[Event Report] 150 Seats Sold Out, Standing Room Only: Nihon Keiei Holds Luncheon Seminar on Outpatient Reform

Nihon Keiei (Headquarters: Toyonaka City, Osaka; President: Tatsuya Hashimoto) held Luncheon Seminar 11, titled "Why Outpatient Reform Now? Implementing Lean to Optimize Outpatient Flow," at the 28th Annual Meeting of the Japan Medical Management Society held at Port Messe Nagoya on May 29, 2026.

The event was a full house, with all 150 seats occupied and additional participants standing, drawing a large number of medical professionals. The attendees remained engaged throughout the session, listening attentively until the very end.

Chaired by Professor Shusuke Hiraki of the Graduate School of Business Strategy at Kwansei Gakuin University, the seminar discussed the importance of business process reform starting from the outpatient department, amidst a harsh management environment where "approximately 70% of hospitals are operating in the red."

Currently, many medical institutions face an increasingly difficult management environment due to personnel shortages, the need for work-style reforms, and rising prices. Furthermore, with the requirement to comply with limits on physician overtime, efforts to maintain and improve medical functions with limited personnel are critical.

The seminar introduced both theoretical and practical aspects of the following points:
- Approaches to utilizing data to "visualize" medical value
- Processes for converting visualized issues into frontline improvement actions
- Practical methods for optimizing outpatient flow using Lean
- Key points for organizational development to bridge management and the frontline

Additionally, the book "LEAN Innovation" was sold at the venue.