Lean Management (4)


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 in the United States1, killing 258,000 patients annually, and is the most costly condition for hospitals to treat. When sepsis occurs, each hour matters, and even an hour delay significantly jeopardizes patient survival. Tackling the barriers to quickly provide...
Empowering teams to identify and address sepsis,...
Recent Blog Posts
Capturing the Patient Voice: Part 2

When patients need a passport In Capturing the Patient Voice – Part 1, we explored how to facilitate greater patient engagement in a health care setting. We also...

How Leaders Can Inspire a Culture Shift

An interview with Celeste Derheimer, Senior Partner at Virginia Mason Institute What is the best part of working with a health care team within a lean construct? CD:

Using Leadership Kata to Achieve Key Results in...

Kata, a Japanese word, can be used to describe a routine or pattern of behavior. At Virginia Mason, leadership kata is made up of the daily behaviors and activities...

How Takt Time Can Help Health Care Organizations...

“Takt” is a German word that means “beat” or “pace.” My foundational understanding of pace takes me back to my early days of studying piano and using the mechanical...

How a Team Took on a Small Space to Improve Care...

Everyone knows that lean tools and methods are great for improving health care processes. But many don’t know that culture is key to making innovative changes that...

How Does a Kaizen Promotion Office Support...

At Virginia Mason, the purpose of the Kaizen Promotion Office (KPO) is to accelerate the application and impact of the Virginia Mason Production System (VMPS)...

Implementing Process Improvement by Focusing on...

Evaluate Your Organization’s Culture Our lean health care experts can assess your organization and help you discover how to accelerate change and attain a...

Removing Muda From Daily Work

“Muda” is a Japanese term that, when considered in health care, describes wasteful aspects of processes that add no value for the patient. At Virginia Mason, we use...

Using a 3P to Create a Vision and Plan for Better...

How 3Ps enable a new vision to take hold A 3P (Production Preparation Process) workshop is an approach that enables health care teams to create revolutionary...

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 ...