Dr. Derek Robinson to Head IHA's Quality Care Institute

NAPERVILLE, Ill., Jan. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Derek Robinson, MD, MBA, FACEP, has been appointed Executive Director of the Illinois Hospital Association (IHA) Quality Care Institute, effective March 1, 2012. In his new position, Dr. Robinson will oversee the strategic initiatives of the Institute. Collaborating with IHA's 200 members, Dr. Robinson will lead the Institute's efforts to accelerate their health reform readiness with expanded initiatives for transforming Illinois' health systems so that every patient receives the right care, at the right time, in the right setting, with the right patient outcomes.  

Dr. Robinson, a board-certified emergency medicine physician, comes to IHA from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), where he served since 2009 as chief medical officer for Region V, comprised of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. At CMS, he worked to align incentives and determine what is best for the patient and also participated in work groups that are shaping the payment policy in value-based purchasing.

"Dr. Derek Robinson's appointment highlights the Illinois Hospital Association's continuing commitment to provide Illinois hospitals with the strategic approaches, technical assistance, resources, and tools to improve quality and patient care," said IHA President & CEO Maryjane Wurth. "His combination of quality and clinical expertise, coupled with his advocacy experience at the local, regional and federal level, will enhance Illinois' leadership in the quality arena."

In addition to leading the IHA Quality Care Institute's major initiatives, Dr. Robinson will focus on its newest program – the Hospital Engagement Network (HEN) – established under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Partnership for Patients campaign to improve hospital care. IHA serves as a subcontractor with the American Hospital Association/Health Research & Education Trust. All of the Illinois hospitals in the initiative will receive education, training and improvement activities targeting at least seven of 10 core categories with a goal of reducing inpatient harm by 40% and readmissions by 20% over a three-year period.

Other major initiatives of IHA's Quality Care Institute include:

• Preventing Readmissions through Effective Partnerships (PREP), IHA's partnership with BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois to assist members in significantly improving care coordination and reduce the rate of patient readmissions by 2014 through seven key initiatives;
• Raising the Bar, IHA's 200-member hospital campaign to significantly reduce readmissions and hospital-acquired infections and conditions; and
• Midwest Alliance for Patient Safety, IHA's joint venture with Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council to address preventable events and improve the patient safety culture across Illinois.  

Dr. Robinson received his medical degree from Howard University in Washington, DC, and completed his residency at the University of Chicago Medical Center. He also has an MBA from the University of Chicago. In 2008, he was recognized as a "Hero in Emergency Medicine" by the American College of Emergency Physicians.

About IHA
The Illinois Hospital Association, with offices in Naperville, Springfield, and Washington, D.C., represents and is an advocate for 200 Illinois hospitals and health systems and the patients and communities they serve. For more information, visit www.ihatoday.org. Like IHA on Facebook. Follow IHA on Twitter.

SOURCE Illinois Hospital Association