St. Joseph Health System-Humboldt County (SJHS-Humboldt County) is committed to meeting the highest standards in health care delivery. SJHS-Humboldt County consists of two hospitals: St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka and Redwood Memorial Hospital in Fortuna, both in California. With more than 1,200 employees, it is one of the largest employers in the county. SJHS-Humboldt County (HC) consistently receives high quality marks; in fact, Avatar recently named Redwood Memorial one of its national award winners in health care service quality for exemplary service in “exceeding patient expectations” for the year 2008.

SJHS-HC turns to the manufacturing industry for inspiration

Despite its consistently high marks in quality and service, administration believed they could continue to improve efficiency and sought inspiration from an unlikely source, the manufacturing industry. In 2007, SJHS-HC administrators visited several manufacturing companies and hospitals around the country that were applying the Toyota Production System (TPS) to improve processes and eliminate waste.

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