When I’m asked to name the best health care delivery system in the country, I answer without hesitation: Virginia Mason. No other organization has developed so many innovations―a unique approach to process improvement modeled on Toyota's, a world-class governance structure, the Physician Compact, and more―and woven them together in the service of a singular goal: putting patients first. In this well-written and engaging book, Kenney pulls back the curtain to describe how Virginia Mason makes all of this work. No surprise: the secret sauce is leadership. Read the book and you’ll become a better leader. Better yet, have everybody at your organization read the book and it will become a better health system.―Robert Wachter, MD, Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, and author of The Digital Doctor: Hope, Hype, and Harm at the Dawn of Medicine’s Computer AgeIn a series of riveting, rich, and highly informative stories, Charles Kenney provides details and insights into the magic behind the method that can transform health care: a totally new style of collaborative leadership based on trust, alignment, patient focus, respect, and responsibility. Must reading for every health care CEO and Board member.
―Lucian Leape, MD, Harvard School of Public Health

Kenney’s account of the Virginia Mason leadership journey offers a roadmap for young potential leaders on how to pursue a high performance health system.
―David Blumenthal, MD, President, The Commonwealth Fund

To successfully achieve a turnaround you must see Lean as the strategy, understand that the transition has to be led from the top and that the thing you are trying to transform is your people [your most valuable asset]. Virginia Mason touches all the bases here with particular emphasis in this book on the need for strong, aligned leadership throughout the organization. Every company can learn from VM’s leadership examples. A must-read if you are interested in unlocking the hidden value within your company.
―Art Byrne, former CEO of The Wiremold Company and author of The Lean Turnaround
This practical leadership guide shares the strategy, the management tools and systems, and a vision of the culture needed to thrive in today’s challenging health care world. Readers will get a detailed view of the Virginia Mason Production System and the methods that Virginia Mason leaders use to achieve world-class results for their patients.
―Maureen Bisognano, President and CEO, Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Talented people leading and working together on a comprehensive continuous improvement strategy and relentless implementation plan to deliver a compelling vision! Virginia Mason’s Story has important lessons for all of us!
―Alan Mulally, retired CEO of Ford and Boeing Commercial Airplanes

Charles Kenney