Seeking perfection in healthcare. A case study in adopting Toyota Production System methods.

Virginia Mason Health System's vision to be the quality leader in healthcare means continually adopting new ways of thinking. One change has been shifting from believing defects are to be expected to believing zero defects in healthcare is not only possible, but also necessary. Generally, healthcare has advanced in technology and understanding of disease, but its business and management systems have changed little since the 1950s. Virginia Mason realized it needed a management method to help make real and measurable improvements in safety, quality, service and staff satisfaction.