Inpatient Neurology Quality Improvement
Welcome from the Associate PIL for Inpatient Neurology
Zachary Threlkeld, MD
Associate Physician Improvement Leader, Inpatient Neurology
Quality, safety, and equity in inpatient neurology enjoy robust support, engagement, and multidisciplinary collaboration. We aim to be at the forefront of innovations in these domains, and the rich culture of quality improvement within Stanford Neurology has led inpatient neurology to be a cradle for development of novel projects and initiatives—many of which have subsequently been disseminated across the institution and been published in national journals. Stanford Neurology faculty, trainees, and leadership evince a tenacious drive to improve, and I believe this striving continually drives our inpatient divisions to set the national standard for high-quality, cutting-edge patient care.
Unit-Based Medical Director / Patient Care Manager (UBMD/PCM) Program
As a leader in inpatient quality improvement in Neurology and Stanford Health Care more broadly, Dr. Karen Hirsch (Neurocritical Care Division Chief) serves as Co-Director of the UBMD/PCM program alongside Dr. Lisa Shieh of Hospital Medicine. The UBMD/PCM infrastructure supports partnership between physician and nursing leadership at the unit level throughout Stanford Health Care, which in turn drives innovations in quality and safety at the unit level—by those leaders most familiar with the needs of the patients for whom they regularly care. Initially conceived by Dr. Joe Hopkins, the UBMD/PCM program has grown over decades and constitutes a key component of inpatient operations and quality improvement.
Karen Hirsch, MD
Co-Director of UBMD/PCM Program
L4 Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit
Zachary Threlkeld, MD
Unit-Based Medical Director
Robert Dodd, MD PhD
Associate Professor of Neurosurgery
Anita Musafar, MPH RN CCRN-K SCRN
Patient Care Manager
The L4 Neuroscience ICU is a state-of-the-art 20-bed intensive care unit serving neurocritically ill patients. Neurocritical Care and Neurosurgery multidisciplinary teams collaborate within L4 to provide cutting-edge clinical care and lead innovative work in quality improvement and safety. Some exemplary current and past projects are listed below.
L5 Neurology/Stroke/Epilepsy Unit
The L5 unit is a 20-bed acute care unit caring for a diverse range of patients with neurologic disease. L5 comprises the Stroke Unit, Neurohospitalist Unit, and Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, functioning collaboratively to provide multidisciplinary sub-specialty neurologic care. Coupled with the Stanford Stroke Program, the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, and the Neurohospitalist Division, L5 leads numerous quality improvement and safety projects each year, consistently striving to deliver the best possible and most advanced patient care.
Neurocritical Care Division
Karen Hirsch, MD
Chief, Division of Neurocritical Care
Zachary Threlkeld, MD
Unit-Based Medical Director, Associate PIL for Inpatient Neurology
Elizabeth Fox, MSN ACNS AG-ACNP ANVP CCRN FAHA FNCS
Co-Lead APP
Michelle Robinson, MSN AGACNP-BC CCRN
Co-Lead APP
The Stanford Neurocritical Care (NCC) Division is committed to quality improvement as a key component of our academic mission to provide excellent clinical care and improve patient outcomes. Numerous trainees, faculty, and advance practice providers (APPs) in the NCC Division are leaders in quality improvement work. Over 50% of our faculty have led an improvement team as part of training in the Clinical Effectiveness Leadership Training (CELT) and Realizing Improvement through Team Empowerment (RITE) courses. Over 75% of NCC APPs have led improvement projects through the Professional Excellence Program supported by the SHC Center for Advance Practice.
Neurohospitalist Division
Katie Kvam, MD
Chief, Neurohospitalist Division
Carl Gold, MD MS
Vice Chair for Quality, Safety, and Experience; Physician Improvement Leader
Shefali Dujari, MD
Director of Quality for Neurology at Stanford Healthcare Tri-Valley
The Stanford Neurohospitalist Division is deeply committed to continuously improving the quality of care for our patients. All of our faculty and fellows are engaged in quality improvement, most have received additional faculty development training and many serve in local and national quality leadership roles.
Stanford Stroke Center and Comprehensive Stroke Program
Greg Albers, MD
Director, Stanford Stroke Center
Christina Mijalski, MD
Director, Stanford Telestroke Program
Michelle Woodfall, MS CNS
Stroke Program Director
Nicole Burnham, MSN RN
Stroke Program Manager
Luci Parker, MS BSN RN
Stroke Program Quality Specialist
Richard Reagin, BSN SCRN
Stroke Program Coordinator
The Stanford Stroke Center and Comprehensive Stroke Program is internationally recognized for its leadership in stroke treatment. As the nation’s first Comprehensive Stroke Center certified by the Joint Commission, the program has long been a vanguard of stroke quality improvement work and excellence in patient care. Numerous Stroke Center faculty, trainees, and staff have led and coached projects as part of the Clinical Effectiveness Leadership Training (CELT) and Realizing Improvement through Team Empowerment (RITE) courses. Some exemplary projects include:
Stanford Comprehensive Epilepsy Program
Robert Fisher, MD, PHD
Director of Comprehensive Epilepsy Program
Kimford J. Meador, MD
Director of the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit
