PROVIDENCE – Jennifer La Luz took over as vice president of operations for Kent Hospital on Sept. 1.
Over the past year, La Luz has been serving as the Kent Hospital operational readiness executive for the transition to Epic. She also has worked on expanding access to testing and procedural services.
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La Luz joined Kent Hospital in 2019 and previously served as senior director of quality and access. In that role, La Luz helped the hospital secure The Joint Commission’s Advanced Total Joint Center of Excellence Accreditation and the Level 2-Silver Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation, among other recognitions.
Under La Luz’s leadership the Access Center at Kent hit several milestones including, reducing the abandoned call rates by 80%, raising call volumes by 20%, expanding internal customer base and establishing a specialized team that cut no-shows for outpatient testing. These efforts led to a 30% drop in missed MRI and CT scan appointments. She also boosted access to services, including a mobile CT scan that raised capacity by 18% and adding a cardiac stress room that expanded ETT, STE and nuclear stress test availability.
During her time earlier as director of quality and performance improvement, La Luz led initiatives that boosted Kent’s Leapfrog Safety Grade from a C to a B and increased the Medicare Stars rating from two to four stars. She also helped the hospital earn a Geriatriact-Friendly Emergency Department Accreditation from the American College of Emergency Physicians. Her vendor negotiations have led to $40,000 in annual savings and a 50% drop in turnaround time for the hospital’s core measures.
La Luz holds a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and Master of Business Administration from the University of New Mexico – Anderson School of Management. She is also a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality.
Katie Castellani is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Castellani@PBN.com.
