William Daniel, M.D., appointed chief quality officer

New role will oversee quality initiatives across Saint Luke's Health System

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Aug. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- William C. Daniel, M.D., has been appointed chief quality officer for Saint Luke's Health System.

In this new role, Dr. Daniel will oversee Saint Luke's Health System's quality departments and work closely with physicians and clinicians in leading integrated quality initiatives across the organization. He will report directly to Len Lozada, M.D., Saint Luke's chief physician executive.

"Dr. Daniel's clinical expertise, vast understanding of quality measures and measurable outcomes, and ability to drive positive transformational changes will help ensure Saint Luke's continues to meet and exceed quality and safety standards," said Melinda L. Estes, M.D., president and CEO, Saint Luke's Health System.

A cardiologist, Dr. Daniel joined Saint Luke's Cardiovascular Consultants in 1998. In addition to his patient care responsibilities, he served as the practice's medical director for quality, Electronic Medical Record, and the Vein Treatment Center.

Dr. Daniel has experience re-engineering processes to improve Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services core measures and was a member of the process improvement team for acute myocardial infarction and heart failure. He is a certified Lean Six-Sigma Black Belt.

A graduate of Princeton University, Dr. Daniel attended medical school at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He completed his residency at Washington University/Barnes Hospital and his cardiology fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center/Parkland Hospital. He completed a year of advanced cardiovascular interventional fellowship training at Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute.

As a health system, Saint Luke's ranks among the highest in the nation in patients' perspectives in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey of patients' hospital experiences. Locally, Saint Luke's individual hospitals have repeatedly topped other metropolitan area hospitals in HCAHPS rankings.

"Providing quality care has always been Saint Luke's highest priority. Dr. Daniel's appointment brings a renewed focus on gathering and analyzing quality data and ensuring we are always providing the safest, most effective care, which is critically important during this transformative time in the health care industry," Dr. Estes added.

Saint Luke's Health System consists of 10 area hospitals and several primary and specialty care practices, and provides a range of inpatient, outpatient, and home care services. Founded as a faith-based, not-for-profit organization, our mission includes a commitment to the highest levels of excellence in health care and the advancement of medical research and education. The health system is an aligned organization in which the physicians and hospitals assume responsibility for enhancing the physical, mental, and spiritual health of people in the metropolitan Kansas City area and the surrounding region.

SOURCE Saint Luke's Health System