EvergreenHealth's Dr. Ettore Palazzo named chair of WSHA's Safety and Quality Committee

Seattle – The Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) is excited to welcome Dr. Ettore Palazzo of EvergreenHealth as the new chair of the association's Safety and Quality Committee. Dr. Palazzo has been a member of the WSHA Board Safety and Quality Committee since 2019 and will serve in his current role until the association's next annual meeting in October.

Dr. Palazzo joined EvergreenHealth in 2003 as an internal medicine hospitalist physician. He then served as the managing physician for the Adult Hospitalist service from 2004 through 2006. In 2014, he was appointed Quality Medical Director with a primary focus on readmission reduction, later expanding his quality work to include hospital mortality review and opiate prescription reduction initiatives.

He also serves as a Quality Committee member for the Eastside Health Network and is a member of the Eastside Health Alliance Quality Council. In addition to his quality roles, Dr. Palazzo has worked closely with the Information Technology and Clinical Informatics departments, first as a physician champion and most recently as IT medical director for inpatient services.

"Dr. Palazzo is a seasoned professional with proven experience in leading important initiatives. He is known for his thoughtful, collaborative style with a passion for fostering a culture of safety and a drive for the best possible care for everyone," said Darcy Jaffe, WSHA senior vice president of Safety and Quality. "His contributions and willingness to share best practices and strategies for improvement made the decision to appoint him to the pivotal position to chair the committee very easy."

WSHA's Safety and Quality Committee uses the power of collective and collaborative action and transparency to improve quality and safety for all who need care in its hospitals and health systems. The committee provides guidance on the areas of safety and quality focus for the program, the ways in which WSHA engages member hospitals and health systems in the work, the involvement of stakeholder groups in the process, and the data collection and sharing that support the work. The committee ensures work is prioritized to provide safe, high-quality, accessible, culturally competent and equitable care for all Washingtonians.
Current initiatives include:

• Behavioral health
• Communication and resolution programs
• Diagnostic excellence
• Fall prevention
• Health equity
• Infection prevention and control
• Leader resilience
• Maternal and infant health
• Opioid stewardship
• Readmissions
• Sepsis
• Workforce
• Workplace violence

"I am very excited to continue the incredibly important work of WSHA's Safety and Quality Committee as chair," said Dr. Palazzo. "The committee's initiatives are very closely aligned with our mission at EvergreenHealth and are critical to the health and wellness of everyone in our community. I feel honored to be leading the committee in these efforts."