Rosanne Rutkowski, Program Director of the Kansas Healthcare Collaborative, one of the Health Quality Innovation Network’s quality improvement partners in Kansas, is driven to find better ways to improve the patient experience and outcomes.

What inspired you to work in health care quality improvement?

Quality improvement has been an integral part of my career since I began as a critical care nurse in rural Kansas. It has been through my experiences in both acute care and public health, that I have been driven to find better ways to improve the patient experience and outcomes. Successful quality improvement work requires routine collaboration among all team members including leaders and frontline workers.

What excites you most about being part of HQIN?

Being part of HQIN is an opportunity to utilize expertise and resources from other HQIN partners. Working with new partners gives us the opportunity to look at issues from a new perspective and through a different lens.

What advice would you offer HQIN members as they prepare for their next quality improvement project?

Use the data! It is critical in identifying areas of opportunity for improvement and in monitoring progress.

How has the Coronavirus impacted you professionally and/or personally?
Coronavirus and the resulting restrictions have certainly given me a great appreciation for many of the activities I may have taken for granted – getting a haircut, grocery shopping without personal protective equipment (PPE), going to the gym, visiting family etc. It also has been a great opportunity to focus on what’s important, to embrace using technology and developing new processes and ways of doing business.