50 Most Influential Physician Executives – 2017

Dr. Gary Kaplan has served as chairman and CEO of the Virginia Mason Health System in Seattle since 2000. He is also a practicing internal medicine physician there. Under Kaplan's leadership, Virginia Mason has received significant national and international recognition for its efforts to transform healthcare delivery, most notably as the leader in adapting a customized version of the Toyota Production System for healthcare. He later took his focus on quality a step further by implementing a groundbreaking program that offered warranties on hip and knee replacements performed at Virginia Mason. He has been honored nationally for his leadership, which includes serving as a board member of the National Patient Safety Foundation and Institute for Healthcare Improvement.