Knowledge Center
Evidence-based resources focused on quality, safety, and better patient outcomes.
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 ...
“The fact that Virginia Mason is driven by the same purpose we are – serving patients and ...
Achieving Zero Preventable Hospital-Acquired ...
Saving lives, eliminating defects and improving ...
Invigorating Staff and Transforming Culture
Organization Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (SASH) Challenge SASH sought to learn from ...
Becker’s Healthcare Featuring Dr. Gary Kaplan
This podcast featuring Gary Kaplan, MD, CEO of ...
30 Minutes to 2 for Prior Authorizations: How ...
At a Glance The Organization North Shore Physicians Group (NSPG) is an affiliate of Salem Hospital ...
Insights for Healthcare Improvement Leaders
Explore Virginia Mason Institute's Knowledge Center for practical tools, articles, research, and insights that help healthcare leaders drive sustainable improvement.
.svg)
Resources
Explore how Foundation Health Partners used WIGs and structured improvement work to drive better outcomes across teams.
Organization Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT) Challenge LTHT hoped to move from a financial deficit to a sustainable surplus while boosting staff engagement...
In many hospital pharmacies today, the pace is hurried. Staff rush to fulfill complex orders for waiting providers with patients’ health dependent on their...
With the introduction of integrated care systems (ICSs) across the NHS, Lincolnshire System, which serves a population of over 800,000 people across a large...
The organization Nestled in California’s San Joaquin Valley, Clinica Sierra Vista had humble beginnings. Formed in 1971 to address the specific needs of the...
Organization Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (SASH) Key Decision Staff and patients are given opportunities to test and influence the design of a new...
Virginia Mason Institute has worked to help create cultural changes in healthcare organizations. Through partnerships, Virginia Mason Institute has been able to...
At a Glance The Organization UW Health is a large system tied to the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, encompassing 21,000 employees...
Patient Safety Survey Participation Sharply Increases Overall staff participation in Virginia Mason’s Culture of Patient Safety survey grew from 16% in 2004 to 88%...
At a Glance The Organization North Shore Physicians Group (NSPG) is an affiliate of Salem Hospital and a member of Mass General Brigham. The largest multi-specialty...
How hospitals, practices and leaders can implement NHS Impact NHS Impact provides the blueprint for organisations throughout the system tocreate lasting solutions...
Embark on a journey of transformative success in healthcare as we delve into inspiring achievements from our partners worldwide. Witness the strides made by...
Download our case study on Virginia Mason Bainbridge Island Regional Medical Center. Download this case study to learn how Virginia Mason Bainbridge Island...
At a Glance The Organization Lincolnshire is a large rural county on the eastern coast of England. It contains 86 general practitioner (GP) groups and three...
At a Glance Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust discovered a significant budget shortfall and had to act fast. The financial picture would only get worse unless...
At a Glance The Organization The Orthopedic Outpatient Center is a state-of-the-art facility in southwest Oregon, operated by the Southern Oregon Orthopedics group....
“I used a leadership stipend to attend the Optimizing Flow in the Ambulatory Setting course at Virginia Mason Institute’s Seattle training facility. I was so...
Organization Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (SASH) Challenge SASH sought to learn from Virginia Mason Institute how to create a robust management system for...
Saving lives, eliminating defects and improving processes The problem Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the third most common cardiovascular illness1 — and the most...
Problem Virginia Mason hospital nurses were increasingly leaving the patient’s bedside to complete non-value-added tasks, adding hours to their day, increasing...
Problem Responding to patient phone calls at Virginia Mason consumed a great deal of clinic time and was not reimbursed. The primary care clinics were receiving...
“The fact that Virginia Mason is driven by the same purpose we are – serving patients and communities – helped them understand us better than consulting companies...
Start Your Lean Health Care Journey Learn More Problem Virginia Mason recognized that mistakes and defects in health care not only harmed patients but...
Learn how Virginia Mason turned crisis into change by adapting Toyota’s lean principles to improve quality, reduce waste, and transform care.
NHS IMPACT leadership requires partners to meet you where you are, a holistic approach, a focus on equity, clinical experience, and NHS familiarity.
