Lessons Learned about LEAN in Healthcare with Dr. Jack Billi

Dr. Billi

serves as Professor Emeritus in Internal Medicine and Learning Health Sciences

(Medical School), Health Management and Policy (Public Health), and Integrated

Systems and Design (Engineering) at the University of Michigan. Dr. Billi's

management and research interests are in health services delivery, especially

the use of lean thinking to improve quality and efficiency, the use of

community collaboratives to improve quality and population health, clinical

practice transformation, the creation and use of evidence-based guidelines, and

conflict of interest management. 

For 18 years Dr. Billi

led the Michigan Quality System, the University of Michigan Health System’s

(UMHS) business strategy to transform clinical operations through deployment of

scientific problem solving and coaching at all levels.  MQS built on

classic continuous quality improvement, incorporating holistic principles of

lean thinking such as supporting workers and managers to take initiative to fix

root causes of problems daily, supported by daily management systems, value

stream management, and strategy deployment.  The goal of MQS was to

improve safety, quality, timeliness, financial stewardship, and people engagement

in healthcare delivery through problem solving by every worker and leader,

every day.

Dr Billi has helped hundreds of teams of physicians, other clinicians,

administrative leaders, and trainees learn practical problem solving through

hands-on A3 workshops using their real work problems. Dr Billi led workshops

on lean thinking within and outside UM, including a joint program with the UM

College of Engineering with a nationwide draw.

Dr. Billi has

contributed to many statewide initiatives to improve quality and efficiency of

care, especially the use of community collaboration to support

improvement.  UMHS serves as the coordinating center for over 20 statewide

Collaborative Quality Initiatives (www.bcbsm.com/providers/value-partnerships/collaborative-quality-initiatives.html) funded by Blue

Cross Blue Shield of Michigan; for almost  20 years Dr. Billi served as

Medical Director for the University’s coordinating role. For 20 years he

co-chaired the Michigan Quality Improvement Consortium (www.mqic.org/), which develops

common, one-page practice guidelines endorsed by the Michigan Department of

Health and health plans in Michigan. He serves on steering committee for the

Washtenaw Health Initiative (washtenawhealthinitiative.org/), a local

collaboration for improving care and health, health equity, and social

determinants. For over a decade Dr Billi served as the senior faculty advisor

for the Michigan Data Collaborative (michigandatacollaborative.org), a multi-payer

claims/clinical data repository and analytic service serving statewide

population health programs including PGIP, CPC Plus and the State Innovation

Model. He serves on the St Joseph Health System Regional Integrated Network

(Trinity CIN) Board.  From 2018-2020 he served as Chair of the Board of

the Corner Health Center, an adolescent community health center in Ypsilanti.

Dr. Billi helped found

and for 10 years co-chaired the board of the Center for Healthcare Research and

Transformation (CHRT – www.chrt.org). Originally formed as

a joint venture between UMHS and BCBSM, now an influential independent

non-profit, CHRT’s goals are to improve the quality and cost of healthcare

delivery through policy analysis and education essential to creating effective

health policy at the state and national level.

Since 2012

Dr Billi has served as a founding member of the AMA’s Professional Satisfaction

and Practice Sustainability Task Force, dedicated to ensuring clinical

practitioners have the skills and knowledge to lead their local teams to

improve their practice and prevent burnout. He previously chaired the Michigan

State Medical Society's (MSMS) Committee on Health Care Quality, Efficiency,

and Economics. He served 12 years on the MSMS Board. He serves on the Blue

Cross of Michigan Physician Relationship Advisory Committee.

For over

35 years, Dr. Billi has contributed to American Heart Association emergency

cardiac care committees and the International Liaison Committee on

Resuscitation (ILCOR – www.ilcor.org/). An international scientific

collaboration, ILCOR develops the evidence-based consensus on resuscitation

science used worldwide to develop practice guidelines and educational programs

to improve outcomes in cardiac resuscitation. Dr. Billi developed and leads

conflict of interest (COI) management activities for ILCOR’s worldwide

consensus on science process. He chairs ILCOR’s COI committee.

Past University

management roles include 15 years as Associate VP for Medical Affairs and 26

years as Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs for the Medical School. Dr. Billi

practiced over 40 years as a primary care general internist at UM.

Jack is an avid

tandem bicycler, cross-country skier, and fly fisher. He sings bass in the

Temple Beth Emeth Choir (Kol Halev), and in Harmony (a community chorus that

performs at nursing homes and assisted living facilities).

• Link to claim CME credit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3DXCFW3
• CME credit is available for up to 3 years after the stated release date

Contact CEOD@bmhcc.org if you have any questions about claiming credit.