President of Cardiopulmonary Business Unit, Livanova
Search every verified Franco Poletti interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a July 2021 talk at a Biomedical valley workshop in Mirandola, Italy, Franco Poletti, President of the Cardiopulmonary Business Unit at Livanova, discussed the company's focus on process innovation and continuous improvement. He stated that the company is working to place the patient at the center of the healthcare system, describing a shift from a past approach where "the doctor’s word was final" to a more structured therapy approach. Poletti noted that the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the value of agile thinking models originally developed for production systems. Poletti described Livanova's "Liva New Business System," an initiative to extend the Kaizen continuous improvement approach beyond production to all company functions. He said this involves constantly reviewing patient needs, measuring service quality, and adopting a structured problem-solving method that includes gathering information directly from where it originates. Poletti acknowledged that changing cultural habits is a "great challenge," particularly in Italy, and emphasized that such changes must be led by example from top management.
“It is increasingly evident that the necessity to place the patient at the center of the healthcare system is crucial, unlike in the past when the doctor’s word was final; now there is a more structured approach to therapy focused on the patient.”
“The pandemic has made it even more evident that adopting agile thinking models, originally developed in the 1950s for production systems like Toyota, can help manage complex processes in healthcare.”
“At LIVANOVA, we are working on three main pillars: focusing on patient problems, valuing contributions from people through a bottom-up approach, and fighting waste, especially process waste, all integrated into continuous improvement.”
“We have labeled our continuous improvement journey as the 'Liva New Business System,' aiming to extend the Kaizen approach beyond production to all company functions to close the loop from patient needs identification to satisfaction.”
This talk was given at a Biomedical valley workshop event held in Mirandola (MO) Italy on July 2021. Learn more at ...
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