Hospitals throughout the nation are working together to improve the quality and safety of the healthcare they provide. These collaboration efforts, primarily focused on patient safety, are led by many dedicated healthcare professionals who have committed themselves to finding opportunities for improvement, leading safety initiatives, and ultimately making a difference in the lives of patients.

Dr. Michael Rose, Vice President of Surgical Services for McLeod Health, has been named one of the "50 Experts Leading the Field of Patient Safety" by Becker’s Hospital Review, a leading source for business and legal issues for health system leadership. The patient safety leaders who are recognized consist of advocates, professors, researchers, administrators and healthcare providers who have won awards, published articles, spoken out and led initiatives to reduce harm and ensure safety.

These experts include individuals at national organizations, universities and healthcare organizations working to improve patient safety. Dr. Rose joins Dr. Don Berwick, the former director of Medicare, and Maureen Bisognano, RN, President of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, both partners with McLeod Health for more than a decade of quality and safety initiatives, and Dr. Mark Chassin, President of the Joint Commission, the accrediting body for hospitals, among these distinguished leaders.

Dr. Rose is both a clinician and a healthcare executive. He provides direct patient care as a practicing anesthesiologist and serves as a member of the McLeod Health Board of Trustees. Dr. Rose also serves as chairman of the South Carolina Safe Surgery 2015 Leadership Team for the South Carolina Hospital Association, which is helping hospitals implement a surgical safety checklist to prevent errors. McLeod has joined the effort to improve the safety of the one million South Carolinians having surgery and hospital procedures every year.

Additionally, Dr. Rose serves as a technical expert for the initiative on improving the safety of ambulatory surgery in the United States, a joint effort of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality of the US Department of Health and Human Services and the American Hospital Association.

For more than three years, Dr. Rose has led an initiative to adapt the Surgical Safety Checklist introduced by the Institute of Healthcare Improvement for surgical patient care at McLeod. This checklist, sponsored by the World Health Organization, is designed to improve care, foster clear communication and encourage positive engaging behavior between the members of the surgical team. Dr. Rose and the team incorporated surgical time out guidelines set forth by Joint Commission to create a McLeod specific safety checklist.

The Surgical Services Team engaged McLeod Surgeons in the safety checklist philosophy and expanded the concept to every operating room at McLeod Regional Medical Center. Their objective is to reach "every person, every patient, every time." Dr. Rose has also shared it with other healthcare facilities.

"These patient safety efforts were driven by the mission of the McLeod Health organization," said Dr. Rose. "McLeod has a culture of trust and support for its medical teams, the individuals that make a difference in patient’s lives every day. This culture gives staff the confidence to suggest ways to improve patient care. If a physician, nurse, or technician finds a way to improve patient care, they are empowered to bring it forward for review and implementation. The encouragement and support by the hospital’s leadership is a huge strength of the organization. The intensity of focus on safety, depth of caring, communication, and teamwork that results is inspiring, and I feel privileged to be a part of the team."

"Dr. Rose’s leadership skills have been demonstrated repeatedly as the McLeod organization continues to evolve into one of the top performers in the United States for providing consistent quality healthcare," said Rob Colones, President of McLeod Health. "It is through his leadership, insight and tireless efforts that our surgical teams are making changes that have a direct and crucial impact on the quality and safety of patient care at McLeod. His passion for safe surgery, eliminating risks, decreasing never events, and improving the care to the surgical patient is evident in his endeavors. On behalf of the Board of Trustees of McLeod Health and our Medical Staff, we salute and honor him for this recognition and his contributions to patients. This is well deserved recognition for such a dedicated member of the health care team."

Dr. Rose is also a recipient of the 2012 Lewis Blackman Patient Safety Champion Healthcare Executive Award. The Healthcare Executive Award is given to a South Carolina hospital executive or manager whose vision, guidance, and support have played a critical role in creating better, safer hospitals.

Becker’s Hospital Review provides valuable content, including hospital system news, best practices and legal guidance specifically for hospital and health system leaders. The "50 Experts Leading the Field of Patient Safety" were selected by an editorial team who evaluated individuals committed to patient safety at national organizations, universities and healthcare organizations.