CHICAGO, Dec. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Surgical Directions, a healthcare tech-enabled solutions firm powering the future of perioperative and procedural care, is proud to announce the appointment of Katherine Grichnik, MD, MS, FASE, Chief of Anesthesiology Services at SCA Health, to its prestigious Strategic Advisory Board. Grichnik joins a distinguished group of healthcare leaders on the board, including Sunny Eappen, President & CEO of The University of Vermont Health Network; Mark Penkhus, FACHE, retired CEO of Vanderbilt University Hospitals; and Fritz Buerger, Partner & Managing Director at William Blair.

Grichnik is a highly accomplished executive with extensive experience in healthcare management and anesthesiology. Her leadership as the Chief of Anesthesiology Services at SCA Health ensures aligned and skilled anesthesiology professional services while fostering collaboration to enhance the quality of care, facility operational success, safety, risk visibility, and resolution.

Grichnik’s career includes serving as the:

• President of American Anesthesiology
• Medical Director for Surgical Directions, LLC
• Chief Medical Officer for the Cleveland Clinic’s Indian River Hospital
• Vice President of Quality and Safety for the Mednax National Medical Group

Her expertise began in cardiothoracic anesthesiology with 22 years of practice at the Duke University Health System, where she rose to the rank of Full Professor. During her tenure at Duke, she held progressive administrative leadership positions, including Associate Dean for Continuing Medical Education (CME), founding member of the Duke Patient Safety Center, Director of the Center for Educational Excellence, and Director of the Chancellor’s Clinical Leadership Program. She earned her medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine, where she received AOA recognition, and completed her anesthesiology residency as well as thoracic, vascular, and pain management fellowship training at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She further honed her expertise with cardiac fellowship training at Duke University.

As our healthcare environment continues to evolve, Surgical Directions is also rapidly growing its anesthesiology offerings for hospitals and provider groups. Surgical Directions is helping health systems navigate the anesthesiology crisis through better-aligned incentives, team care models, and more-efficient operating rooms and procedural sites. Grichnik’s extensive experience in healthcare management and anesthesiology will undoubtedly contribute valuable insights to further enhance the Surgical Directions’ vision of transforming surgical and procedural care to improve our partners’ and patients’ lives.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Kathy Grichnik back to Surgical Directions as a Strategic Advisory Board member,” said Leslie Basham, President and CEO at Surgical Directions. “She is a recognized expert in anesthesiology and healthcare leadership, and her contributions will continue to guide Surgical Directions to drive innovation, improve patient care, and navigate the complexities of the healthcare landscape. We look forward to her contributions in shaping the future of healthcare.”

ABOUT SURGICAL DIRECTIONS

Surgical Directions is a healthcare solutions company that helps health systems, provider groups and ASCs improve perioperative, procedural care and anesthesia services through consulting, technology, and leadership. We partner with organizations using peer-to-peer leadership, process expertise and predictive analytics to profitably grow their organizations. Our team of experienced practitioners and consultants tackles critical issues while achieving financial, operational, and clinical outcome excellence. Surgical Directions has successfully served 500+ hospitals, ASCs, and medical groups to increase patient access and, most importantly, improve patient care. Additional information is available at www.surgicaldirections.com. 

SOURCE Surgical Directions