Find out why zero preventable harm is a strategic imperative for healthcare systems, and explore key strategies to improve patient safety.
Virginia Mason Institute's LEAP enhances healthcare skills through experiential learning, fostering improved patient care, team performance, and growth.
Discover how the LEIPA model boosts emotional intelligence and transforms strong individuals into high-performing leadership teams.
A strong healthcare culture fosters trust, communication, and innovation. Learn how to create a lasting change in your healthcare organization.
Rajiv Sethi, MD, a top VM spine surgeon, shares why embracing an innovative lean management system works to improve the delivery of health care.
A culture of psychological safety propels healthcare organizations into the forefront of innovation by encouraging continuous learning.
In July 2016, a Virginia Mason quality assurance analyst sent the committee the VTE defect report theyâd been waiting for.
Balancing quality and costs is important in all operating rooms. Virginia Mason Institute's approach improved turnover time, safety and efficiency..
A tragedy at Virginia Mason led to radical transparency, prioritizing patient safety above all else. Learn more about this new standard in healthcare.
Learn to use an Andon in your healthcare organization, a tool to detect abnormality or defects in medical processes.
Healthcare leaders drive safety through continuous improvement. The Nemawashi gauge helps assess readiness for change and empowers staff to speak up.
-%20Introduction%20and%20Assessment%20Questions.webp?width=500&name=What%20is%20the%20Virginia%20Mason%20Production%20System%20(VMPS)-%20Introduction%20and%20Assessment%20Questions.webp)
Learn about VMPS and how your organization can learn from this management system, improvement culture, and innovation in healthcare.
Check out additional information on Virginia Mason Institute's Lean terminology. Visit this online glossary for information on lean healthcare concepts.
Healthcare leaders have the ability to use lessons from COVID-19 to improve vaccine distribution. Learn more about this efficient methodology.
Creating a culture of continuous improvement is accessible by aligning the organizationâs goals. This vision allows for organization wide progress.
Dr. Lammert underscores the vitality of a physician compact, urging genuine commitment for change, emphasizing its impact on patient centered care.
Learn about VMPS and how your organization can learn from this management system, improvement culture, and innovation in healthcare.
Virginia Mason Institute's Marlon Borbon emphasizes lean methods for healthcare, focusing on lead time, defects, inventory, and overall staff morale.
Virginia Mason Institute's leadership kata fosters continuous improvement, cost reductions, and a culture of waste elimination, with tangible results.
Virginia Mason Institute uses the 3P process for innovative healthcare design, involving frontline teams and patients. Learn about patient first designs.
Ellen Noel, a nursing specialist, led team progress in healthcare through accountability and training. Learn more about preventing never events.
Celeste Derheimer at Virginia Mason Institute emphasizes leaders fostering a culture shift through lean processes and respectful engagement.
Virginia Mason Institute improved clinician performance by creating a real-time electronic dashboard for quality measures, resulting in success.
Learn about improving flow, increasing process efficiency and providing quality care while adopting a new space through teamwork and planning.
Teamwork and continuous improvement are vital in sports and healthcare. Virginia Mason Institute fosters excellence through collaboration and innovation.
Discover how Virginia Mason Institutes Lean ideas program encourages staff to suggest simple improvements, saving valuable time and reducing waste.
"Muda" in healthcare means eliminating wasteful processes. Virginia Mason Institute shows how to enhance patient care and streamline operations.
Learn how this Virginia Mason Institute client redefined facility development. This innovation led to cutting costs up to 15% in their organization.
Virginia Mason Institute explores advancements in new patient visits, imaging, and electronic ordering. Innovation in healthcare brings efficiency.
3P (production, placement, and process) allows organizations to improve care. Learn more about better patient care with Virginia Mason Institute.
Virginia Mason believes every patient should receive the best care every time. Learn more about how we are cutting costs, while improving care quality.
Chris Backous explains how working together to solve difficult problems in healthcare can help reduce waste. Learn more about lean management.
Cathie Furman explains how lean improvement can engage staff and reduce costs. Learn more about improvement work with Virginia Mason Institute.
Discover how to identify and remove the seven wastes in healthcare and promote quality improvements to achieve lean healthcare.
