50 Most Influential Clinical Executives - 2020

Under Kaplan’s leadership, Virginia Mason continues to be one of the standard-bearers for continuous improvement in quality and safety. In 2019, the health system focused efforts in its joint replacement program on reducing length of stay without impacting quality. That resulted in 83% of total hip and knee replacement patients being discharged in under 36 hours; the readmission rate was less than 1%. Virginia Mason also implemented a new program—autopause—aimed at providing support for staff involved in an unanticipated medical event.