St. Luke's Health System Hires Nationally Recognized Quality Performance and Transparency Expert

BOISE, Idaho, Aug. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- St. Luke's Health System announced that Samantha Collier, MD, MBA, is joining St. Luke's as the new Vice President and System Chief Quality Officer effective Sept. 13.

Prior to accepting the position, Dr. Collier was Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President at Golden, Colo-based HealthGrades (www.HealthGrades.com), the leading healthcare ratings company that provides over 15 million consumers per month with the most comprehensive quality and safety data about hospitals, nursing homes and physicians.

"We are extremely fortunate to have someone with Dr. Collier's expertise join St. Luke's," said Dr. David Pate, St. Luke's Health System President and CEO. "There is a growing demand for accountability in health care and Dr. Collier will play a key role in helping us identify opportunities for improving the cost and quality of our care while simultaneously striving to achieve our ultimate goal of becoming the nation's leading health system."

In the newly-created position, Dr. Collier is responsible for identifying, driving, and integrating innovative quality and safety initiatives throughout St. Luke's that will result in optimal aligning with health reform and meaningful value-driven, patient-centered care.

"St. Luke's has a tremendous reputation for quality and excellence, which is readily apparent from the staff of passionate and inspired employees and physicians who are committed to hardwiring the best quality care in a safe and patient-centered environment," said Dr. Collier. "I'm extremely excited to be joining such a dedicated team of professionals, and I look forward to helping establish St. Luke's as a national leader for quality and safety."

Dr. Collier comes to St. Luke's after eight years with HealthGrades. She most recently served as HealthGrades Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President. As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Collier was responsible for the research, development, and annual launch of associated publications and public relations for all of HealthGrades' health care quality ratings and information. As Executive Vice President, Dr. Collier was responsible for strategic planning and operations. She also served as the company's chief clinical and health care expert advisor, consulting with over 150 hospitals and health systems nationwide on transparency, quality and performance improvement.  She is a nationally recognized public speaker and quality expert and has often been quoted in the national media.

During her tenure at HealthGrades, Dr. Collier continued her part-time clinical practice as a hospitalist in Denver, Colo.  She received her medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and earned a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Colorado. Dr. Collier is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and is a member of the American College of Physicians.

About St. Luke's Health System

Founded in Boise in 1902, St. Luke's Health System is Idaho's largest and only-locally controlled not-for-profit health care system. St. Luke's has earned numerous national awards for excellence in patient care. For more information visit www.stlukesonline.org.

SOURCE St. Luke’s Health System