October 10, 2005

Dear Colleagues:

While numerous groups throughout the organization have contributed significantly to our overall safety and quality improvement efforts, better integration of a number of key activities will leverage our collective talents and resources more effectively. With the recent departure of Dan Wassilchalk, Director of Quality Improvement/Utilization Management, we have taken the opportunity to create a role that facilitates interaction among groups working in quality and safety, and aligns resources along several key quality improvement areas. JHH's Quality Improvement Department/Utilization Management, JHM's Center for Innovation in Quality Patient Care, JHHS's Operations Integration, and the JHU Department of Anesthesiology's Quality and Safety Research Group will be strategically and operationally linked under a new leadership position.

We are delighted to announce that Renee Demski has agreed to take on this challenging role. You may have worked with Renee in her current role of Director, the Department of Operations Integration. In her new role (Senior Director, Center for Innovation and Quality Patient Care and Quality Safety Research Group; JHH Director of Quality Improvement / Utilization Management; JHHS Director of Operations Integration), Renee will oversee and coordinate the activities of these departments and the overall quality/ safety initiative. We are excited about the leadership and management skills she will bring to these dynamic groups, enabling the performance of these departments to be greater than the sum of their parts.

In order for Renee to undertake this challenge, and have other pressing organizational needs met, we are pleased to share with you the following new roles that current staff have agreed to accept:

Conan Dickson, Ph.D., will serve as Administrator, Operations Support working with Dr. Reitz and Dr. Davis to advance high priority strategic and operational initiatives. Dr. Dickson previously held the position of Senior Researcher for the Center for Innovation in Quality Patient Care, and as Assistant Administrator for Ambulatory Operations.

John Lowery, currently Senior Director for Access Services, will add Revenue Recovery/Registration Redesign to his already impressive list of responsibilities. With detailed operational understanding of the administrative tasks associated with ambulatory visits, John will continue to maximize Hopkins' revenue potentials while increasing service levels for our patients. John has been working very closely with many of you over the past several years on revenue recovery initiatives so this should be a seamless transition.

Gai Cole, has been promoted to Assistant Director of Operations Integration. Gai has led multiple large organizational initiatives as Senior Project Administrator of Operations Integration and has significant management experience from previous positions. We are excited to add Gai as a new member to our management team.

In addition, Roz Farber, has recently announced that she accepted a position with Johns Hopkins Home Care Group working with Mary Myers in the Quality Department. As a result, the Assistant Director of Quality Improvement / Utilization Management will be posted and we will make every effort to expedite the hiring process. We would like to thank Roz for all of her hard work and contributions as QI team leader for the Department of Medicine and for her support as Assistant Director of QI/UM. Good luck to Roz in her new position!

We know you will join us in wishing each of these individuals success in their new roles. We expect you will find a more integrated approach to quality and safety as a result of this reorganization. Please do not hesitate to call us, Renee, Conan, John, or Gai if you have any questions, or if we can be of any help as you advance quality and safety in your own areas.

Sincerely,

Judy A. Reitz, Sc.D.
JHM V.P., Quality Improvement .
JHH Executive V.P. and COO
JHHS V.P., Operations Integration

Richard O. Davis, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Center for Innovation in Quality Patient Care
Sr. Director, Operations Integration & Practice Management

Peter Pronovost, M.D., Ph.D.
Medical Director, Center for Innovation in Quality Patient Care
Prof. of Anesthesiology/Critical Care Medicine