.com/providers/value-partnerships/collaborative-quality-initiatives.html) funded by BlueCross Blue Shield of Michigan; for almost  20 years Dr. Billi served asMedical Director for the University’s coordinating role. For 20 years heco-chaired the Michigan Quality Improvement Consortium (www.mqic.org/), which developscommon, one-page practice guidelines endorsed by the Michigan Department ofHealth and health plans in Michigan. He serves on steering committee for theWashtenaw Health Initiative (washtenawhealthinitiative.org/), a localcollaboration for improving care and health, health equity, and socialdeterminants. For over a decade Dr Billi served as the senior faculty advisorfor the Michigan Data Collaborative (michigandatacollaborative.org), a multi-payerclaims/clinical data repository and analytic service serving statewidepopulation health programs including PGIP, CPC Plus and the State InnovationModel. He serves on the St Joseph Health System Regional Integrated Network(Trinity CIN) Board.  From 2018-2020 he served as Chair of the Board ofthe Corner Health Center, an adolescent community health center in Ypsilanti.Dr. Billi helped foundand for 10 years co-chaired the board of the Center for Healthcare Research andTransformation (CHRT – www.chrt.org). Originally formed asa joint venture between UMHS and BCBSM, now an influential independentnon-profit, CHRT’s goals are to improve the quality and cost of healthcaredelivery through policy analysis and education essential to creating effectivehealth policy at the state and national level.Since 2012Dr Billi has served as a founding member of the AMA’s Professional Satisfactionand Practice Sustainability Task Force, dedicated to ensuring clinicalpractitioners have the skills and knowledge to lead their local teams toimprove their practice and prevent burnout. He previously chaired the MichiganState Medical Society's (MSMS) Committee on Health Care Quality, Efficiency,and Economics. He served 12 years on the MSMS Board. He serves on the BlueCross of Michigan Physician Relationship Advisory Committee.  For over35 years, Dr. Billi has contributed to American Heart Association emergencycardiac care committees and the International Liaison Committee onResuscitation (ILCOR – www.ilcor.org/). An international scientificcollaboration, ILCOR develops the evidence-based consensus on resuscitationscience used worldwide to develop practice guidelines and educational programsto improve outcomes in cardiac resuscitation. Dr. Billi developed and leadsconflict of interest (COI) management activities for ILCOR’s worldwideconsensus on science process. He chairs ILCOR’s COI committee. Past Universitymanagement roles include 15 years as Associate VP for Medical Affairs and 26years as Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs for the Medical School. Dr. Billipracticed over 40 years as a primary care general internist at UM.  Jack is an avidtandem bicycler, cross-country skier, and fly fisher. He sings bass in theTemple Beth Emeth Choir (Kol Halev), and in Harmony (a community chorus thatperforms at nursing homes and assisted living facilities). Link to claim CME credit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3DXCFW3CME credit is available for up to 3 years after the stated release dateContact [email protected] if you have any questions about claiming credit.