Premium Essay

Virginia Mason Medical Center Case Study

In:

Submitted By luckyliu
Words 1869
Pages 8
Virginia Mason Medical Center
Case study

Question 1
How could TPS be used to solve the problems that Kaplan was facing at VMMC?
VMMC was facing several critical issues when Kaplan assumed leadership of the organization: * 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 cut costs, he really needed to identify systematic ways to improve the quality of service and differentiate VMMC from its competitors. This is where TPS would prove valuable. Instead of being just another approach by management to create a more cost effective organization, TPS focuses on creating a culture of teamwork with the ultimate goal of delivering the highest quality service possible to the customer. And as a result of this focus on improvement, eventually costs are reduced. And lastly, TPS involves employees in the process and shifts the focus of management to the role of facilitator. Ideally these changes would undo some of the damage from past strategic innovations at VMMC and increase the staff morale.

Why does TPS work at VMMC, while other similar approaches, i.e. TQM, have failed?
The healthcare industry presents an interesting challenge: the relationship between the hospital and the physicians who work there. Historically the VMMC had a very difficult relationship with its physicians because they felt entitled to do what they wanted while it was the administration’s responsibility to shield them from extraneous tasks. Kaplan wanted to change this relationship to make the physicians part of the team. His first effort to create this change was the creation of the Physician Compact which placed a strong emphasis on two key attributes: patients, and collaboration with colleagues.

Relationship between Administration and Physicians

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Quality Management

...1.) George Mason University is innovative and entrepreneurial in spirit and utilizes its multi-campus organization and location near our nation’s capital to attract outstanding faculty, staff and students. George Mason will: ▪Educate the new generation of leaders for the 21st century—men and women capable of shaping a global community with vision, justice, and clarity. ▪Encourage freedom of thought, speech, and inquiry in a tolerant, respectful academic setting that values diversity. ▪Provide innovative and interdisciplinary undergraduate, graduate, and professional courses of study that enable students to exercise analytical and imaginative thinking and make well-founded ethical decisions. ▪Nurture and support a highly qualified and entrepreneurial faculty that is excellent at teaching, active in pure and applied research, capable of providing a broad range of intellectual and cultural insights, and is responsive to the needs of students and their communities. ▪Maintain an international reputation for superior education and public service that affirms its role as the intellectual and cultural nexus among Northern Virginia, the nation, and the world. We feel that this mission statement is somewhat broad. George Mason should make an effort to be more specific about their mission statement. 2. Identify your customers. What are their needs? (p. 22) How do you assess good/poor quality in this organization? The customers of George Mason University are its students. In competition...

Words: 1952 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Urgent Care Economics

...Economics of an Urgent Care Center in a Market of Emergency Departments One of the contributors to the rising cost of Healthcare can be attributed to the over use of emergency departments (EDs) for non-emergency needs. In the greater Capitol/First/Beacon Hill area there are three major hospitals (Virginia Mason, Harborview, and Swedish) with emergency rooms and no urgent care centers with the exception of Group Health which is restricted to Group Health insurance members. The question I asked myself is, “Why does Group Health have urgent care for their insurance plan members and the major hospitals in Seattle do not.” Urgent vs. Emergency Care A study by the CDC showed that approximately 70 % of emergency department visits can be treated in a typical primary care or urgent care setting and another study by National Center for Policy Analysis demonstrated that only 13% of patients that sought treatment in the emergency department were clinically appropriate. Reasons for non-emergency visits to the ED range from access issues to primary care providers (wait times, no primary care provider assigned, or no insurance) to a lack of knowledge that they could have been treated at an urgent care or primary care setting. There are good reasons to visit the emergency department: * Trauma due to an accident or assault | * A wound that will not stop bleeding | * Shortness of breath | * Vomiting blood | * Chest pain | * Sudden loss of consciousness...

Words: 1654 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Reason for Hiv Disclosure

...Dominion University KATHRYN GREENE Rutgers University JULIANNE SEROVICH Ohio State University WILLIAM N. ELWOOD Center for Public Health and Evaluation Research This research examined the relative importance of reasons for HIV disclosure/nondisclosure with a friend, intimate partner, and parents. Participants were 145 men and women with HIV. Overall, catharsis, a will to duty/educate, and having a close/supportive relationship were endorsed as reasons that influence HIV disclosure. Privacy, self–blame, fear of rejection, and protecting the other were endorsed as reasons that influence nondisclosure. Both men and women endorsed testing the other’s reaction as a reason for disclosing more for an intimate partner, whereas they endorsed privacy more as a reason for not disclosing to a friend. Men (mostly self–identified as homosexuals or bisexuals), but not women (mostly self–identified as heterosexuals), endorsed similarity as a reason for disclosing more to a friend or intimate partner than to a parent. The results are consistent with a Model of HIV–Disclosure Decision Making that indicates how cultural attitudes This research is partly supported by a research grant (#R01DA13145–01A1) from the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health. The authors wish to express our appreciation to the men and women who completed the questionnaires for this study. Please address correspondence to Valerian J. Derlega, Department of Psychology, Old Dominion University,...

