Baptist Health Names Physician as Chief Quality Officer
Jacksonville, Fla. (PRWEB) September 17, 2015 -- Focusing on continuing to enhance patient care, Baptist Health has named a new chief quality officer for the health system.
David Rice, MD, will serve as vice president and chief quality officer beginning Oct. 1. Dr. Rice currently is chief medical officer of Baptist Physician Partners, a not-for-profit subsidiary of Baptist Health that works with physicians implementing quality improvement programs focused on improving patient care and clinical outcomes.
Board certified in internal medicine, Dr. Rice is a long-time hospitalist for Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville and previously served in positions, including medical director of clinical integration, medical director for utilization management and chief of internal medicine for Baptist Jacksonville. Dr. Rice has a medical degree from the University of Florida College of Medicine and undergraduate degree from Florida State University.
Tim G. Groover, MD, an anesthesiologist practicing at Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville since 1996, will take over Dr. Rice’s role as the chief medical officer of Baptist Physician Partners.
“Our No. 1 priority is providing the highest quality of care for our patients across our entire health system,” Baptist Health president and CEO Hugh Greene said. “Dr. Rice brings a personal passion to this work and we are fortunate to have such an experienced and collaborative physician serving in this important role. This signifies our focus to grow and develop strong physician leadership throughout the health system. No two people are more capable and able to assume these roles.”
Dr. Rice added, “I’m honored to serve in this vital role and to build upon the excellent work currently underway. I have tremendous respect for Baptist Health leadership and members of the quality steering committee, and I’m humbled by this opportunity to work with them to further enhance our culture of safety and quality.”
Dr. Groover has been serving as chairman of the board of Baptist Physician Partners, which allows for a smooth transition. He will continue to practice as an anesthesiologist on a part-time basis and also remains on the Baptist Health system board of directors.
Dr. Groover, also past chief of staff of Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville, holds a MBA from the University of Tennessee and his medical degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine.
“In no other profession does a quality product matter so much as it does in health care,” Dr. Groover said. “Our patients’ lives literally depend upon high quality of care. In an era of increasingly scarce resources, that care must be delivered at a reasonable cost. I applaud the accomplishments of Dr. Rice who has done a tremendous job of laying the groundwork upon which we will continue to build upon to achieve the triple aim — improving the patient experience, reducing cost and improving the health of an entire population.”
###
About Baptist Health
Baptist Health is a faith-based, mission-driven system in Northeast Florida comprised of Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville; Baptist Medical Center Beaches; Baptist Medical Center Nassau; Baptist Medical Center South; Baptist Clay Medical Campus and Wolfson Children’s Hospital – the region’s only children’s hospital. All Baptist Health hospitals, along with Baptist Home Health Care, have achieved Magnet™ status for excellence in patient care. Baptist Health includes the area’s only dedicated heart hospital; cancer centers; orthopedic institute; women’s services; neurological institute, including comprehensive neurosurgical services, a comprehensive stroke center and two primary stroke centers; a Bariatric Center of Excellence; a full range of psychology and psychiatry services; outpatient facilities; urgent care services; and primary and specialty care physicians’ offices throughout Northeast Florida. For more details, visit baptistjax.com. For information on Wolfson Children’s Hospital, visit http://www.wolfsonchildrens.org.
Deborah Circelli, Baptist Health, http://www.baptistjax.com/, +1 (904) 202-4916, [email protected]
Share this article