Learn 5 Ways Patients Can Help Organizations Shape Quality Improvement; through our Patient Family-Partner Program at Virginia Mason Institute.
Find out how these 5 secrets of spreading standard work can improve patient care, help define best practices and improve the world of healthcare.
Learn more about Healthcare Marketplace Collaborative, a healthcare reform success story, to get practical tips for better teamwork & collaboration.
Learn how a pain huddle can help you develop more targeted and personalized treatment plans, improve patient outcomes and reduce readmissions.
Discover how value stream mapping can revolutionize patient care and reduce healthcare organizational costs. Read our guide to find out more.
The Virginia Mason Production System® method is being applied throughout the larger healthcare system of <300 sites, 11 hospitals, & 5,000 providers.
Discover how our healthcare training programs help executives lead the way in reducing waste and improving patient care at Virginia Mason
The importance of culture for healthcare process improvement and how leaders empower their staff to prevent medical errors at Virginia Mason Institute.
Read about North Shore Physicians Group manage their COVID-19 response & how the continuous improvement methods provided a response to caseloads.
Why culture is key in healthcare process improvement. Learn how our client found new ways to improve respiratory care by putting their patients first.
What is Takt Time and why is it important for patient care? Visit Virginia Mason Institute to learn how it helps the pace of production in healthcare.
In an interview with clinical director, Rosemary King, shares how standardizing perioperative care tools drove revenue and improved patient care.
How the Sepsis Power Hour bundle protocol empowers teams to achieve the early recognition of sepsis and administer rapid interventions.
Learn three ways to transform your health care organization with top practices to improve the patient experience while reducing costs.
The COVID-19 crisis challenged healthcare organizations to identify & solve problems in new ways by leveraging improvement teams. Learn key lessons.
Race & other social factors have a profound effect on patient health. Read about how teams at Virginia Mason are leading the way in healthcare equity.
Read about learning through crisis. Discover how healthcare systems have responded to the challenges of COVID-19 through our worldwide partnerships.
Respect for employees and patients alike is an important part of safe and sustainable care. Learn about building a culture of respect in healthcare.
Learn about our 5-year partnership with the National Health Service, our accomplishments, & the lessons about transformation & quality improvement.
Whether you're looking to improve your vaccine distribution or another standard process, discover how you can apply process improvement for your org.
Healthcare leaders and executives play a vital role in addressing provider burnout. Learn about the mindset and systems that make a lasting impact.
The Kaizen Promotion Office (KPO) supports cultural change by implementing VMPS, training staff and fostering continuous improvement in healthcare.
Virginia Mason Institute helps teams innovate and lead change, driving creativity and leadership in healthcare organizations with expert guidance.
Boost team well-being and tackle provider burnout with Virginia Mason Institute's culture and systems approach for sustainable healthcare improvement.
Virginia Mason Institute's flow method transforms primary care, reducing paperwork, improving efficiency, and increasing doctor-patient time.
Learn how a Kanban system transforms healthcare operations by streamlining processes and improving patient outcomes with Virginia Mason Institute.
The Patient-Family Partner Program improves healthcare by addressing biases. enhancing communication and fostering a patient-centered culture.
Patient feedback refines care at Virginia Mason. Programs like Patient-Family Partners eliminate assumptions and drives continuous improvement.
Waste elimination in healthcare improves efficiency, patient safety, and staff morale, as seen in this interview from Virginia Mason Institute.
What is Standard Work and how can it improve the patient experience? Discover how implementing this system eliminates waste and prevent mistakes.
Discover how applying Lean management to healthcare builds results by reducing inefficiencies, empowering staff and ultimately add value for patients.
Enhancing patient flow is vital in healthcare. Virginia Mason Institute shares our story of teamwork and metric-driven improvements for healthcare.
Can broken systems and processes be fixed? Discover how to identify and address common issues with our informative guide at Virginia Mason Institute.
Virginia Mason Institute achieves an efficient flow in healthcare. Inspired by nature, this flow enhances patient experience and reduces delays.
Virginia Mason addresses healthcare staff burnout. Intrinsic motivation and values create a culture of purpose and help transform healthcare.
Explore the crucial alignment between leaders, doctors and board members for an organization's mission toward effective healthcare management.
