Welcome to our blog miniseries: Transforming Healthcare, featuring some of the biggest takeaways from the book Transforming Health Care: Virginia Mason Medical Center’s Pursuit of the Perfect Patient Experience. You can find the book online [here]. To a patient, getting care at the hospital can sometimes feel like a mystery. Going in for a surgery you might check in in one place, move to another room to change into a gown and...
Mistake Proofing in Ambulatory, Procedural, and...
Recent Blog Posts
Safety Crusade: The Legacy of Mary McClinton’s...

Mary McClinton, 69, arrived at Virginia Mason Medical Center one day in November 2004 for a complex but routine procedure. She had been diagnosed with a brain...

But people aren’t cars!

How Virginia Mason became one of the first hospital systems to use the Toyota Production System for healthcare Welcome to our blog miniseries: Transforming...

How Can a Kanban System Improve Health Care?

Defining kanban In Japanese, the term kanban means “visual signal” or “card.” At first glance, it’s hard to believe that a process perfected in a supermarket chain...

Unlocking Leadership Potential: Introducing the...

Is your team of great leaders a great leadership team? In the latest episode of Better Never Stops, join VMI’s Associate Executive Director Brenda McLeod and three...

Why is A Cultural Shift Important in Healthcare?

When we think about what leads to positive patient outcomes, we often focus on medical advancements, skilled providers, and cutting-edge treatments. But one of the...

Zero Preventable Harm: A Strategic Imperative for...

Globally, about 10% of patients are harmed during the process of receiving healthcare, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). If that statistic isn’t...

What is LEAP

Virginia Mason Institute’s mission is to help healthcare organizations create and sustain cultures of high reliability and high performance. LEAP (Learn,...

Navigating Partnerships: A Guide for Leaders...

Originally published on NHS Providers. NHS IMPACT articulates a detailed vision for quality improvement across the NHS. The task of mobilising that vision, however,...

Fostering Healing Environments: The Crucial Role...

Article originally featured on HSJ. By Wendy Korthuis-Smith, Ed.D. Psychological safety holds unparalleled significance in healthcare. It is the shared belief that...

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 ...