WHITE PLAINS HOSPITAL APPOINTS CHIEF QUALITY OFFICER
The executive team at White Plains Hospital has appointed Dr. Rafael E. Torres as chief quality officer responsible for advancing performance improvement initiatives around patient safety and quality to ensure the hospital remains a leading health care provider in Westchester County. White Plains Hospital is the only hospital in Westchester to receive an “A” in the Fall Hospital Safety Grades from the Leapfrog Group and earned the designation of Top General Hospital for excellence in quality measures in 2020.
Torres will lead the multidisciplinary team-based efforts to develop, monitor,and enhance initiatives focused on safety, efficiency and the patient experience in the inpatient and outpatient settings while working with hospital leadership on new program development. As the director of emergency medicine at White Plains Hospital for the past six years, Torres led a team to transform the emergency department to exceed all national benchmarks in efficiency, quality and patient experience.
“Quality has always been our North Star at White Plains Hospital and Dr. Torres”™ experience and creativity will be a vital asset as we advance our performance-improvement initiatives and build on our success,” said Susan Fox, president and CEO of White Plains Hospital.
Torres”™ extensive professional development in quality improvement, outcomes measurement and process management includes the Intermountain Healthcare Institute for Health Care Delivery Research; the Clinical Quality Fellowship sponsored by the Greater New York Hospital Association; and in 2021 a health care MBA with a Certificate in Quality from George Washington University.
Before joining White Plains Hospital, Torres was medical director for the Montefiore Westchester Square Emergency Department. He held the same title at St. Joseph”™s Medical Center in Yonkers. He completed his undergraduate work at Johns Hopkins University; received his medical degree from George Washington University School of Medicine, where he earned honors for academic achievement; and completed his residency in emergency medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, where he was chief resident.
White Plains Hospital is a member of the Montefiore Health System, serving as its tertiary hub of advanced care in the Hudson Valley.
The Hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission and earned its recognition as a Top Performer for Key Quality Measures® in 2015 and 2013..