RQHR has begun implementing Kanban inventory management in several areas with success. So far Kanban has been used in the emergency department and two units at Wascana Rehabilitation Centre and the central pharmacy at Pasqua Hospital. Lessons learned include the need to thoroughly plan implementations, ensure areas are well-organized first, educate staff, and map current processes. Going forward, RQHR will focus on stable, high volume areas working with one vendor and completing implementations.

1. RQHR begins Kanban implementation
Barry McCraig
This Session is sponsored by:

2. RQHR Inventory…Kanban Style
Health Quality Summit 2013
Barry McCaig & Glenda Little –
RQHR Kaizen Promotion Office

3. Table of Contents
• What is Kanban and its three types
• What RQHR has done so far
• What RQHR is doing going forward
• Lessons learned

4. What is Kanban?
• What is it?
– Visual inventory management
• Kanban principles
– Make ordering simpler
– Make materials transportation simpler
– Appropriate inventory levels
– *Make people happy*

5. Three Types of Kanban

6. Three Types of Kanban

7. Three Types of Kanban

8. What RQHR has done so far
• Kanban preparation and seminar last fall
• Implemented Kanban in four areas:
– Pasqua Hospital Emergency department
– Wascana Rehabilitation Centre
• Unit 2-6
• Unit 3-6
– Pasqua Hospital Central Pharmacy

9. Pasqua Hospital Emergency
• Emergency department – 1 “set” of 3 supply
carts
– Carts contain supplies needed for ½ of the ER
– There are another set of 3 carts that have not
been “Kanbaned” yet
• All 3 types of Kanban implemented
– Signal, 2-bin and normal

10. PH ER - Before Kanban supply carts

11. PH ER - Over-stocked supplies

12. PH ER - End of Kanban

13. Wascana Rehabilitation Centre – Unit
2-6
• Unit 2-6
– Wanted to work on their inventory management
– Needed to work on First in, First Out
• Used 2 Types of Kanban
– 2-bin
– Signal

14. WRC Unit 2-6 Supply Room

15. WRC Unit 2-6 Supply Room before
Kanban

16. WRC Unit 2-6 Supply Room after
Kanban

17. Wascana Rehabilitation Centre – Unit
3-6
• Unit 3-6
– Wanted to work on inventory management
– First in, First out
• Used 2 types of Kanban
– 2-bin
– Signal

18. WRC Unit 3-6 Supply Room before
Kanban

19. WRC Unit 3-6 Supply Room before
Kanban

20. WRC Unit 3-6 Supply Room after
Kanban

21. WRC Unit 3-6 Supply Room after
Kanban

22. WRC Unit 3-6 Supply Room Kanban
Post

23. WRC Unit 3-6 Supply Room after
Kanban

24. WRC Unit 3-6 Patient kits in each
room

25. Pasqua Hospital Pharmacy
• Central pharmacy
– Supplies medications to Pasqua, Regina General,
Wascana Rehabilitation Centre
• Two types of Kanban implemented
– Signal in bulk drug area
– 2-bin in unit dose area

26. Pre Kanban – bulk medications

27. End of Kanban week – bulk
medications

28. Bulk meds –
Kanban post & reorder

29. Excess Inventory – bulk medications

30. Current – bulk medications

31. What’s left to do – bulk medications

32. Before kanban – unit dose area

33. End of Kanban week – unit dose area

34. Unit dose – kanban post

35. Current – unit dose area

36. What’s left to do – unit dose area

37. What’s Left To Be Done
• All four projects require people resources to
help them replicate their Kanban
implementations completely within their areas.

38. Lessons Learned
• Plan, plan, plan
• Be flexible
• Make sure area has been 5s’ed first
• Educate process owner
• Value stream map the current processes
• In any one area, try very hard to use a
maximum of two types of Kanban
• What happens after the Kanban seminar?

39. What is RQHR doing going forward?
• Principles for project selection
–Stable usage and high volume
–Pick 1 vendor to work with (internal or
external)
–Look at 20 – 30 items to start with
–Need to have a (very) good 5S first
–Need a good and willing manager and front-
line staff!
–Plan to finish the job!

40. • Four teams!
• Areas where we did Kanban
• Facilities & Materials Management