Allenmore Hospital

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Todd Kelley (253) 403-1716

(TACOMA) – MultiCare Health System President & CEO Diane Cecchettini, RN, has been named Outstanding Health Care Executive, Metropolitan Division, by Seattle Business magazine.

The honor was given to Diane at the “Leaders in Health Care” awards dinner on February 26.

Diane was nominated by the MultiCare Health System Board of Directors for her visionary leadership and dedication to patient care. Under her leadership, MultiCare has grown to become the largest health system in the south Puget Sound and the largest private employer in Pierce County with more than 8,500 employees.

“MultiCare owes much of its success to Diane’s leadership and skill,” said Lois Bernstein, Senior Vice President of Community Services for MultiCare. “She is a skilled and gifted leader who deserves recognition for her dedication to MultiCare and the patients we serve.”

Diane’s leadership has had a significant effect on how care is delivered in the South Sound and throughout the state. She advocated for MultiCare to become an early adopter of an electronic health record system for its promise of improving care. Today, MultiCare is a national leader in the integration of electronic health records across inpatient and outpatient settings. This effort earned her another honor from Modern Healthcare magazine with the 2008 CEO IT Achievement Award. She was only one of three CEOs nationally to win the award and the only in Washington State.

Diane has also been a health care industry champion. She served two terms as Chair of the Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA). During her term, WSHA launched a program to help hospitals improve patient safety by supporting adoption of evidence-based protocols that have been proven to save lives. At WSHA, she also founded and chaired the Patient Safety Sub-Committee, which helped expand its mission beyond policy advocacy to include patient safety advocacy.

Diane was also pivotal in achieving participation by all Washington State hospitals in the national Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) 100K Lives Campaign. Diane’s influence resulted in quality improvements across the state and even the nation, as other hospitals have followed Washington’s lead.

Diane has also personally served on a number of health care and mission-related community Boards and Committees, including the VHA Health Foundation, First Choice Health Network, American Organization of Nurse Executives, and Tacoma Trauma Trust Board.

Recently, Diane has led the MRSA Community Initiative, which brings MultiCare together with public health and other health systems in setting industry-leading standards for treating and tracking Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus infections in the community and in the health care setting.

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MultiCare is a leading-edge, integrated health organization made up of four hospitals, numerous primary care and urgent care clinics, multi-specialty centers, Hospice and Home Health services, and many other services. A not-for-profit organization based in Tacoma, Washington since 1882, MultiCare has grown over the years in response to community needs. Today we are the area's largest provider of health care services, serving patients at 93 locations in Pierce, South King, Kitsap and Thurston counties.