Medical Firsts
Project Access Northwest
Virginia Mason Supports Medical Respite Program
Virginia Mason Health System Boards
Chairman and CEO Gary Kaplan, MD, FACP, FACMPE, FACPE
Virginia Mason Major Institution Master Plan
Virginia Mason Production System
VMPS Success Stories
Recognized for Quality
Virginia Mason has pioneered a number of new treatments and innovations in the Pacific Northwest, including:
Virginia Mason is the first medical center in the Pacific Northwest to earn designation as a Donor Care Network Center of Excellence by the National Kidney Registry. More than 3,000 kidney and pancreas transplants have been performed at Virginia Mason since the medical center's transplant program was established in 1972. Since 1988 alone, more than 2,800 kidney-only transplants have occurred at Virginia Mason, which is more than any other transplant center in Seattle during this period, 2019
Virginia Mason is the first medical center in Washington state, and among the first in the nation, to offer a new MRI-compatible cochlear implant for patients with significant hearing loss, 2018
Virginia Mason's Bailey-Boushay House opens the first—and only—overnight shelter in the country for people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The program, which is a partnership with the City of Seattle, serves up to 50 homeless outpatients with HIV per night, 2018
Virginia Mason is the first medical center in Washington state to begin using a new therapy that targets neuroendocrine tumors, an uncommon cancer that affects the intestines, pancreas, lungs, and other parts of the body, 2017
A first of its kind "therapy car," invented at Virginia Mason to help orthopedic surgery patients practice the physical motions needed to get in and out of a real vehicle without falling, becomes licensed for commercial production and distribution to physical and occupational therapists around the world, 2017
Virginia Mason is the first in the Pacific Northwest to use the transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR) vascular procedure to treatment carotid artery disease, 2016.
Virginia Mason is one of the first organizations in the region to offer a new gastric balloon weight loss treatment option for obese adults, 2016 .
Virginia Mason is the first in the region with a new ultrasound system, called the Automated Breast Ultrasound System (ABUS), for cancer screening of dense breast tissue, 2014.
Virginia Mason is the first in the Pacific Northwest to use non-invasive FibroScan technology to evaluate disease stage in patients diagnosed with liver ailments, 2013.
The Hip Preservation Program at Virginia Mason is the first in the Pacific Northwest to offer a multidisciplinary approach to hip care, preservation and treatment for patients at every stage of life, 2012.
The first medical center in Washington state to offer intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) to treat women with early stage breast cancer, 2012.
The first medical center on the West Coast to offer isolated limb infusion (ILI) for the treatment of metastatic melanoma, the most dangerous and deadly form of skin cancer, 2010.
The first non-profit hospital to implement a 100 percent staff influenza immunization goal and a fitness for duty requirement as an important patient safety effort to save lives, 2005.
The first medical center in the Pacific Northwest to offer a drive thru influenza immunization clinic, 2005.
Participated in the first human islet transplant in the Pacific Northwest, resulting from the work of a citywide consortium including Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason, the Pacific Northwest Research Institute, Swedish Hospital, University of Washington, Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center and Puget Sound Blood Center, 2002.
First in state to use da Vinci™ robotically-assisted surgical system for radical prostatectomies and coronary artery bypass surgeries, 2001.
First bilateral cochlear implant surgery in the Pacific Northwest, 2001.
First in state to use Capsule Endoscopy, 2001.
First in the Northwest to use LIFE-Lung Fluorescence Endoscopy in early detection of lung cancer in high-risk patients, 1997.
First in the region to use the Mammotome biopsy system for early detection and treatment of breast cancer, 1996.
First use of teleradiology to treat off-site patients, 1995.
First lithotripsy to treat kidney stones, 1985.
First inner ear implant operation in this region, 1980.
First in Northwest to use insulin pump for diabetes, 1980.
First use of electromagnetic imaging, 1974.
First cobalt cancer therapy, 1957.
First deep therapy X-ray, 1923.
First hospital west of the Mississippi to give electrocardiogram, 1927.
First in the region to form a school for patients with diabetes and for insulin use, 1925.
First to use insulin to treat diabetes in the Pacific Northwest, 1923.