Dr. Ajay Saini named medical director of quality for Penn State Health
Penn State Health has promoted Dr. Ajay Saini, an accomplished leader with a proven track record of enhancing the quality of patient care, to the role of medical director of quality. The newly created systemwide position will go into effect immediately.
Saini will be responsible for developing new quality and patient safety initiatives for Penn State Health. He will also ensure compliance with regulatory standards through a culture of safety and high reliability, identifying opportunities for improvement and leading initiatives to enhance patient safety and quality. He will also collaborate with the Chief Medical Officers at each hospital, facility quality teams and system leadership.
“When we envisioned this new role, we did so with the idea that strengthening our quality, patient safety and experience is at the forefront of everything we do,” said Dr. Kenneth Wood, chief medical officer at Penn State Health, who will supervise the position. “Along with having a deep familiarity with our health system, Dr. Saini is an experienced leader who understands what is necessary to achieve the best patient outcomes.”
Saini has practiced medicine for more than two decades. Prior to this promotion, he served as the inaugural chair of medicine at Hampden Medical Center and, most recently, as a regional medical director of inpatient services for Penn State Health Medical Group. He also teaches internal medicine to medical students at Penn State College of Medicine as an assistant professor.
“The prospect of guiding and enhancing the quality of patient care, coupled with the opportunity to form a team that will use best practices to find innovative healthcare solutions is extremely inspiring,” Saini said, adding he plans to work with quality leaders to develop performance monitoring systems to ensure all of Penn State Health’s hospitals rank in the top decile for quality and patient safety.
In fiscal year 2024, three of Penn State Health’s acute care hospitals (Hershey Medical Center, Hampden Medical Center and Lancaster Medical Center) were ranked in the top quartile of hospitals nationwide for quality and accountability by healthcare performance company Vizient.
Saini earned his MBBS at the Government Medical College in Patiala, India, and completed a residency in internal medicine at the Mount Sinai/VA Medical Center in the Bronx, New York. Additionally, he obtained an MBA with a health care focus from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and is certified by the National Association for Healthcare Quality.
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