Jean Marie Rocha has been named vice president for clinical affairs at the Hospital Association of Rhode Island. She previously worked at the R.I. Department of Health as director of nurse registration and nursing education. In her new role, Rocha is responsible for clinical performance measurement, patient care standards, accreditation and regulatory compliance, professional licensing and work force development.
PBN: How does your experience help you in this new job?
ROCHA: My experiences include nursing, insurer issues, quality improvement and nurse licensing. These have given me a great understanding of issues impacting hospitals and the statewide collaboration under way to ensure our hospitals continue to deliver the highest-quality care.
Rhode Island's Market Has Changed. Developers, Builders, Investors and Sellers Must Change With It.
By Emilio DiSpirito IV License Partner | Engel & Völkers Oceanside Leader | The DiSpirito…
Learn More
PBN: How is HARI working to improve patient safety?
ROCHA: Rhode Island is a leader in promoting quality improvement and accountability through public reporting. Rhode Island was among the first states to adopt a program to measure the care patients receive and evaluate patients’ satisfaction. This program has fostered the sharing of best practices and cooperative improvement efforts. The success of this program was demonstrated last year in the release of Hospitals Compare, a national Web-based tool [for] consumers. Hospitals in Rhode Island collectively ranked No. 1.
PBN: How should the state address the nursing work force shortage?
ROCHA: HARI has been successful on numerous initiatives. … We recently worked with CCRI and the R.I. Department of Labor and Training in securing a $1.8 million grant to assist in growing the health care work force. Next steps will include development of a student nurse clinical placement registry, raising awareness of nurse faculty shortages and continued collaboration between industry stakeholders and academia.
PBN: What other initiatives are you working on?
ROCHA: HARI continues its partnership with the R.I. Department of Health in addressing emergency preparedness. The Hospital Preparedness Planning Committee continues to serve as a forum for cooperation among organizations to develop a plan involving the response of all hospitals in the state to a public health crisis.
