An interview with Ellen Noel, faculty member at Virginia Mason Institute When you think of never events, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? EN: I look at never events from a nursing perspective because I know how much impact a nurse can have on prevention. Before I began teaching at Virginia Mason Institute, I was a clinical nurse specialist for many years at the Virginia Mason hospital — and I have seen amazing progress...
The Best Way to Approach Never Events
Recent Blog Posts
Is It Possible to Fix Broken Systems and...

For health care organizations everywhere, patient safety is a top concern. But how can an organization go from being vigilant about safety to actually fixing the...

Pain Huddle Leads to Less Medication, Lower...

From the front line to the boardroom, nurses are a valuable resource in solution-oriented health care. Their unique professional training and their role as...

Glossary of Lean Terminology

3P – Production Preparation Process, a five-day event in which a team focuses on building a production system for a new plant, process or product. 5S – A strategy...

Analyzing the “Big Idea”: Extending the Success...

An Interview with Robert Mecklenburg, MD, Center for Health Care Solutions, Virginia Mason Institute In Harvard Business Review’s article “The Employer-Led Health...

How Can You Spread Standard Work Successfully?

It’s official. Your small team in primary care has developed new standard work and your team’s clinicians and staff members have been trained. When you’ve measured...

Making Your New Space Work for Your Team

“Furniture is what people buy. Flow is what people create and what adds value to your organization.” – Chris Backous, MHA Using teams to create a new patient...

Capturing the Patient Voice

What if You Knew Exactly What Your Patients Were Thinking or Feeling? Millions of patients seek medical care in the United States each day. Capturing the stories...

Implementing a Real-Time Visual Monitoring System...

Problem Like so many other hospitals and medical groups, Virginia Mason grappled with how to help clinicians improve their performance. Typically, physicians...

How Can My Organization Use Daily Management to...

For leaders who want to make progress in improvements across an organization, the challenge can seem insurmountable. How can you get executives, providers and staff...

Selected Resources

Healthcare Improvement Insights

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

Mistake-Proofing Primary Care

Mistake-Proofing Primary Care

Start Your Lean Health Care Journey Learn More Problem Virginia Mason recognized that mistakes and ...

Mistake-Proofing Primary Care

Start Your Lean Health Care Journey Learn More Problem Virginia Mason recognized that mistakes and ...

Why a Midwest Health System Went to Virginia ...

Why a Midwest Health System Went to Virginia ...

“The fact that Virginia Mason is driven by the same purpose we are – serving patients and ...

Why a Midwest Health System Went to Virginia Mason Institute for Help

“The fact that Virginia Mason is driven by the same purpose we are – serving patients and ...

Managing Phone Calls in Primary Care

Managing Phone Calls in Primary Care

Problem Responding to patient phone calls at Virginia Mason consumed a great deal of clinic time ...

Managing Phone Calls in Primary Care

Problem Responding to patient phone calls at Virginia Mason consumed a great deal of clinic time ...