Category: Virginia Mason
Healthcare’s ‘Dirty little secret’: No one may be coordinating care
Breakdowns in hospital communications are common, with sometimes dire consequences for patients.
New online database reveals thousands of hospital violation reports
A new website, www.hospitalinspections.org, includes detailed reports of hospital violations dating back to January 2011, searchable by city, state, name of the hospital and key word.
My doctor is taking payments from drug companies – what should I do?
If your doctor is on the “Dollars for Docs” list, he or she received money from one of the drug companies for promotional activities or consulting. Payments are legal, so it doesn’t mean your doctor has done anything wrong. But research has shown that drug company marketing can influence what a doctor prescribes, and some experts say it is cause for concern.
Hospitals get new grades on safety
The Leapfrog Group’s hospital safety rankings list this year gives: Seattle’s Northwest, VM, Swedish Ballard and Swedish First Hill hospitals “A”s. UW Medical Center, Swedish Cherry Hill, and Harborview were give “C”s — though some dispute the group’s rankings.
A checklist for health CEOs seeking to improve care, cut costs
Seattle’s Virginia Mason President and CEO Dr. Gary Kaplan was one of eleven health system executives to create a checklist for health-care CEOs seeking to control costs and improve quality of care published this week by the Institute of Medicine .
VM’s Kaplan elected chair of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s board of directors
Dr. Gary S. Kaplan, chairman and CEO of Seattle’s Virginia Mason Medical Center, has been elected chair of the board of directors of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement/
Virginia Mason launches quality improvement blog
Virginia Mason Medical Center has launched a blog that will focus on quality improvement processes aimed at improving patient safety and cutting costs. The Seattle hospital established a national reputation for quality improvement by adapting “lean” manufacturing techniques to medicine
Employers, health-care providers team up to cut costs, improve care
“I practiced for 30 years without knowing how long patients waited to see me,” says Dr. Robert Mecklenburg of Seattle’s Virginia Mason. After meeting with employers, “you realize how important it is to see patients when they need to be seen,” Mecklenburg says,. “Any wait is not OK.”
VM to launch health services research center
The purpose of the new center is to evaluate the effectiveness of hospital’s improvement initiatives more rigorously and publish the results in medical journals and other publications.
Two Seattle hospitals make “Top Hospital” list
Swedish Medical Center’s First Hill Hospital and Virginia Mason Medical Center both make the “Top Hospital” list put out each year by The Leapfrog Group, a health-quality improvement group.
Inbox: Polyclinic launches clinical research program, VM and Wenatchee Medical Center, PATH & Merck for Mothers
From our inbox: Seattle’s PATH teams up with MERCK for maternal health project. Polyclinic launches clinical research division. Virginia Mason and Wenatchee Medical Center form heart affiliation.
What’s behind the ER building boom? — Seattle Times
As health-care costs spiral ever upward, hospitals race to build free-standing emergency rooms and expand existing ERs. Hospitals say it makes business sense, but critics say the hospital arms race is too costly for businesses, government and families.
Evergreen and Virginia Mason to form “strategic partnership”
Evergreen Healthcare and Virginia Mason will remain two distinct entities. Neither organization foresees any reduction in services or staff as a result of this partnership.
How does your hospital stack up against the competition?
Medicare’s new Hospital Compare website allows you to compare hospitals side-by-side on a variety of patient safety and patient satisfaction measures. But are the comparisons fair?
U.S. News & World Report ranks UW, Harborview and VM — 1, 2 and 3 in Seattle
Magazine also rates the three Seattle hospitals and Seattle Children’s as some of the best in the nation.
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