Lean integration: A blueprint for occupational health services transformation in healthcare mergers.
Lean process-mapping gives you a ready-made script for blending Occupational Health teams when hospitals merge.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The authors followed one hospital merger. They watched the Occupational Health teams blend into one unit.
They used Lean tools. Staff mapped every step, found gaps, and built a shared blueprint.
What they found
Communication got clearer. Paperwork shrank. Staff felt safer at work.
The new single team served the whole merged hospital without extra hires.
How this fits with other research
Rogan et al. (2011) and Emerson et al. (2023) showed agencies can merge employment services when leaders give clear rules. The new paper moves the same idea into hospital worker health.
Prendergast et al. (2017) ran an RCT in prisons and found good communication predicts process-change wins. The hospital case echoes that lesson with Lean maps.
Cannella et al. (2006) blended mental-health and ID teams and saw client gains. Agiovlasitis et al. (2025) now show staff-level gains when OH teams merge.
Why it matters
If your agency is joining another, steal this playbook. Run a one-day Lean sprint. Map each old workflow on big sticky notes. Circle the duplicated steps and the hand-offs that drop info. Draft one shared flow, train everyone, then meet weekly to tweak. You will cut busywork and keep staff safe without adding heads.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Pick one duplicated form, map who touches it, and delete two hand-offs this week.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
This is a case study about University Health Network (UHN) and West Park (WP) Healthcare Centre's merger in April 2024, marking a significant milestone in organizational transformation. As part of this integration, Occupational Health departments at both organizations were unified into a single team. Data collection, process mapping, and gap analysis were employed to conduct current-state assessments, which identified key differences in organizational structure, database systems, technology platforms, and operational processes. By addressing these gaps, the team clarified roles, centralized infrastructure, aligned policies, and standardized workflows. Four key domains were targeted for integration: organizational structure, database systems, technology platforms, and operational processes. Challenges in change management, resource allocation, and training were addressed strategically. This integration approach improved multidisciplinary communications, standardized protocols, reduced manually intensive administrative workload, and enhanced safety, emphasizing project scoping, cross-functional collaboration, and innovative solutions for operational excellence.
, 2025 · doi:10.1177/08404704251360226