Words: 8661 - Pages: 35

Premium Essay

Literature Review Influenza

...Mandatory Influenza Vaccinations Review Shumetria Cleveland English 321 Mandatory Influenza Vaccinations Review Introduction Influenza is a highly, contagious virus that affects the respiratory system. It is transmitted from person to person through respiratory droplets by an infected person coughing or sneezing. Influenza is much more serious than the common cold and is preventable. Good hand washing, covering your cough, and good health habits will prevent the spread of influenza and other respiratory diseases. It is onset by chills, fatigue, high fever, cough, sore throat, and body aches are some sign or symptoms of influenza often referred to as the flu. The incubation period is one to four days. Each year, influenza causes a significant increase in illness and death. In the elderly, children, patients with chronic illness and immune compromised disease. Once in a while the influenza changes to a severe disease. In the early 1900 there was a pandemic that killed approximately 20,000,000 people. Scientist later discovered the bacterial that causes the virus by testing the blood. Today physicians are able to keep the bacterial infections under control with antibiotics. In 2009 the swine flu epidemic caused illness, stole lives and flashed a light on health care workers to get mandatory influenza vaccinations. Some institutions, for the first time, implemented policies for mandatory influenza vaccines for health care workers due to the escalation of the swine flu...

Words: 2189 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Collaboration to Build Healthier Communities

...Collaboration to Build Healthier Communities A Report for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America Wilder Research Wilder Research Wilder Research Report prepared for the RWJF Commission to Build a Healthier America by Paul W. Mattessich, Ph.D. Wilder Research Saint Paul, Minnesota Ela J. Rausch, M.P . .P Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Minneapolis, Minnesota With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation June 2013 Creating Healthy Communities Cross-sector partnerships are sparking widespread action to improve community health COATESVILLE , PA SEATTLE, WA Access to healthy foods Access to preventative care and healthy housing LOS ANGELES , CA Quality early child care and education CHICAGO, IL Data and evidence to build health into all policies and practices MIAMI , FL Opportunities for physical activity and healthy living health community development • community development finance • community planning • early child care/education • human services • housing Introduction “ Building a healthier America is feasible in years, not decades, if we collaborate and act on what is making a difference.” —Robert Wood Johnson Foundation In 2008, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation convened a commission of nonpartisan leaders to identify opportunities to improve the health of all Americans by creating environments that protect and actively promote health. Their report, Beyond Health Care:...

Words: 10523 - Pages: 43

Premium Essay

Mandatory Flu Vaccine

...Immunization is a very controversial topic including the issue of mandatory flu vaccination for front-line health care workers. Health care workers are the front-line workers to whom patients are first exposed to during the initial encounter to medical system. Influenza is commonly referred to as the seasonal flu which strikes 5% to 15% of the world’s population with approximately 3 to 5 million severe cases of illness which leads to 250000 to 500000 deaths annually (World Health Organization [WHO], 2014). In addition, hospital acquired influenza has a 16% mortality rate which increases to 60% in high-risk population groups (Cortes-Penfield, 2014). Specifically in Canada, the average rate of influenza infection is 10% to 20% of the population...

Words: 2448 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Deaf Employment in the Professional Sector

...Amber Kiker Kiker 1 Professor McCarthy English 102 August 12, 2015 Deaf Employment in the Professional Sector Profound hearing loss affects millions of people in the United States today. According to the Gualledette Research Institute there are currently over a million people between the ages of 6 and 65 who are Deaf (Harrington 1). While several state and federally funded programs have been implemented to support early and post-secondary education for the Deaf, evidence points to a significant lack of job placement assistance for Deaf young adults transitioning from college to independent living. Deaf graduates often return home to live with family due to an inability to obtain employment reflective of their academic achievements. Currently in America the most common type of employment held by Deaf individuals is limited primarily to the service and manufacturing industries. The objective of this research is to investigate the professional sector of employment in the United States to uncover the driving mechanisms behind the non-presence of the Deaf Community, specifically those with post-secondary education, and to examine what steps are being taken to resolve this apparent disparity. In the hearing world, graduating from college is the beginning of an exciting chapter of a young adult’s life as it represents the transition from higher education into the world of professional employment. It is the time one gets to put into practice the skills they have...

