Laan named surgical quality officer for Providence Hospital
As surgical quality officer, Danuel Laan, M.D., will be responsible for overseeing, coordinating, and advancing quality, safety, and performance improvement initiatives across all surgical services at the hospital.
By Carol McPhail
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USA Health has named Danuel Laan, M.D., director of bariatric surgery at Providence Hospital, to the additional role of surgical quality officer.
As surgical quality officer, Laan will be responsible for overseeing, coordinating, and advancing quality, safety, and performance improvement initiatives across all surgical services at the hospital. Laan will continue his clinical practice in addition to this new role.
“Dr. Laan has demonstrated a sincere desire to help make USA Health Providence the premier surgical destination in our region, not only for our bariatric surgery program, but for all aspects of general and robot-assisted surgery,” said Rick Metzger, MMHC, BSN, chief executive officer of Providence Hospital. “He is the right person to lead our surgical quality team to assure we provide the best care possible for all those we serve.”
The move is part of USA Health’s overall effort to become a high reliability organization, said Nathan Polite, D.O., associate chief medical officer/chief quality officer for surgery at USA Health. “Dr. Laan is a highly respected surgeon whose leadership as director of bariatric surgery reflects a strong commitment to quality, safety, and excellence,” Polite said. “His expertise and integrity will be instrumental in advancing safe, reliable, and patient-centered surgical care at Providence.”
A bariatric and general surgeon, Laan led the hospital’s effort to become an Accredited Metabolic and Bariatric Center of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). The Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) is a comprehensive, nationwide quality program aimed at ensuring the safe and effective performance of metabolic and bariatric surgery. As an accredited center, Providence is also an ACS Surgical Quality Partner.
In addition, Providence Hospital holds the Blue Distinction Centers for Bariatric Surgery designation from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama. To achieve this designation, a facility must meet many specific patient quality and safety metrics, including providing effective bariatric surgical procedures with very low complication and readmission rates.
As surgical quality officer, Laan will serve as the physician leader for surgical quality/safety to identify areas for improvement in the perioperative environment and partner with other subspecialty surgical leaders at the hospital to optimize the delivery of surgical care.
“We will be building on the strong foundation of excellent patient care that is delivered at USA Health Providence Hospital,” Laan said. “Our goal will be to improve the quality and safety of the care delivered while always striving to keep the needs of the patient first.”
