A Message From Leadership
Dear Colleagues,
Thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself to the Renown Physician Pulse community. My name is Dr. Jason Knight, and I have the privilege of being the new Chief Medical Officer at Renown Regional Medical Center. I have been an emergency physician for the past 24 years.
Quality and patient safety are the foundation of everything we do here at Renown. High quality healthcare is the sum of thousands of decisions, communications, assessments, interactions, medications, orders, policies and procedures.
As healthcare continues to advance with technology, AI and research, maintaining rigorous standards of quality and patient safety have become even more essential. To improve quality, hospitals must create systems to reduce variation, recognize clinical deterioration early and coordinate care among high functioning teams.
Quality and patient safety is the pharmacist who double checks a medication dose prior to dispensing, the nurse who escalates to a physician when something doesn ' t quite look or feel right with a patient, the EVS employee who verifies that the OR has been perfectly cleaned and the physician who pauses to ensure that the diagnosis and treatment plan is accurate and appropriate. Our daily actions and behaviors come together to create an environment where excellence and safety are the norm rather than an aspirational concept.
Our patients and their family members come to Renown by ambulance, helicopter and private transportation at some of the most vulnerable moments in their lives. They trust that each and every one of us will use our expertise to help them heal and protect them from harm. All of us must work together to prevent preventable harm here at Renown. Safety and high reliability of healthcare is not a destination; it is a continuous journey that requires our dedication to continuous improvement.
It is estimated that 200,000 to 400,000 serious harm events and deaths occur each year in U. S. hospitals due to medical errors and preventable harm. The most common categories are medication errors, surgical mistakes, hospital acquired infections, delays in diagnosis, failure to rescue, patient falls, pressure injuries and misdiagnosis.
I am excited to partner with all of you to create a culture at Renown Health of high reliability healthcare and clinical excellence. As we move forward, I ask that each one of you remain vigilant, focused and mindful of patient safety. Please follow our established policies and protocols. Engage in high reliability communication that is respectful and collaborative. Support one another. It is my hope that every one of you never hesitates to speak up and escalate when something doesn ' t feel right and stop the line. Your voice and advocacy is one of the most powerful tools that we have as an organization to keep our patients safe.
Thank you for everything that you do here at Renown Health. Thank you for your dedication, your professionalism and your unwavering compassion for our patients.
With gratitude and appreciation,
Jason Knight, MD, MBA CMO Renown Regional
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