Words: 3093 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Jean Watson Contribution to Nursing Issues

...Introduction Dr. Jean Watson is known as a professor, nurse, theorist and a founder director of Watson Caring Science Institute, which is a non- profit organization. She was awarded the American Academy of Nursing award termed as a Living Legend in the year 2013 (Jug, D, 2015). Jean is known because of her Theory of Human Caring and ten Caritas processes which act as a blueprint for the nursing practice. She was born in West Virginia in the year 1940 (Alligood, 2013). She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in the year 1964 from the University of Colorado. She continued with her Ph.D. in Education Psychology and Counseling in the same University. Since then, she has earned other ten honorary doctoral degrees and has a diverse experience working in the mental health nursing and caring science. She is doing more research in the area of human caring and loss. She came up with the Theory of Human Caring in the year 1975 (Wang, 2013). Her main aim at that time was to make people understand that nursing science is important and a different entity from medical science (Jug, D, 2015). Her teaching experience played a significant role in her work. She wanted to create a common meaning in nurses all over the world. Jean’s Theory of Human Caring was published in the year 1988 for the first time (Ramezani et al., 2014). Since then, she has produced more than 20 books on the issue of caring in the profession of nursing. Her teachings are used by the clinicians and the academic programs...

Words: 3493 - Pages: 14

Free Essay

Apple Inc

...Ailes: president of Fox News Channel Doug Aitken: multimedia artist Muhammad Ali: professional heavyweight boxer, three-time World Heavyweight Champion John Allman: neuroscientist, expert on human cognition Gloria Allred: civil rights attorney Brad Anderson: former CEO of Best Buy Chris Anderson: curator of TED conferences Philip Anschutz: entrepreneur, cofounder of Major League Soccer, investor in multiple professional sports teams David Ansen: former senior entertainment editor at Newsweek Rose Apodaca: pop culture, fashion, and style journalist Bernard Arnault: chairman and CEO of LVMH Rebecca Ascher-Walsh: journalist, author Isaac Asimov: science fiction author Reza Aslan: scholar of religious studies, author Tony Attwood:psychologist, author of books on Asperger’s syndrome Lesley Bahner: responsible for advertising and motivational research for the...

Words: 6829 - Pages: 28

Premium Essay

Ebola Vs Bubonic Plague

...closest to where the bacteria entered the human body. If the patient is not treated with appropriate antibiotics, the bacteria can spread to other parts of the body.” according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). ii. Septicemic plague  This would cause the patients to “develop fever, chills, extreme weakness, abdominal pain, shock, and possibly bleeding into the skin and other organs. Skin and other tissues may turn black and die, especially on fingers, toes, and the nose. Septicemic plague can occur as the first symptoms of plague, or may develop from untreated bubonic plague. This form results from bites of infected fleas or from handling an infected animal.” According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) iii. Pneumonic plague  This would cause the patients to “develop fever, headache, weakness, and a rapidly developing pneumonia with shortness of breath, chest pain, cough, and sometimes bloody or watery mucous. Pneumonic plague may develop from inhaling infectious droplets or from untreated bubonic or septicemic plague that spreads to the lungs. The pneumonia may cause respiratory failure and shock. Pneumonic plague is the most serious form of the disease and is the only form of plague that can be spread from person to person (by infectious droplets).” According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 3. What makes it deadly? The Yersinia pestis is mostly found on animals in the world and can be transmitted to humans through fleas...

Words: 3510 - Pages: 15

Free Essay

Writer

...bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/11/25/mass-schools-report-head-injuries-among-athletes-compliance-with-concussion-law-rises/njPFK6a92knIhcvY9UGxdN/story.html Refueling Product A new product can allegedly help athletes refuel during competition by providing precise carb and electrolyte recommendations based on a quick analysis of their sweat. http://www.prweb.com/releases/FuelstripMMA/UFCBellator/prweb11284260.htm Vegan Praise Several top athletes credit veganism with playing a key role in their success. http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/elite-athletes-reveal-the-vegan-diet-secret-behind-their-success/story-fneuzkvr-1226768537898 Baseline Challenges Three new studies of baseline testing highlight the difficult of accurately assessing an athlete’s true baseline ability. http://www.momsteam.com/studies-show-pitfalls-in-baseline-neurocognitive-testing Milk Lawsuit A judge has provisionally approved a $5.3 million settlement in a lawsuit filed against Muscle Milk that alleges the company falsely markets its products as “healthy.” http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Manufacturers/Judge-gives-provisional-thumbs-up-to-5.3m-settlement-over-healthy-claims-on-Muscle-Milk Cognitive Recovery Young athletes suffering...

