Former CEO Paul O’Neill on Safety for Workers and Patients, Lessons from Alcoa and Beyond*

U.S. Treasury Secretary from 2000 to 2001 and former CEO of Alcoa.

Show Notes: https://www.leanblog.org/124

Remastered June 2021

I have a very special guest for Podcast #124 –  he is Paul O'Neill, the U.S. Treasury Secretary from 2001 to 2002 and former CEO of Alcoa.

2020 Update: Read my reflections on Mr. O'Neill's passing

Mr. O'Neill shares his thoughts on patient safety and healthcare, including his time spent as the Chair of the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative and his work with Dr. Richard Shannon in dramatically reducing hospital-acquired infections to near their “theoretical limit” of zero. Dr. Shannon will be a podcast guest next month. Mr. O'Neill talks about the leadership required to have such an impact on safety and quality, drawing on lessons from his years as Alcoa's CEO.

This podcast was produced in conjunction with the Healthcare Value Network as a continuation of their previous podcast series.

For a link to this episode, refer people to  www.leanblog.org/124. Scroll down for quotes in readable form.

Quotes and Excerpts:

In summary, O'Neill talks about:

• Leadership mindsets required for dramatic workplace safety and patient safety improvement, including a near 100% reduction in hospital-acquired infections at Pittsburgh's Allegheny General Hospital
• Why the United States has accomplished “practically nothing” nationally since the famed 1999 Institute of Medicine report “To Err Is Human”
• Why society's most lacking skill is “leadership”
• Alternative ways of compensating patients who are harmed by the healthcare system while ensuring real improvements are made by learning from each problem
• Why Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) needs to shift his focus from “financial engineering” to visiting ThedaCare to learn about “the real way” we should improve health care.