USA Health patient safety leader named to Becker’s Healthcare list
As director of patient safety, Becky Pomrenke, MSN, RN, leads a team of patient safety coordinators and oversees patient safety operations at University Hospital, Children’s & Women’s Hospital and Providence Hospital.
By Carol McPhail
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Becky Pomrenke, MSN, RN, director of patient safety at USA Health, has been named to the 2025 “132 Patient Safety Experts to Know” by Becker’s Hospital Review. Becker’s released the most recent edition of its national list on Aug. 8. Read the full story here.
Pomrenke joined USA Health as patient safety manager in January 2020. In her current role as patient safety director, she leads a team of patient safety coordinators and oversees safety operations at University Hospital, Children’s & Women’s Hospital and Providence Hospital.
“Becky possesses a remarkably deep understanding of patient safety, the team-building skills needed to create a remarkably high performing safety team, and the passion, knowledge, and leadership skills to have transformed the culture of an organization,” said Michael Chang, M.D., system chief medical officer for USA Health. “She has positively affected the lives of thousands of patients over the past five years.”
Pomrenke spearheaded the “Safety Starts with Me” initiative, a transformative systemwide education program that has trained more than 7,700 staff and increased safety reporting by more than 400% in four years. Her leadership has also driven a 73% reduction in serious safety events, earning USA Health the Press Ganey Human Experience Achievement Award for 2024.
She has built interdisciplinary partnerships and launched a safety coach program, while embedding a fair and just culture policy that prioritizes psychological safety. She also mentors medical residents and collaborates with Press Ganey on customized strategies for harm mitigation.
“Becky is a dynamic and visionary leader whose passion for patient safety is evident in every aspect of her work,” said Rachel Seaman, M.D., internal medicine physician and a chief quality officer for USA Health. “Her dedication has been instrumental in USA Health’s ongoing transformation into a high-reliability organization.”
Pomrenke has served in various roles in patient safety and nursing education throughout her career, which began as a staff nurse in the burn unit at University Hospital (then USA Medical Center) in 1997.
