Dr. Komal Bajaj, Dr. Samrina Kahlon and Dr. Eric Wei recognized in Becker's Hospital Review 2024 “Patient safety experts to know” List
Jul 20, 2024
Left: Dr. Komal Bajaj, Chief Quality Officer for NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi and North Central Bronx. Center: Dr. Samrina Kahlon, Patient Safety Officer for NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan. Right: Dr. Eric Wei, Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer for NYC Health + Hospitals.
Join us in congratulating Physician Affiliate Group of New York, P.C. (PAGNY) Dr. Komal Bajaj, Chief Quality Officer for NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi and North Central Bronx, Dr. Samrina Kahlon, Patient Safety Officer for NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan, and NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer, Dr. Eric Wei, for being recognized in Becker's Hospital Review 2024 “Patient safety experts to know” list.
Patients place immense trust in their healthcare providers, a trust that patient safety experts work diligently to uphold. These specialists develop and refine procedures and regulations aimed at safeguarding patients from a wide range of threats, from diseases to disasters.
As Chief Quality Officer, Dr. Bajaj leads quality and safety transformation at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi and North Central Bronx, driving improvements in clinical performance. She advocates for patient safety by integrating equity within healthcare quality and safety, promoting healthcare environmental sustainability, championing maternal diagnostic excellence, and advancing care through digital technology. Dr. Bajaj was appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) National Advisory Council and is an inaugural National Academies of Medicine Diagnostic Excellence Scholar. "It is so important that we continually strive to improve care, recognizing that patient safety is a core component of high-quality care and foundational for trust," said Dr. Bajaj.
Dr. Kahlon leads the vision, strategy, and implementation of patient safety activities across NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan and advocates safety through the many provider training programs she has developed. “It is of utmost importance that we keep patient safety top of mind,” Dr. Kahlon states. "We must continually improve care to minimize risks and prevent harm, ensuring that every patient can feel secure and confident in our services." She is key in mentoring and sponsoring patient safety projects, preparing an annual patient safety plan, and reviewing national patient safety goals. Dr. Kahlon is also the editor-in-chief of Urban Medicine Journal of Quality Improvement and Patient Safety.
Dr. Wei champions the safety of both patients and employees at NYC Health and Hospitals, the largest municipal safety-net health system in the United States, serving over 1.3 million New Yorkers annually. He has developed a comprehensive strategy to enhance quality and safety by promoting a culture of safety, building internal quality improvement capacity, aligning improvement activities with the system's strategic pillars, and implementing an innovative data and analytics approach to become a data-informed organization. “Quality and safety are top priorities at NYC Health and Hospitals,” says Dr. Wei. “Given our high patient volumes, it is imperative that each hospital operates safely at all times, ensuring that we continuously provide a high standard of care.”
The leaders highlighted on this list are pivotal in preventing errors, reducing hospital-associated infections and ensuring regulatory compliance. Becker's Healthcare is proud to showcase the achievements of these individuals, who play a crucial role in maintaining patient safety within their organizations.
Congratulations to all those who received this honored recognition. The full list features individual profiles of all experts and can be read here.
