Frontiers of Health Services Management - Spring 2013 - (Page 24)

Protecting Our Patients applying the various elements of the checklist over time has helped us make fundamental, measurable improvements at virginia Mason. for example, we have worked diligently to ensure “embedded safeguards—supports and prompts to reduce injury and infection” (cosgrove et al. 2012, 22). one of the most important areas in which we have made progress involves our patient safety work. our PSa system originated during our initial trip to Japan, where we witnessed individual factory workers shutting down the production line to fix a flaw. We were struck by the empowerment of every worker in the factory to shut down the entire line to prevent a defective product from reaching a customer. We immediately recognized a direct application of the method to healthcare. at virginia Mason, every employee is empowered to call a safety alert if he or she has any question or concern about the safety of a patient. our safety goal at virginia Mason is zero defects, and this aim drives a never-ending focus on eliminating defects. from the system’s inception in 2002 through early october 2012, more than 30,000 PSas have been reported. our PSa system is a real-time quality assurance approach, as opposed to the retrospective quality assurance method traditionally used in healthcare. in addition to achieving its overall goal of making our patients much safer than before its implementation, the PSa system has helped us significantly reduce the cost of professional liability premiums. the reduction is a result not only of virginia Mason’s safer healthcare environment but also of the transparent and forthright manner in which we deal with instances of harm to patients. Virginia Mason Transformed overall, through the changes we have made in our culture and under our revised management system, using most of the checklist’s elements, we have realized that providing appropriate care leads to increased quality and reduced costs. We are a different institution than we were before we applied vMPS and these elements of the checklist. We are focused on our patients as never before as we strive to hear and understand the voice of the patient and to integrate patients into our daily improvement work. We have made huge strides in fulfilling our responsibility to our community to provide the best value in our marketplace. our Marketplace collaborative work with various large employers has dramatically improved care in several clinical areas at a lower cost. our Kaizen Promotion office team has guided the application of vMPS to reduce vast amounts of waste throughout our system, thus dramatically improving the value we provide to patients and payers alike. We have worked to avoid the mentality that bigger is inherently better, that the new world is all about size and market share. We have proven that an alternative approach is available and that an emphasis on value can lead to success in a competitive marketplace. We have been recognized by a variety of national organizations for our improvements and progress, and our work has touched every area of virginia Mason. one example is from our Kirkland clinic, where i have my primary care practice. in 2003, prior to implementing many 24 • f ro ntier s o f h ea lth s e rvic e s m a na g e me nt 29 :3

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Frontiers of Health Services Management - Spring 2013

Frontiers of Health Services Management - Spring 2013
Contents
Frontiers of Health Services Management - Spring 2013
A Management, Leadership, and Board Road Map to Transforming Care for Patients
Pursuing the Perfect Patient Experience
Adapting to the New Healthcare Market
High Reliability: Truly Achieving Healthcare Quality and Safety
Making Lean Progress Last: Why Sustaining Excellence Requires the Right Leadership Framework

Frontiers of Health Services Management - Spring 2013