WA: Vera Whole Health Licenses Virginia Mason Best Practices for Worksite Clinics

Seattle-based Vera Whole Health has begun licensing evidence-based criteria developed by Virginia Mason Medical Center that it will use to improve care and reduce inefficiency at its worksite clinics, the company announced this week.

Under the agreement, Vera Whole Health will send teams of healthcare professionals for training in the Virginia Mason management method at the Virginia Mason Institute.

Vera Whole Health CEO Ryan Schmid said the goal for his company is “to take our collective best practices to deliver the best care in the world to people in the workplace.”

Vera offers onsite and near-site clinics to employers that want to provide convenient access to medical care and wellness coaches to help their workers stay healthy and reduce health care costs.

Vera Whole Health has more than 40 clients, including Seattle Children’s Hospital, where it opened an onsite clinic for hospital employees in 2013.

The company says its clients have seen up to a 30-percent reduction in health care costs during the first year.

Virginia Mason, a nonprofit regional health care system in Seattle that includes an acute-care hospital, has an international reputation as an industry leader in quality improvement.

In the latest evidence of its standing, Virginia Mason just received the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence for the 4^th year in a row from Healthgrades, putting it in the top 5 percent of more than 4,500 hospitals surveyed on clinical performance.

Virginia Mason was the first health system to apply Toyota’s lean manufacturing principles to health care delivery to eliminate waste and improve quality and patient safety.