Lean Management (3)


Virginia Mason’s Respect for People initiative has been a decade-long program designed to sustain a culture of respect across the health system including training all employees in ways to respect one another in the workplace. The original foundation of this work, a Virginia Mason goal for both 2012 and 2013, was triggered in part by a visit from Dr. Lucian L. Leape, an international leader in health care safety. As Dr. Leape...
Respect for People: A Building Block for Engaged...
Recent Blog Posts
Which Is Better for Engaging Health Care Staff:...

In my work with health care organizations, I’m sometimes asked about the differences between lean and Six Sigma. They’re two different philosophies, but people...

How an Improvement System is Helping North Shore...

Our recent blogs have focused on stories of how we have used our management system, the Virginia Mason Production System® (VMPS) during the COVID-19 response at...

Improving Through Crisis: Deploying Improvement...

As we face the ongoing challenges in responding to the COVID-19 crisis, we continue to be inspired by how our clients and partners are meeting this pandemic...

Responding to Crisis at Virginia Mason

A Message from Our Executive Director, Sarah Patterson You are in our thoughts as we hear about the incredible efforts that are underway in your organizations in...

How to Create a Pathway to Better Patient Care –...

As CEO of a major health system, I’ve seen value-based care turn the axiom “you get what you pay for” on its head. If you would have asked me whether that adage...

Bringing Disruptive Innovation to the Front Lines...

Virginia Mason spine surgeon, Rajiv Sethi, MD, speaks about why there should be greater urgency to improve the delivery of health care. The U.S. health care...

Leveraging 3P in Health Care Facility Design

For more than a decade, interactive and intensive improvement meetings — also known as kaizen events — have created a forum to refine and improve the quality,...

Eliminating Health Care Waste Improves Sepsis...

Why waste elimination is essential to improving health care Waste elimination is essential to the Virginia Mason Production System (VMPS) and lean methodology. The...

Empowering teams to identify and address sepsis,...

Virginia Mason staff members share their experiences implementing the Sepsis Power Hour protocol Sepsis is a factor in one out of every two to three hospital deaths...

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 ...