The Lean Dentist

This book is an excellent story of one leader's journey to having a lean organization. His unflagging dedication to continuous improvement and engaging his staff shows what it takes to make the lean journey. This should be required reading for the leaders of any organization that is undertaking a lean journey. It should also be required reading for healthcare providers whose organizations are making a lean journey.

Great book for any profession. Even manufacturing leaders will benefit by seeing their own concepts converted into a service industry. Dr. Bahri's book should be a must-read for everyone. He proves there's no excuse for not implementing Lean.Even manufacturing professionals will benefit from this book, as it drives you to a better understanding of your own condition, when seen through an outsider's eyes.

Simple and clear application of Lean!

In this deceptively compact book, Dr. Bahri offers a first-person description of his own personal journey of learning as he figures out how to apply "lean production" principles to his dental practice. In the end, he also discovers the vital leadership component that makes it all work.The book is divided into three sections.The first describes the mechanics of implementing continuous flow of care to the patients - which Dr. Bahri calls "one patient flow." The net effect is two fold. First, most patients can get all of their care delivered on a single visit. And, perhaps just as important, is that the effort results in a significant increase in the throughput and efficiency of Dr. Bahri's practice.The second section, though short, outlines some of his key learnings around leadership itself.The third section summarizes the principles of purpose, process and people in the context of his experience and his own growth as a leader.In the "lean manufacturing" world, many people initially struggle with how to take a system that grew out of the mass production of automobiles and apply it to their specific situation.This struggle often stems from confusing the tools and techniques with the core principles they deploy, and more importantly, the thinking behind them.Dr. Bahri, in describing his own journey, gives insight into the thought process required for success.In the end, some will dismiss this story as "about dentistry" and look for more concrete examples in their own industry or service. That is too bad, because this book is exactly how to take "lean" and make it work anywhere.

One thing I love about this book, since revised and re-released as "The Lean Dentist", is the way author/dentist Sami Bahri shares his thinking process and the trials he and his team went through in figuring what lean concepts meant to a small dental practice. For example, "one piece flow" - what is "one piece" - a mouth, a tooth, a procedure. In the end (as always) when applied with diligence, the principles and practices led to dramatic improvements in performance and the creation of a working culture of engagement and continuous improvement.

A few days ago I was at a Lean AME conference in Toronto and they had an LEI booth. As I was browsing stacks of heavy books with flashy pictures, I came across this plain-looking book. I read a couple of pages and decided to grab a copy, as the topic of lean dentistry seemed quite different from your regular lean manufacturing titles.I am so glad I bought one! The content is engaging, easy to follow, and applicable to any industry. It delivers a lot of thought-provoking content in short amount of space (about 100 pages). Since everyone goes to a dentist, everyone can relate to the content and see how the traditional dentistry is inferior to Dr Bahri's approach.Don't let the "healthcare" lean spook you if you are in manufacturing. I work in manufacturing, but find it very much applicable to my company. Universal concepts are presented from the viewpoint of dentistry, so its a great conversation starter, especially for disbelievers or people that can't see past the Lean tools to the system benefits of flow.

For years I've heard about the "lean dentist" in Jacksonville, FL, and it's great to see that he's written a book. "Learner" is a keyword, without a doubt. Dr. Bahri tells the story of his thinking about management and leadership and how it evolved under the influence of some landmark books. He openly and charmingly talks about his mistakes and realizations.Because we've all spent time at the dentist's office, usually waiting, it's refreshing to see a focus on the patient. Our dental experiences make Dr. Bahri's explanation of lean ideas and their implementation very easy to understand and think about. There are no complicated diagrams or overly detailed explanations, just simple explanations of gaining trust and engagement, reorganizing processes, and continuous improvement.Thanks go to the Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI) for giving us this book. It's short, easy to read, and I highly recommend it.