Lean management practicies to improve performances in operating rooms

The proposed research work is meant to present a Surgical Department simulation model developed for a public healthcare facility in South Italy. Such work is grounded on a careful analysis of available data and of the entire surgical process whose components, activities and workflow have been mapped through specific charts. In the scope of the proposed research, after the simulation model has been developed and validated, specific analysis on actual and potential capacities have been carried out. In particular, the potential impact of Lean Management principles and methods are explored with a focus on the "Pull method". As a result the paper contribution is twofold: from one side it comes up with a tool devoted to streamline decision-making processes and from the other side it explores the possibility to apply Lean Management practices in domains that are different from Manufacturing. The main results show, indeed, that the pull method can bring substantial benefits in terms of patients waiting times reduction, increased productivity and better resources allocation.