Virginia Mason Institute
Chris Backous has a diverse professional background in Lean training and transformation, with a focus on applying the Toyota Production System to healthcare settings. With experience in healthcare facility design, 3P facilitation, executive coaching, and change management, Chris is well-versed in lean principles. In addition to their current roles at Virginia Mason Institute, Chris previously served as the Director of the Kaizen Promotion Office at Virginia Mason Medical Center. With a Master of Health Administration from the University of Washington and a Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science from Westmont College, Chris brings a strong educational foundation to their work.
Virginia Mason Institute
Virginia Mason Institute is a mission-driven nonprofit organization that helps organizations worldwide create cultures of continuous improvement. At Virginia Mason Institute we partner with organizations and executive leadership teams to develop and adopt a patient-centered management system to dramatically improve quality, safety and efficiency – with the goal of enabling and supporting the creation and evolution of a sustainable culture of continuous improvement. We seek to help organizations elevate the patient experience, eliminate waste and sustain excellence long-term. Our experts are some of the most experienced health care improvement experts in the world—our “sensei” team—who have trained and coached health care executives and organizations across the globe. We believe that zero-defect health care is possible. We are committed, we are confident and we can transform health care. By creating and sustaining cultures of continuous improvement; through the delivery of training that inspires, prepares and guides; and in helping organizations solve their urgent and persisting problems, we can transform health care. It is possible. Together we will relentlessly pursue the improvement of patient safety, patient experience and the quality, cost, and delivery of health care. Learn more at www.virginiamasoninstitute.org. Follow us on Twitter @VM_Institute.