After visiting japan in 2001, virgina mason medical centre applied the toyota production system tps to the healthcare context. Describing how your organization can create a strategy and build a culture of innovation and learning, it. Gary kaplan is chairman and ceo of the virginia mason medical center in seattle, an integrated delivery system with a 336bed hospital, a large. The virginia mason lean journey steve schaefer vice president. Regarding the application of lean thinking in healthcare, this article aims to. Includes group health, pacific medical center and virginia mason physicians. Aside from their daily tasks of managing operational issues in their medical practices, healthcare. Vm providers recognized on seattle magazines 2005 best doctors list. The hc has taken a cultural transformative approach to kaizen implementation similar to other organizations regarded as highly successful at kaizen implementation, such as virginia mason medical center. Virginia mason is affiliated with yakima valley memorial hospital, evergreen healthcare, and st.
High number of competitors in same geographic area lost substantial amount of money for the first time low morale among staff while kaplan had implemented some changes to. Today, we are chatting about some videos he recently posted to his website 10 year old videos that document executives from virginia mason medical center, now considered a leader in lean healthcare, visiting a lean manufacturing company, wiremold. It calls its flavor of lean the virginia mason production system. The virginia mason medical center is based in seattle, washington.
The virginia mason medical center in seattle implemented the toyota production system in its everyday healthcare operations. Improvement of emergency department patient flow using lean thinking. Beginning in 2000 the hospital s leaders looked at their infrastructure and saw it was designed around them, not the patient, said dr. Lean in virginia mason medical center introduction when you think of a hospital. Instead, mt flew to virginia mason medical center vmmc. When officials at virginia mason think of hospitals, they think of cars. Virginia mason medical center s pursuit of the perfect patient experience kindle edition by kenney, charles, donald m. Linda hebish, virginia mason medical center implementing a lean reporting system. Michele adams, starbucks setting up a lean learning lab. Lean thinking and the virginia mason production system. Being a medical assistant at virginia mason duration. Pdf on jan 1, 2006, david ollier weber and others published toyotastyle.
Identifying valueadded and nonvalueadded steps in every process is the beginning of the journey toward lean. Using lean principles to develop the virginia mason. Creating an environment for caring using lean principles of the. Vsm and kanban were used in the virginia mason medical center. It did so by combining basic tenets of the toyota production system tps, and elements from the philosophies of kaizen and lean, to create the virginia mason production system vmps. They have no clue what your actual job is in the lab.
Lean basics virginia mason hospital cbs news 3 min progressivedge. Efficient lean thinking company star star star star star. Katerie chapman, mha, senior vice president and hospital administrator, virginia mason medical center. Implementation of lean in a community health center. Reveal the skeletons in your closet invite customers to the workshop table as equals amy tufano and amy london results washington october 2019 lean transformation. Lean at virginia mason medical center ask questions. Virginia mason efficient lean thinking company glassdoor. Supplement 2 redesigning care delivery in response to a highperformance network. Kaizen activities for improving health care and hospital. The virginia mason experience describes how vmmc has systematically integrated innovative structures, methods, and cultural practices into its implementation of lean.
Virginia mason medical center implemented its own lean program in order to put the patient first as well as identify and eliminate waste to improve productivity and efficiency. Lean basics virginia mason hospital cbs news 3 min. To improve this process, virginia mason has turned to the concepts of lean management pioneered by toyota. Case example virginia mason medical center 2004 mary mcclinton died after cleaning solution was injected not dye identical looking clear s slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. Several examples of successful implementation of comprehensive lean projects in healthcare institutions were reported. Excellent, patient centered culture with an emphasis on safety. Mason medical center, improvement results 2 years after.
Maximizing and sustaining lean improvement efforts val ferris, rn, elmba oregon hospital association november 1, 20. The virginia mason production system vmps is a manage ment method that seeks to. What were reasons for implementing lean management at virginia mason hospital. Kaizen activities for improving health care and hospital management. Virginia mason institute works with organizations worldwide to continuously innovate and solve healthcares largest challenges. A this article was published in february 2006, american college of physician executives. The current healthcare environment poses many challenges to medical group practice managers. Virginia mason medical center s pursuit of the perfect patient. Virginia mason medical center case study essay 1875. Handsearching consists in a manual examination of the. Virginia mason in seattle, washington, has more than 470 doctors, 336bed hospital, 8 medical centers, research center, primary care, cancer, heart care and more.
