CNE Names La Luz Kent Hospital Executive Director

WARWICK, RI — Kent Hospital is looking for a new director of quality after CNE named Jennifer M. La Luz Kent Hospital executive director.

Kent Hospital Executive Director duties

La Luz will lead operations for the hospital, according to an announcement about the appointment,  which noted  her  results-focused, collaborative leadership and proven record executing innovative and effective programs, supporting advancement in healthcare quality, patient safety, and operational excellence.

La Luz has been working at Kent Hospital since 2019, most recently serving as senior director of quality and access, where she was responsible for and commended for her steadfast leadership and notable successes. During her tenure, the quality department achieved The Joint Commission’s Advanced Total Joint Center of Excellent Accreditation, Level 2-Silver Geriatric ED Accreditation(GEDA), and many other notable recognitions

La Luz’s oversight of the Access Center helped Kent Hospital achieve many strategic goals, including reducing and sustaining abandoned call rates by 80 percent, increasing call volume by 20 percent, growing our internal customer base, and creating a dedicated team that helped reduce no-shows for critical outpatient tests. This initiative helped realize a 30 percent reduction in no-shows in MRI and CAT scans.

La Luz’s work markedly improved access to testing services and was the operational lead to incorporate a mobile CAT scan, increasing capacity by 18%. She also was the operational lead that incorporated an additional cardiac stress room, increasing ETTs, STEs, and nuclear medicine stress test capacity. Her work has shortened the wait times for these high-demand tests.

La Luz’s accomplishments included improving Kent Hospital’s Leapfrog Patient Safety Grade from a C to a B and improving the hospital’s Medicare Stars rating from two to four stars. She was also instrumental in earning Kent the Geriatric-Friendly Emergency Department Accreditation from the American College of Emergency Physicians. She also helped the hospital realize an annual savings of $40k and reduced TAT for core measures by 50% by negotiating new vendor contracts to streamline data processes.

La Luz earned her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of New Mexico and her MBA from the University of New Mexico – Anderson School of Management. She has received her CPHQ (Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality).

La Luz lives in Cranston with her husband and her two daughters. She enjoys snowboarding in Vermont and upstate New York and is a voracious reader. She is also currently exploring painting as a new hobby.

Kent Hospital will conduct a national search for Jennifer’s replacement to serve as the Director of Quality for Kent Hospital.