Vidant Health's Chief Quality Officer named one of top 50 patient safety experts in the country | Eastern NC Now

    For Immediate Release:

Vidant Health's Chief Quality Officer named one of top 50 patient safety experts in the country

    GREENVILLE, NC     Vidant Health's Chief Quality Officer, Dr. Joan Wynn, was recently named one of the top 50 experts in the country who are leading the field of patient safety. The list was compiled by Becker's Hospital Review, a publication that features up-to-date business and legal news and analysis relating to hospitals and health systems with content geared toward high-level hospital leaders.

    "This list includes many leaders whose ideas have been instrumental in our safety improvements at Vidant Health," said Dr. Wynn. "It is very humbling to be included with such a distinguished group of experts."

    Wynn has been with Vidant Health since 1990. She held various leadership roles at Vidant Medical Center before joining the corporate staff in 2005 to help establish the corporate quality department. She earned a bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Maryland, a master's in nursing from Johns Hopkins University and a PhD from East Carolina University.

    Wynn serves on the board of the North Carolina Center for Hospital Quality and Patient Safety and completed a two year term as the chair of the VHA Central Atlantic Performance Improvement Council. Her research interests include early recognition of patient problems and the role of the nurse in patient safety and quality.

    "We are very proud of Dr. Wynn and her accomplishments," said David Herman, MD, president and CEO of Vidant Health. "She is very deserving of this recognition in improving quality and safety at Vidant Health, as well as many other organizations nationally that she has touched through her work."

    Earlier this year, Vidant Health received one of the nation's most prestigious recognitions for performance in quality and safety. The organization received the 2013 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award from the National Quality Forum (NQF) and The Joint Commission. The award was for Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality at the Local Level. Vidant Health was only one of four organizations recognized nationally by the NQF and The Joint Commission for its quality and patient safety initiatives.

    Contact: Beth Anne Atkins, Vidant Health Strategic Development, (252) 744-3891, or parrotthillh@ecu.edu

    Vidant Health, a mission-driven, not-for-profit corporation, owns, leases or has a majority membership interest in nine eastern North Carolina hospitals and has a management agreement with one other. The health system includes Albemarle Health, Vidant Beaufort Hospital, Vidant Bertie Hospital, Vidant Chowan Hospital, Vidant Duplin Hospital, Vidant Edgecombe Hospital, The Outer Banks Hospital, Vidant Medical Center, Vidant Pungo Hospital, Vidant Roanoke-Chowan Hospital, Vidant Home Health and Hospice, Vidant Wellness Centers, Vidant Medical Group and is affiliated with the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. On the web at www.vidanthealth.com