The National Patient Safety Foundation on Thursday named Dr. Gary Kaplan as the new chairman of the Lucian Leape Institute, a patient-safety think tank based in Boston. He will replace Dr. Lucian Leape, the patient-safety leader who since 2007 has chaired the institute named for him.
Kaplan will maintain his role as chairman and CEO of Seattle-based Virginia Mason Health System, where he has served since 2000.
He'll work with the 12-member multidisciplinary team at the Lucian Leape Institute to advance the cultural, process and outcomes changes that improve safety in U.S. healthcare facilities.
“My goal is to help the institute continue to work on the issues that we think can help lead the path to safer care,” said Kaplan in a news release. The announcement was made Thursday during the NPSF's annual congress in Austin, Texas.
Kaplan is known for his role in pioneering the standardization of healthcare procedures by developing a customized version of the Toyota Production System. He also turned heads when he began offering warranties on hip and knee replacements.
In a recent effort to boost transparency at Virginia Mason, he posted estimated prices for the 100 most-common minor surgical outpatient procedures.
A practicing internist, Kaplan, 63, has been a member of the NPSF's Lucian Leape Institute since 2010, and is also chairman of the board for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
Earlier this month he was recognized for the 10th time in Modern Healthcare's annual list of the 50 Most Influential Physician Executives and Leaders.
