The Coffee Guy's blog

MRI not MRE in a JIT Society.

The problem is not the solution to obfuscated operations on the floors of our Health Care system.  “What we have here is a failure to communicate”.  I am not a financial wizard by any means.  I am an “Operations” specialist.  On the table today is the health system we live with.  The problem is why it is dying.  What is causing it, and what can be done?

Not late last night I entered one of our esteemed domiciles of serendipitous kismet, (read Hospital).  At 6:30 PM the hollow hallowed halls were all but vacant but for a few languid laggards skulking about at hall corners and nursing stations.  No patients about, no doctors about, no cleaners about, no orderlies about, no nurses about; nothing about but opportunity.

The opportunity to maximize on the investment of space, equipment, training, and expertise lays waiting for 16 of the 24 hours available.  We use 1/3 of the capacity of most of these buildings.  Hospitals all but empty but for a few meagre patients they could not get out for day surgery. Empty but for a few tending nurses.  Empty but for the horror of tomorrow when the whole is to be stuffed into the third.  Empty but for the potential of billions of dollars of equipment and space invested.

What is the basic principle of optimization?  Use the same, for more.  Do you cognate for one simple instant that manufactures don't see the benefit of running three shifts?  You are John Galt and you invest 20 million dollars in a heavy metal stamping unit, you want that ram jamming 24/7.  In fact your business plan probably shows the best case scenario as such.

But nada!  Our highly paid, highly able, highly trained, highly educated, highly respected, highly revered, highly sought after administrators and politicians can’t see the obvious.  WORK MORE.  MORE LABOUR.  MORE TIME.  Our investment in equipment, technology, training, and buildings will pay off in spades.  I wanna see a Henry Ford type person bring in a second shift, or a third to our health care system. 

You think for one second that a person waiting for serious surgery would not think of coming in at 1:00 Am for a procedure rather than wait and suffer in pain for 18 months to wait for the same procedure?   Dream, incubate, gestate, promulgate, hanker, pine, dream up.  But for our health, just work! 

Why are restaurants open late?  Why are there 24 hour grocery stores?  Why are there 24 hour anything?  Because, they are maximizing on their investments.  It’s not rocket science.  Use what you have more.

I am hungry for more of less.

Mark Hull Du Calumet, First of the coterie of York, Son of Don, Scion of Karl in the House of Pfunkstadt, Connubial of Suzanne, Yeoman to the Hun of Honda, Prevailing in the Seat of Hespeler, Having been again to Australia, and now Grandad's Land.

To Newf or not to Newf

Whence cometh the splatter gun we move furtively through the heather.  Now nether shall we leave our brethren behind in the dust.  We now reside in the easternmost place on the continent.  More than a decade and half has passed under the bridge of time since I have graced these shores.

The welcome was timely and graced.  Hospitality overrode any pre-conceived ideas of past places.  Sic. Remote areas such as Iqaluit, and Yellowknife NWT.  Accommodations at the http://www.splashnputtcabins.com/

are above expectations and reservations.  All at our disposal and better.  Weather on arrival was more than acceptable, with much cooler arriving in overnight.  I suspect the snow we saw on our air approach was not surprising in these night-time temperatures.  The following lighted portion of the 24 hour clock started with much cooler and greyer climes. Couch this outside environ with Spruce and Birch, and you have the makings of a great Alfred Hitchcock movie script.

Diner dillies and dallies leads to further discouragement on the timeline, thoughts of prior and apriori openings.  No dallying while the dilly is out dithering.  We forge ahead and then cast our plan in iron.  Stone readily available but affixed to the terra nova too soundly to extract with our meagre tooling.  Not technically “Nova” here as there is exploration and excavation proving the Vikings led the charge to this land.  Let me recite the signoff at this time, “and a return to my grandfathers land”.  Now that is a few extra generations in the background but, once a Viking, always a Viking.

As progress raises it’s apportioned head above the grey mist, openings and bears come forth.  Hospitality and gratitude abound in this place of neighbours.  One birthday leads to another and a party goes around.  Not an American Way to be found: although attempts were made in jest alone.  Streaking Blue with us for a few days and the dinner procession leaps from cabin to cabin.  One chef to another and then to the next cabin. 

Good food, hard work, weather for wear, but no bear in our house.  The house came together with training days and nights.  Live by Sunday as the lord rested we toiled the groundings in the service industry.  Procedure and policies posted and altered.  Now for the departure not too soon awaited.

How ya gettin’ on Cocky?

Mark Hull Du Calumet, First of the coterie of York, Son of Don, Scion of Karl in the House of Pfunkstadt, Connubial of Suzanne, Yeoman to the Hun of Honda, Prevailing in the Seat of Hespeler, Having been again to Australia, and now Grandad's Land.