Words: 14366 - Pages: 58

Premium Essay

Operations Management

...What is Operations Management? 2013 Joshua Richards POM 343 Due: 12/11/2013 Table of Contents Tale of Things to Come 1 Conceptual Model 2 Class Two: What is Operations Management / Productivity, Competitiveness & Strategy 3 Class Three: Forecasting, Aggregate Planning, MRP and ERP 4 Class Four: Product and Service Design 5 Class Five: Capacity Planning, Process Selection and Facility Layout 6 Class Six: Design of Work Systems and Learning Curves 7 Class Eight: Location Planning and Analysis 8 Class Nine: Management of Quality and Quality Control 9 Class Ten: Inventory Management 10 Class Eleven: JIT and Lean Operations 11 Class Twelve: Supply Chain Management 12 Conclusion 13 Tale of Things to Come I am going to take you on a whirlwind of wonder and learning all based around operations management. At least that is what I saw it as. Coming in to a class with no expectations, mainly because I have never heard of the topic, I was pleasantly surprised. Coming from a person who has hopes and dreams to own or at least run a successful company someday this class had a plethora of information that I will hopefully someday have the opportunity to use. I decided to break the class down week by week. The reason I chose to do this is partly because of the material and partly because of the teaching method. One thing I loved about the class is that as you go along you always continue to use the stuff you learned previously. When we were doing supply...

Words: 5303 - Pages: 22

Premium Essay

Cleveland Clinic Case Study

...surgeon and president and CEO of Cleveland Clinic, emerged from the operating room on a January afternoon in 1996 having just changed the way he, and subsequently the world, approached heart surgery. A trip to Stanford University Medical School had convinced him it was possible to operate on the valves of the heart through a three-inch incision instead of the nearly foot long incision that was standard practice before splitting the patient’s breastbone with a saw to reach the heart.1 After refining the technique in the lab, he had successfully performed the first such operation. Eight months later, Cosgrove performed two of these surgeries back-to-back, broadcasting his work live via satellite to 4,000 surgeons in 40 cities around the world. The Cleveland Clinic’s broadcasting capabilities facilitated this demonstration of the substantial benefits of his minimally invasive method of heart surgery, which reduced the risk of infection and involved less bleeding, pain, and trauma, significantly reduced the amount of time needed for recovery, and could be used in about three quarters of the heart valve surgeries performed in the United States.2 So compelling was this exhibition that within a year use of the technique had “exploded” throughout the medical community.3 Such innovation had been the lifeblood of Cleveland Clinic since its founding in 1921. Even as he continued early in 2006, a year and a half into his tenure as president and CEO, to be a catalyst for excellence and creativity...

Words: 11777 - Pages: 48

Free Essay

Prison Industrial Complex

...Journal for Critical Animal Studies, Volume 10, Issue 2, 2012 (ISSN1948-352X) Beyond Dehumanization: A Post-Humanist Critique of Solitary Confinement Lisa Guenther Abstract What does it mean to be treated like a nonhuman animal? In this paper, I analyze the discourse of “dehumanization” in Madrid v Gomez, a 1995 Eighth Amendment case concerning the treatment of prisoners at California’s Pelican Bay Supermax Penitentiary. I argue that the language of dehumanization fails to describe the harm of solitary confinement because it remains complicit with a hierarchical opposition between human and nonhuman animal that rebounds against prisoners, especially those who have been racialized and/or sexualized as less than human. Humanist discourse neglects the sense in which both human and nonhuman animals are affective, corporeal beings who rely upon the support of others for their own capacity to orient themselves within a mutually-perceived world. Drawing on the testimony of inmates in solitary confinement, and situating this testimony in relation to the political and scientific history of US incarceration practices, I develop a post-humanist critique of solitary confinement. Keywords: Solitary confinement, sensory deprivation, intercorporeal Malebranche would not have beaten a stone as he beat his dog, saying that the dog didn’t suffer. Merleau-Ponty, Nature, 166 Certain carceral practices are often condemned – both by prisoners and by their legal or political advocates –...

Words: 9124 - Pages: 37

Free Essay

The Legalization of Marijuana in America: from an Economic Standpoint

...on a federal level or not (Smith 1). There is a battle between the Supreme Court and federal government regarding enforcement as state law allows production and consumption of the drug while the federal law prohibits such activities. When a state officer finds marijuana on the persons of a Colorado resident, there is no charge; however, when a federal officer finds marijuana on the persons of a Colorado resident the extent of the penalty could be arrest and incarceration. Due to conflicting enforcement policies, America is forced to examine the issue and come to a consensus between the policies to ensure homogeneity between the two lawmaking bodies. One means of analyzing the issue is through an economic perspective. As economics is the study of “how society manages its scarce resources” and the manner in which a society makes decisions, the economics behind a controversial policy can help determine acceptance or rejection of the proposed law (Mankiw 1-1). Based on fundamental economic concepts, historical evidence, global data, and future forecasts, the effects of legalizing marijuana will be analyzed. After analyzing the economics of the legalization, a decision can be made. Brief History of Cannabis From the beginning of time, the Cannabis plant has been cultivated and exported around the world for its material, medicinal, and spiritual uses. The first recorded instance of the cannabis plant being valued in society was in 2900 BC when Emperor Fu His claimed it held the...

Words: 2911 - Pages: 12