Discover a journey of a doctor's bravery. Inspiring stories that highlight resilience and compassion in healthcare from Virginia Mason Institute.
How do you deal with the waste epidemic in your organization? Carolyn Corvi answers questions to help you improve efficiency and reduce waste.
Is adding more space the only way to increase revenue in healthcare? Find out how waste reduction can help improve care and reduce costs.
The Virginia Mason production system focuses on the elimination of waste to improve efficiency. Find out how eliminating waste can improve sepsis care.
Learn how "unlearning" four key obsolete leadership lessons can transform healthcare and how to move forward as a leader for lasting improvement.
Read how to put an end to workplace silos while promoting cross-functional collaboration with these 5 leadership development tactics.
Discover three strategies for achieving better healthcare outcomes, lower costs, improved patient care and safety at Virginia Mason Institute.
“Heijunka” is a Toyota Production System term defined as production leveling or smoothing. Our experience at Virginia Mason and in our work with health care clients...
Learn how to improve healthcare efficiency and patient outcomes with continuous flow processes for your organization at Virginia Mason Institute.
What are the risks of not having a strategic improvement method for healthcare organizations? Learn this proven approach to reduce cost & transform care.
Learn how continuous process improvement in healthcare can transform quality of patient care, staff satisfaction, and reduce costs for your organization.
Learn how to improve patient care and lower costs with a value stream approach. Visit Virginia Mason Institute to learn the benefits of this methodology.
Check out our tips for how to methodically and successfully implement a process to improve accountability in healthcare using Lean methodology.
Dr. Gary Kaplan shares the success, challenges, and lessons learned in a report on the 5-year partnership with 5 NHS hospital trusts.
Based on the recent WBS report - Read 3 key lessons for leaders as we look to a more sustainable path forward in healthcare.
Read an example of how our waste removal processes helped increase value in patient care for joint replacement patients at Virginia Mason Institute.
The importance of culture in a healthcare management system, and how it accelerates organizational change to create a patient-centered culture.
Learn about VMI's key lessons to help ensure your organization's internal communications are supporting a culture of improvement.
Read Sarah Patterson's message on Virginia Mason's initial response and key learnings from the COVID-19 crisis.
Provider burnout has reached concerning levels at health systems globally. Read the causes and how to identify improvement methods for improvement.
Read an example of how a client implemented 3P (production, preparation and process) and got stakeholders and the organization on the same page.
Read about North Shore Physicians Group manage their COVID-19 response & how the continuous improvement methods provided a response to caseloads.
Is your team struggling to implement continuous quality improvement in a virtual environment? Learn about virtual facilitation best practices.
Learn the difference between Lean & Six Sigma philosophies & discover new ways to undertake quality improvement within your healthcare organization.
Read a case study on a clinic that reviewed and improved their ED patient experience by standardizing the access flow through daily management.
For leaders who want to make progress in improvements across an organization, the challenge can seem insurmountable.
Learn how surgical badge hats improve OR communication, teamwork, and patient experience while cutting waste and supporting net-zero goals.
Advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in healthcare has become a strategic imperative for all leaders in healthcare. But to make lasting progress, we can’t just...
In our first episode of Better Never Stops, Chris Backous, Executive Partner of Transformation Services, interviews two of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health’s...
Earlier this year Leeds Teaching Hospital managed to save £16M ($20M USD) in the space of 2 weeks. Featured in this episode: Wendy Korthuis-Smith Chris Backous ...
Leading with Daily Management is an important and foundational component of ensuring patients receive quality, timely care, while providing frontline staff the...
Host Brenda McLeod is joined by three guests to talk about one of Virginia Mason Institute’s newest service offerings, the Leadership Emotional Intelligence...
This podcast featuring Gary Kaplan, MD, CEO of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, offers a unique opportunity to gain valuable insights from a prominent figure in...
In our second episode of Better Never Stops, Virginia Mason Institute Senior Partner Melissa Lin interviews Dana Nelson-Peterson, Vice President of Nursing...
Connecting You with Insights and Inspiration We are excited to announce the launch of our new podcast for healthcare professionals, Better Never Stops. Our new...