ST. LOUIS (April 10, 2008) — SSM Health Care-St. Louis (SSMHC-St. Louis) has appointed Kevin Johnson, M.D., as a network vice president and chief quality officer.  Johnson will begin his duties immediately.

Johnson had served as vice president of medical affairs and quality at SSM DePaul Health Center since 2004, where he was instrumental in leading DePaul to the Missouri Quality Award in 2006 and to Premier Quality Awards for performance in congestive heart failure care and pneumonia care in 2005.  He also led SSMHC-St. Louis’ Network Blood Conservation Team, which has realized almost $3 million in savings since its inception in 2005.  Prior to that, Johnson was a highly respected and honored clinician in his specialty area of pulmonary and critical care medicine.

In this new position, Johnson will be a member of the SSMHC-St. Louis Clinical Performance Improvement Center, which is responsible for clinical quality and patient safety across SSMHC-St. Louis.  He will work directly with chief medical officers, directors of quality and patient safety officials at SSMHC-St. Louis hospitals and will report to Dr. Dan Varga, the network’s regional vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer.

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About SSM Health Care
With seven hospitals, nearly 2,500 staff physicians and 11,200 employees, SSM Health Care-St. Louis is committed to serving the comprehensive health needs of St. Louis area residents.  Sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters of Mary, the health care network includes: SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center; SSM DePaul Health Center; SSM St. Joseph Health Center (St. Charles); SSM St. Joseph Health Center-Wentzville; SSM St. Joseph Hospital West (Lake Saint Louis); SSM St. Joseph Hospital of Kirkwood; SSM St. Mary's Health Center and SSM Rehab. Its parent organization, SSM Health Care, also based in St. Louis, owns, operates and manages hospitals and nursing homes in four states: Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin and Oklahoma.