About this Presentation
Despite being novices in Theory of Constraints (TOC) and having limited practical experience, we drew inspiration from the current literature and used TOC principles to initiate a pioneering telemedicine project to address a critical staffing shortage of emergency physicians and advanced practice clinicians. In this presentation we will discuss our problem and the work towards our solution. Dr. Newman acting as the project manager on a higher stakes due date project which included several notoriously bottlenecked services within healthcare. We will include the project management, starting with a pre-requisite tree to transition into a necessary condition network, discovering the critical chain and how using TOC thinking principles allowed us to challenge our own assumptions and allowed our entire healthcare team to work together to overcome obstacles and dissolve our clouds.
What Will You Learn
To help you get the most value from this session, we’ve highlighted a few key points. These takeaways capture the main ideas and practical insights from the presentation, making it easier for you to review, reflect, and apply what you’ve learned.
Learn how TOC principles were used to frame and execute a telemedicine project that mitigated a critical physician staffing bottleneck in a U.S. emergency department.
Understand why traditional healthcare workflows struggle with bottlenecks in resource-intensive environments and how identifying constraints helps reduce delays and maintain downstream patient care.
See how TOC thinking (e.g., prerequisite analysis and necessary condition networks) guided collaborative problem solving across clinical and administrative stakeholders.
Gain insight into how applying structured cause-and-effect logic enabled the team to challenge assumptions, align work, and improve throughput without adding headcount.
Instructor(s)
Benjamin Newman MD FACEP
Dr. Benjamin Newman is an emergency physician and a managing partner of Healthcare Constraint Management, a consulting company dedicated to improving patient outcomes and operational efficiency through the application of Theory of Constraints to healthcare settings. He received his medical degree from the Boonshoft School of Medicine, after which he completed a residency in emergency medicine at Strong Memorial Hospital. He has a master's in medical management from the William E. Simon School of Business and has served in a variety of healthcare leadership roles, in including as an executive medical director, quality director, and MEC representative. Known for his adaptability and results-driven approach, Dr. Newman values relationships, high-quality care, and integrity in leadership.
David Boger II DO FACEP
Dr David Boger II DO, Emergency Medicine Physician and Site Medical Director for a level 2 trauma, stroke and PCI capable hospital in Virginia, USA