Virginia Mason providers, registered nurses and research scientists recently had articles published in prestigious national journals.

Recent Center for Health Care Improvement Science publications

  • Hermanson S, Osborn S, Gordanier C, Coates E, Wlliams B, Blackmore C, Reduction of early inpatient transfers and rapid response team calls after implementatin of an emergecny department intake huddle process. BMJ Open Quality, 2020;0:e000862. doi:10.1136/bmjoq-2019-000862

  • Bradywood A, Farrokhi F, Williams B, Kowalczyk M, Blackmore C, Reduction in Inpatient Hospital Length of Stay in Lumbar Fusion Patients With Implementation of an Evidence-Based Clinical Care Pathway. SPINE, Volume 42, Number 3, pp 169-176 

  • Ferenczi B, Baliga C, Pascale A, Bradywood A, Blackmore C, Glenn M, Kaplan G, Corman J, Pre-Procedural Covid-10 Screening of Asymptomatic Pateints: A Model for Protecting Patients, Community and Staff During Expansion of Surgical Care. NEJM Catalyst, Innocations in Care Delivery, Vol. No., June 29, 2020 DOI: 10.1056/CAT.20.0261

  • Ferguson A, Bradywood A, Williams B, Blackmore C, Association of Use of Contract Nurses With Hospitalized Patient Pressure Injuries and Falls. Journal of Nuring Scholarship, 2020; 0.0.1-9

  • Soriano C, Kaplan J, Law J, Williams B, Blackmore C, Simianu V, The Immediate, Hospital-Level Impact of Stay-at-Home Order on Diverticulitis Burdern. Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11605-020-04798-x

  • Chafetz L, Forsythe A, Kirby N; Blackmore C, Building a Culture of Respect for Peopele. NEJM Catalyst, Innovations in Care Delivery, Vol. 1, No. 6, November-December, 2020, DOI: 10.1056/CAT.19.1110

  • Yang S J, Franco T, Wallace N, Williams B, Blackmore C, Effectiveness of an Interdisciplinary, Nurse Driven In-Hospital Code Stroke Protocol on In-Patient Ischemic Stroke Recognition and Management. Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Articles in Press. 104398 2019????

  • Franco T, Aaronson B, Williams B, Blackmore C, Use of a real-time, algorithm-driven, publicly displayed, automated signal to improve insulin prescribing practices, Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice (2019), doi: ttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.diabres.2019.107833?

  • Sorensen L, Idemoto L, Streifel J, Williams B, Mecklenburg R, Blackmore C, A multifaceted intervention to improve the quality of care for patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty. BMJ Open Quality 2019;8:e000664. doi:10.1136/bmjoq-2019-000664

  • Kaplan G, Blackmore C, Healthcare Consolidation Does Not Mean the Death of Innovation. Health Management Policy and Innovation,Volume 4, Issue 1

  • Kaplan G, Building a culture of Transparency in Health Care. hbr.org/11

  • Franco T, Rupp S, Williams B, Blackmore C, Effectiveness of standardised preoperative assessment and patient instructions on admission blood glucose for patients with diabetes undergoing orthopaedic surgery at a tertiary referral hospital. BMJ Open Quality 2019;8:e000455.??doi:10.1136/bmjoq-2018-000455

  • Russ L, Phillips J, Ferris V, London A, Logan K, Blackmore C, Using experience-based design to understand the patient and caregiver experience with delirium. Patient Experience Journal, Volume 6, Issue 1-2019

  • Blackmore C, The Relationship Between Medicare Outpatient Efficiency Measure OP8 and Lumbar MRI Utilization. ?Journal of American College of Radiology,  15476-1440/18

  • Ferguson A, Coates DE, Osborn S, Blackmore C, Williams B,Early, Nurse-Directed Sepsis Care. ajonline.com, January 2019

  • Kamo N, Williams B, Blackmore C, Evaluation of the Association of Public Reporting of Patient Ratings of US Primary Care Providers with Inappropriate Care. J Gen Intern Med, DOI: 10.1007/s11606-018-4706-1

