Virginia Mason Institute


“From my perspective, we all have a common purpose, and that is to return healthy and satisfied employees to work faster and more affordably.” Robert Mecklenburg, MD Virginia Mason believes every patient should receive the best evidence-based care every time. Toward that end, it has identified 10 conditions where standardized, evidence-based care means superb quality at the lowest cost: Abdominal pain Asthma Chest pain ...
Cutting Cost of Care While Improving Quality
Recent Blog Posts
Improving New Patient Visits

A large health care organization wanted to transform its patient and provider experience by improving new patient visits, the imaging process and electronic...

Using Lean Ideas in Our Everyday Work

“The most common types of Everyday Lean Ideas involve shaving time off a process. And when you think about the cost in health care one of our most valuable...

Are Your Leaders, Doctors and Board Members...

“The compact serves to ensure alignment with a shared vision.” – Diane Miller At Virginia Mason, the physician compact has been crucial to the organization’s...

Improving Your Organization’s Relationship With...

“What matters is living by [the physician compact] and sticking to it over time. That’s how the culture is changed.” – Dr. Joyce Lammert Getting at the intrinsic...

The Waste Epidemic: How Do You Deal With It in...

“It works. It’s sustainable. It’s continuous.” – Carolyn Corvi Carolyn Corvi spent 34 years in manufacturing commercial aircraft at Boeing, where she served as...

A Doctor’s Courage

For generations the cultural norm in medicine has been that mistakes were discussed in private circles within the hospital or physician practice — if at all. It is...

Selected Resources

Healthcare Improvement Insights

Explore articles, case studies, and research that help healthcare leaders drive sustainable improvement.

Mistake Proofing in Ambulatory, Procedural, and ...

Mistake Proofing in Ambulatory, Procedural, and ...

Welcome to our blog miniseries: Transforming Healthcare, featuring some of the biggest takeaways ...

Mistake Proofing in Ambulatory, Procedural, and Inpatient Care

Welcome to our blog miniseries: Transforming Healthcare, featuring some of the biggest takeaways ...

Culture of Care

Culture of Care

Explore how equity-focused improvement, coaching and lived experience can strengthen staff ...

Culture of Care

Explore how equity-focused improvement, coaching and lived experience can strengthen staff ...

Bridge to Excellence with Three Rivers Hospital

Bridge to Excellence with Three Rivers Hospital

Join host Brenda McLeod in conversation with Jamie Boyer, German Meza, and Karen Gifford about ...

Bridge to Excellence with Three Rivers Hospital

Join host Brenda McLeod in conversation with Jamie Boyer, German Meza, and Karen Gifford about ...