That's the premise of a New Yorker article out this week on how to reform America's health care system, and it's not as ridiculous as you'd think:
Author Ben Schott, a doctor, actually went to go work at a Cheesecake Factory in downtown Boston to see how they managed to be so efficient--the Cheesecake Factory only wastes 2.5 percent of the food that they buy (their statistics tracking has made the chain nearly clairvoyant when it comes to what customers will order). He also looks at the strict discipline, rigid protocols (and secret codes), and head-chef oversight that makes a big kitchen work, with an eye towards how the system would play out in the health care industry.
It turns out that some companies are trying to bring a similar kind of workflow to hospitals, partly through the use of surveillance-based I.C.U. consultants, who can act as second sets of eyes for doctors across whole sections of hospitals. The article's a great read, and it's nice to hear that The Cheesecake Factory might end up actually being good for someone's health.
[via The New Yorker]