Waiting to be discharged from the hospital is frustrating for patients and costly for hospitals. Virginia mason medical center was founded in 1920 as a nonprofit regional health care system, serving the pacific northwest, and employs more than 5,300 people. When the virginia mason medical center in seattle was losing money for the first time in its history, ceo dr. A this article is fascinating and shows how a hospital a rather large healthcare provider in the north west, was able to tranform the way they do business. Lean managementthe journey from toyota to healthcare. Virginia mason took a program that should be efficient and turned it on its head. Virginia mason medical center in seattle, wash, has implemented the virginia. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading transforming health care. Update on excellence virginia mason medical center. Applying lean thinking to health care virginia mason medical center seattles virginia mason medical center is an integrated health care system that includes a 336bed hospital, nine locations, 400 physicians and 5,000 employees. Research article web exclusives health affairs vol. In 2002, virginia mason embarked on an ambitious, systemwide program to change the way it delivers health care and in the process, improve patient safety and quality. Tonkin b y the end of 2000, leadership at virginia mason medical center vmmc in seattle, wa realized the need for organizationwide change. During the academic medical center s decadelong journey, use of outofthebox thinking and process improvement methods helped vmmc earn a slew of national recognitions for its awardwinning outcomes produced by lean.
Virginia mason hospital and a network of primary and specialty care clinics initiate in. Accelerating health care transformation with lean and innovation. Results of 175 rapid process improvement weeks at virginia mason medical center. Transforming health care virginia mason medical centers pursuit of the.
The virginia mason lean journey medical device supply. Since the virginia mason leaderships first visit to japan in 2002 to seek insights from japanese manufacturing, the hospital has evolved into a leader in the application of lean principles to health care. Gary kaplan, virginia mason s chairman and chief executive officer. Virginia mason medical center, founded in 1920, is a private, nonprofit organization located in seattle, washington, us. For almost a century, virginia mason has been providing worldrenowned health care ranging from primary care to complex specialty and surgical services that put the needs of patients first. Virginia mason medical center vmmc was one of the first health care organizations to implement lean and its methodologies. Virginia mason includes hospitals in seattle and yakima, wash. The virginia mason production system is a set of tools, but its also a way of life and of thinking. Identifying valueadded and nonvalueadded steps in every process is the beginning of the journey toward lean operations. Employees enter ideas into the system where ideas are tracked from. I have been working at virginia mason fulltime for more than a year. Aaronson describes efforts underway at virginia mason medical center vmmc hospital to use lean methodology as incorporated into the virginia mason production system vmps to mistakeproof vte prophylaxis, improve glycemic control in diabetics, and thereby improve outcomes for our patients. Vmmc was facing several critical issues when kaplan assumed leadership of the organization. Lean thinking begins with driving out waste so that all work adds value and serves the customers needs.
Chemotherapy patients spending an entire day receiving their weekly chemotherapy treatment. Virginia mason medical center in seattle embraced lean thinking and eliminated the waiting room. The virginia mason medical center in seattle washington is widely regarded as a leading case study in the benefits of applying lean manufacturing principles to healthcare. Pdf the application of lean in the healthcare sector. Leadership is supportive and transparent towards front line staff. Since the virginia mason leaderships first visit to japan in 2002 to seek insights from japanese manufacturing, the hospital has evolved into a leader in the application of lean. Moonshine in a health care environment association for. Lean health care interview with virginia mason medical center. Virginia mason is the only recipient in washington state. Rhea wallace, impact washington forging lean partnerships.
Chapter 10 lean management making value flow 2 virginia mason medical center 350bed hospital located in downtown seattle. Virginia mason medical center interview on lean healthcare. Other authors refer to thedacare or simply to a lean management system or lean principles lean philosophy 2,2224. Seattle hospital credits lean for its financial turnaround. Accelerating health care transformation with lean and. Virginia mason production system vmps virginia mason. Other organizations have followed vmmcs lead, but this world class organization still leads in the utilization of innovative lean tools. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Katerie chapman, mha, serves as senior vice president and hospital administrator at virginia mason medical center, a leadership role integrating all clinical and care delivery services along the continuum from primary to acute care.
Virginia mason medical center is organized into a system of integrated health services. Virginia mason medical center in seattle, washington, has been. Rooting out waste in health care by taking cue from toyota. Pdf many companies in the manufacturing sector, such as toyota, have. Virginia mason medical center case study question 1 how could tps be used to solve the problems that kaplan was facing at vmmc. Virginia mason medical center s pursuit of the perfect patient experience takes you on the journey of of virginia mason medical center s pursuit of the perfect patient experience through the application of lean principles, tools, and methodology. At the university of michigan medical center in ann arbor, the discharge process was taking too long, according to christopher kim, md, a hospitalist there. Focusing on customers, standardizing improvements cultural change as they strive for perfection. Gary kaplan is the ceo of seattles virginia mason medical center, considered one of the world leaders in the how failed lean implementations are like a. In a 2002 visit to japan, virginia mason leaders were embarrassed to explain to a toyota sensei that the path to patient care included a considerable wait to see the doctor, even though appointments were scheduled. Prospering by standardizing processes and improving the. Request pdf creating an environment for caring using lean principles of the. Virginia mason medical center harvard case free essays. Next to him sat john black, a lean consultant who introduced mike to lean production and the toyota management method.