  • Weigel W, Gluck M, Ross A, Lin O, Williams B, Blackmore C, Process improvements for a complex dual medical procedure. BMJ Quality Improvement report 2018; 7:e000273. doi:10.1136/bmjoq-2017-000273 

  • Ferguson A, Uldall K, Dunn J, Blackmore CC, Williams B. Effectiveness of multifaceted delirium screening, prevention, and treatment initiative on the rate of delirium falls in the acute care setting. J Nurs Care Qual 2018; 33:213-220, doi: 10.1097/NCQ.0000000000000297.

  • Kaplan GS, Blackmore CC. "Time to Sink the Two-Canoe Argument," NEJM Catalyst, 3.2.2018

  • Nitsche B, Miller SC, Giorgio M, Berry CA, Muir A. Improving hepatitis C identification: Technology alone is not the answer. Health Prom Pract 2017; epub: doi: 10.1177/1524839917725501

  • Franco T, Rupp S, Lee G, Aaronson B, Brown L, Blackmore C. Effectiveness of a multi-component quality improvement intervention on rates of hyperglycemia. BMJ Open Quality, accepted for publication

  • Kaplan GS, Blackmore CC. The irrational physician defense of fee for service medicine, NEJM Catalyst, in press

  • Weeks WB, Schoellkopf WJ, Ballard DJ, Kaplan GS, James B, Weinstein JN, Episode-of-care characteristics and costs for hip and knee replacement surgery in hospitals belonging to the high value healthcare collaborative compared with similar hospitals in the same health care markets, Med Care 2017;55:583-589

  • Kaplan GS, Gandhi TK, Bowen DJ, Stokes CD, "Partnering to lead a culture of safety," J Healthc Manag 2017;62:234-237

  • Wells M, Coates E, Williams B, Blackmore CC, "Restructuring Hospitalist Work Schedules to Improve Care Timeliness and Efficiency," BMJ Open Quality, epub: doi: 10.1136/bmjoq-2017-000028

  • Kamo N, Bender AJ, Kalmady K, Blackmore CC, "Meaningful use of the electronic patient portal-Virginia Mason's journey to create the perfect online patient experience," Healthcare 2016, epub: doi: 10.1016/j.hjdsi.2016.09.003

  • Kamo N, Williams B, Smith D, Blackmore CC, "An initiative to improve the electronic capture of patient advance care directives in an integrated health care delivery system," J Am Geriatrics Soc.

  • Osborn SR, Yu J, Vasilyadis M, Williams B, Blackmore CC, "Changes in provider prescribing patterns after implementation of an Emergency Department prescription opioid policy." J Emerg Med.

  • Hagensen A, London AE, Phillips JJ, Helton WS, Picozzi VJ, Blackmore CC, "Using experience-based design to improve the care experience for patients with pancreatic cancer," J Onc Practice

  • Idemoto L, Williams B, Blackmore C, "Using lean methodology to improve efficiency of electronic order set maintenance in the hospital, BMJ Quality 2016

  • Phillips J, Hebish LJ, Mann S, Ching JM, Blackmore CC, "Engaging front-line leaders and staff in real time improvement," Jt Comm J Qual Pt Safe 2016;42:170-178

  • Locke A, Kamo N, "Utilizing clinical pharmacists to improve delivery of evidence-based care for depression and anxiety in primary care," BMJ Qual 2016;5:u211816.w4748

  • Kaplan GS, "How your board can improve the patient experience, NEJM Catalyst, http://catalyst.nejm.org/board-can-improve-patient-experience/, accessed 7.13.2016

  • Weigel WA, "Redesigning an airway cart using lean methodology," J Clin Anesth 2016, epub ahead of print

  • Bradywood A, Farrokhi F, Williams B, Kowalczyk M, Blackmore CC, "Reduction of hospital length of stay in lumbar fusion patients with implementation of an evidence based clinical care pathway," Spine 2016, epub ahead of print

