A growing, aging population; the rise to epidemic proportions of various chronic diseases; competing, often overlapping medical technologies; and of course, skyrocketing costs compounded by waste and inefficiency - these are just a few of the multifarious challenges currently facing healthcare delivery. An unexpected source of solutions is being imported from the manufacturing sector: lean thinking. Lean Principles for Healthcare presents a conceptual framework, management principles, and practical tools for professionals tasked with designing and implementing modern, streamlined healthcare systems or overhauling faulty ones. Focusing on core components such as knowledge management, e-health, patient-centeredness, and collaborative care, chapters illustrate lean concepts in action across specialties (as diverse as nursing, urology, and emergency care) and around the globe. Extended case examples show health systems responding to consumer needs and provider realities with equal efficiency and effectiveness, and improved quality and patient outcomes. Further, contributors tackle the gamut of technological, medical, cultural, and business issues, among them: Initiatives of service-oriented architecture towards performance improvement Adapted lean thinking for emergency departments Lean thinking in dementia care through smart assistive technology Supporting preventive healthcare with persuasive services Value stream mapping for lean healthcare A technology mediated solution to reduce healthcare disparities Geared toward both how lean ideas can be carried out and how they are being used successfully in the real world, Lean Principles for Healthcare not only brings expert knowledge to healthcare managers and health services researchers but to all who have an interest in superior healthcare delivery.

A growing, aging population; the rise to epidemic proportions of various chronic diseases; competing, often overlapping medical technologies; and of course, skyrocketing costs compounded by waste and inefficiency - these are just a few of the multifarious challenges currently facing healthcare delivery. An

unexpected source of solutions is being imported from the manufacturing sector: lean thinking.

"Lean Principles for Healthcare" presents a conceptual framework, management principles, and practical tools for professionals tasked with designing and implementing modern, streamlined healthcare systems or overhauling faulty ones. Focusing on core components such as knowledge management, e-health, patient-centeredness, and collaborative care, chapters illustrate lean concepts in action across specialties (as diverse as nursing, urology, and emergency care) and around the globe. Extended case examples show health systems responding to consumer needs and provider realities with equal efficiency and effectiveness, and improved quality and patient outcomes. Further, contributors tackle the gamut of technological, medical, cultural, and business issues, among them:

Initiatives of service-oriented architecture towards performance improvementAdapted lean thinking for emergency departmentsLean thinking in dementia care through smart assistive technologySupporting preventive healthcare with persuasive servicesValue stream mapping for lean healthcareA technology mediated solution to reduce healthcare disparities

Geared toward both how lean ideas can be carried out and how they are being used successfully in the real world, "Lean Principles for Healthcare" not only brings expert knowledge to healthcare managers and health services researchers but to all who have an interest in superior healthcare delivery."

The global market is constantly evolving and it has become essential for organizations to employ new methods of appealing to customers in order to stay abreast on current trends within the world economy. The Handbook of Research on Driving Competitive Advantage through Sustainable, Lean, and Disruptive Innovation features theoretical development and empirical research in social media platforms, internet usage, big data analytics, and smart computing, as well as other areas of organizational innovation. Highlighting implementation challenges facing innovative processes, this publication is a critical reference source for researchers, students, professionals, managers, and decision makers interested in novel strategies being employed by organizations in an effort to improve their standings on the global market.

Internet and social networks play a critical role in the evolution of processes and functional areas that allow businesses to reach a wider base of end-users and achieve competitive advantage in their respective markets. Quality Innovation: Knowledge, Theory, and Practices presents a compilation of recent theoretical frameworks, case studies, and empirical research findings in the area of quality innovation. It highlights the theories, strategies, and potential concerns for organizations engaged in change management designed to address stakeholders needs. This reference volume serves as a valuable resource for researchers, business professionals, and students in a variety of fields and disciplines."

In the contemporary dialogue surrounding business Web strategy, two salient concerns indicating trouble in virtual space are emerging: (1) that the Internet may create additional managerial problems, and (2) that it may not actually be a solution for corporate problems. Empirical studies point to a lack of sound managerial Web strategy as well as a mismatch between a firm's Web strategy and its business strategy. Business Web Strategy: Design, Alignment, and Application addresses the gap in business Web strategy through a collection of concentrated managerial issues. Gathering the latest theoretical frameworks, case studies, and authoritative research, this in-depth collection will be a powerful tool for managers, consultants, and trainers in their efforts to maximize the power of the Web to support business strategy, and a rich reference for academics, researchers and students in the field of Web strategy.

Within the information systems discipline, there is a strong tradition of using empirical research to conduct relevant and rigorous studies. Evaluating the methods, frameworks, processes, and systems implemented in organizations is widely recognized as vital by academics and practitioners. Information Systems Research Methods, Epistemology, and Applications presents a collection of recent empirical studies in information systems. Gathering cases of innovative approaches to evaluation, as well as examples of effective organizational approaches to analyzing, summarizing, and presenting empirical data sets and conclusions, this book is essential to academic and research libraries and a must-have for IT researchers, business managers, professionals, and academics.

Healthcare organizations are constantly designing effective systems aiming to help achieve customer satisfaction. Web-based and mobile-based technologies are two forms of information technologies that healthcare executives are increasingly looking to merge as an opportunity to develop such systems. ""Web Mobile-Based Applications for Healthcare Management"" addresses the difficult task of managing admissions and waiting lists while ensuring a quick and convincing response to unanticipated changes of the clinical needs. ""Web Mobile-Based Applications for Healthcare Management"" tackles the limitations of traditional systems, and takes into consideration the dynamic nature of clinical needs, scarce resources, alternative strategies, and customer satisfaction in an environment that often imposes unexpected deviation from planned activities.