Skip to content

Press Release

Healthcare Education and Resource Provider Catalysis Joins Lean Certification Alliance

The Lean Certification Alliance, a partnership of three leading nonprofit organizations (Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME), the Shingo Institute, and SME), have announced that Catalysis, a not for profit with the mission of transforming the healthcare industry to create greater value for patients, has become an endorser of the Lean Certification Alliance. The endorsement agreement is the first step to full partnership in the Alliance. 

“We are honored to represent the healthcare industry as an endorser of the Lean Certification program. Aligning and enabling healthcare providers to continuously improve the delivery of life-saving care is our mission and our life,” said Thomas Hartman, executive coach at Catalysis and new member of the Lean Certification Oversight and Appeals Committee and the Lean Certification Alliance.

The Lean Certification Alliance draws on experience and proven practices to provide continuous improvement practitioners in-depth access to the latest lean and continuous improvement thinking and best practices. The Alliance created and maintains the Lean Certification program and offers high-quality training, education and other relevant resources to facilitate the continuous improvement journey.

The opportunity for the healthcare organizations is clear, according to Kim Barnas, Catalysis CEO: “In the face of declining reimbursements, increased emphasis on value-based payments, consolidation of competitors and the uncertain future of our healthcare system, many healthcare organizations are pursuing lean to focus on the patient and keep their organizations relevant.”

Catalysis’ ongoing commitment to transform healthcare through the design and implementation of effective lean systems aligns well with the Lean Certification Alliance’s fundamental belief in the importance of cultivating an ever-growing community of continuous improvement practitioners.

“Catalysis works to improve performance and create value, and that is the goal of the Lean Certification Alliance as well,” said Jeannine Kunz, vice president of Tooling U-SME, the workforce training and development division of SME. “We’re delighted to join with Catalysis to set the standard for operational excellence and improving the workforce.” 

About Catalysis

Catalysis inspires healthcare leaders and accelerates change. With a focus on experiential education, Catalysis helps healthcare leaders in the United States and Europe create system-wide, transformative change. We believe in care delivery designed around the patient, payment and incentives based on value and outcomes, and transparency of performance (quality and cost). Founded in 2008, Catalysis is a not for profit with a mission to help create more healthcare value in the industry. Learn more at: createvalue.org, or follow us on Twitter @HCValue 

About the Lean Certification Alliance

The Lean Certification Alliance is a partnership among three non-profit partners that sets the standard for operational excellence and an improved workforce. The partners — the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME), the Shingo Institute, and SME — draw on their collective experience, and the proven practices of thousands of individuals, to provide continuous improvement practitioners in-depth access to the latest lean and continuous improvement thinking and best practices .The Alliance created and maintains the Lean Certification program and offers high-quality training, education and other relevant resources to facilitate the continuous improvement journey. The Alliance also supports collaboration and partnerships to create a community of practitioners who inspire one another as they strive for operational excellence. The Alliance helps create a confident workforce that is prepared to deliver results when they leverage real-world, leading-edge ideas and skills. Through its strong community and non-profit status, the Alliance is uniquely positioned to develop the tools, training, and programs that will benefit tomorrow’s lean and continuous improvement practitioners.