  • Blackmore CC, Kaplan GS, "Lean and the perfect patient experience," BMJ Qual Safe 2016, epub ahead of print

  • Blackmore CC, Watt D, Sicuro PL. The success and failure of a radiology quality metric: The case of OP-10. JACR 2016; 13:630-637

  • Schweitzer S, Aaronson B, Blackmore CC, Calderon A, Coates E, "Patient satisfaction with information delivery in the hospital: A quality improvement pilot study," Virginia Mason Medical Center Bulletin 2015; 25-29

  • Blackmore CC, Castro A. Improving the quality of imaging in the emergency department. Acad Emerg Med 2015; 22:1385-1392

  • Kaplan GS, Lopez MH, McGinnis JM, eds. Transforming health care scheduling and access: Getting to now. Institute of Medicine. National Academies Press, Bethesda, MD. 2015

  • McDonald PA, Mecklenburg RS, Martin LA, "The employer-led health care revolution," Harvard Business Review 2015: July-August; 39-50

  • Idemoto LM, Williams BL, Ching JM, Blackmore CC. Implementation of a custom alert  to prevent medication timing errors associated with computerized prescriber order entry," Am J Hosp Pharm 2015:72;1481-1488

  • Blackmore CC, "The quality movement or making radiology fun again," Emerg Radiol 2015: 22;395-399

  • Westley ME, Ching JM, Sherman SA, Smith IA. "Opening the ICU doors," Healthcare 2014, 2:258-262

  • Pittenger K, Williams BL, Mecklenburg RS, Blackmore CC. "Improving acute respiratory infection care through nurse phone care and academic detailing," J Am Board Fam Med 2015, 28:195-20

  • Blackmore CC, Williams BL, Ching JM, Chafetz LA, Kaplan GS, "Using Lean to advance quality improvement publication," J Hosp Qual 2016;38:275-282

  • Calderon AS, Blackmore CC, Williams BL, Chawla KP, Nelson-Peterson DL, Ingraham MD, Smith DL, Kaplan GS, "Transforming ward rounds through Rounding-in-Flow," JGME 2014: 750-755

  • Ching JM, Williams BL, Idemoto LM, Blackmore CC, "Using Lean 'Automation with a human touch' to improve medication safety: A step closer to the 'Perfect Dose,'" Jt Comm J Qual Patient Safe 2014;40:341-350

  • Uldall K, Williams BL, Dunn JD, Blackmore CC, "Association between combative behavior requiring intervention and delirium in hospitalized patients," J Hosp Med 2014;9:658-652

  • Kaplan GS, Patterson SH, Ching JM, Blackmore CC, "Why Lean Doesn't work for everyone," BMJ Qual Saf 2014;23:970-973

  • Cosgrove DM, Fisher M, Gabow P, Gottlieb G, Halvorson GC, James BC, Kaplan GS, Perlin JB, Petzel R, Steele GD, Toussaint JS, "Ten strategies to lower costs, improve quality, and engage patients: the view from leading health system CEOs." Health Aff 2013;32:321-327

  • Kaplan GS, "Pursuing the perfect patient experience," Front Health Serv Manage 2013;29:16-27

  • Porter AJ, Niramasu JY, Mulroy, MF, Koehler RP, "Sustainable, effective implementation of a surgical pre-procedural checklist: An "Attestation" format for all operating team members." Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2014: 40; 3-9

  • Farrokhi F, Gunther M, Williams BL, Blackmore CC, "Application of Lean methodology for improved quality and efficiency in operating room instrument availability," J Healthcare Qual 2013; Sep 24

  • Russ LR, Phillips J, Brzozowicz K, Chafetz LA, Plsek PE, Blackmore CC, Kaplan GS. "Experience-based design for integrating the patient care experience into healthcare improvement: Identifying a set of reliable emotion words," Healthcare 2013: 91-99

  • Hui JS, Kramer DJ, Blackmore CC, Hashimoto BE, Coy DL."A quality improvement initiative to reduce unnecessary follow-up for imaging for adnexal lesions," J Am Coll Radiol 2014;11:373-377

  • Dewing K, Belza B, Zierler B, LaCroix AZ, "Health maintenance module improves BMD testing," Nurse Practitioner 2013: 38; 37–41

  • Gordanier C, Coates E, Noeldner J, Blackmore CC, "A tool to improve mobility in hospitalized patients," Leading Health Care Innovation: Harvard Business Review-New England Journal of Medicine Insight Center, posted 9/18/2013,http://hbr.org/special-collections/insight/leading-health-care-innovation

  • Ching JM, Long C, Williams BL, Blackmore CC, Using Lean to Improve Medication Administration Safety," Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2013: 39; 199-204

  • Blackmore CC, Bishop R, Luker S, Williams BL, "Applying Lean methods to improve quality and safety in surgical sterile instrument processing" Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2013: 39;99-105

  • Blackmore CC, Edwards JW, Searles C, Wechter D, Mecklenburg RS, Kaplan GS, "Nurse practitioner-staffed clinic at Virginia Mason improves care and lowers costs for women with benign breast conditions." Health Affairs (Millwood) 2013;32:20-26

  • Kaplan GS, "Managing to customer specifications," J Healthc Manag 2012: 57;304-306

  • Orlikoff JE, Kaplan GS, "Put it in writing," Trustee 2012;65:33-36

  • Meyer GS, Nelson EC, Pryor DB, James B, Swensen SJ, Kaplan GS, Weissberg JI, Bisognano M, Yates GR, Hunt GC, "More quality measures versus measuring what matters: A call for balance and parsimony," BMJ Qual Saf 2012;21: 964-968

  • Kaplan GS, "Waste not: The management imperative for healthcare," J Healthc Manag 2012;57:160-166

  • Blackmore CC "Evidence-based imaging and cost-effectiveness in cardiopulmonary imaging." Journal of Thoracic Imaging 2012: 27; 272-276

  • Ollendorf DA, Blackmore CC, Lee J, "Toward evidence-based decision making in diagnostic radiology: A research and rating process for multiple decision makers." Academic Radiology 2012: 19; 1049-1054

  • Blackmore CC, "Using evidence to inform coverage decisions: The Washington State experience." Academic Radiology 2012: 19; 1055-1059

  • Blackmore CC, Mecklenburg RS, "Taking charge of imaging: Implementing a utilization program." Applied Radiology 2012: July-August; 18-23

  • Medina LS, Blackmore CC, Applegate KE, eds. Evidence Based Imaging: Optimizing Imaging for Patient Care (revised edition).Springer-Verlag, New York. 2011

  • Swensen SJ, Kaplan GS, Meyer GS, Nelson EC, Hunt GC Jr, Pryor DB, Weissberg JI, , Daley J, Yates GR, Chassin MR, "Controlling healthcare costs by removing waste: What American doctors can do now," BMJ Qual Saf 2011;20:534-537

  • Kaplan GS, "Transforming culture, transforming care. Virginia Mason's ground breaking journey to healthcare reform. Interview by Mark Hagland," Healthc Inform 2011;28:44-46

  • Blackmore CC, Mecklenburg RS, Kaplan GS, "Effectiveness of clinical decision support in controlling inappropriate imaging," JACR 2011;8:19-25

  • Blackmore CC, Mecklenburg RS, Kaplan GS, "At Virginia Mason, collaboration among providers, employers, and health plans to transform care cut costs and improved quality." Health Affairs (Millwood) 2011;30:1680-1687

  • Swensen SJ, Meyer GS, Nelson EC, Hunt GC Jr, Pryor DB, Weissberg JI, Kaplan GS, Daley J, Yates GR, Chassin MR, James BC, Berwick DM, "Cottage industry to postindustrial care-the revolution in health care delivery," N Eng J Med 2010: 362;