Quality Improvement & Patient Safety

The Department of Medicine (DOM) has a robust and expanding Quality Improvement and Patient Safety program that is committed to delivering high-quality, safe, equitable, efficient, and patient and family-centered care to our patients and community. The DOM fundamentals are based on Upstate's core values: excellence in effective and timely patient care, efficient and equitable care, and patient and family-centered care. Patient and family-centered care incorporates a significant focus on patient safety. Patient safety is based on the culture of learning, reporting, communication, and just culture.

The DOM Quality Team is composed of the Chair of Medicine, the Clinical Chief for Department of Medicine, Coordinators at Upstate Community Hospital, Vice-Chair for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (Team Leader), Quality Chief Resident, Quality Lead Fellow, Quality Coordinator, Core and Fellowship Program Directors, and Division Chiefs.

Harvir Singh Gambhir MD, FACP, CPL, CPHQ, FHL, FHM, Black Belt (SixSigma Lean)
Vice-Chair for Quality Improvement & Patient Safety- Department of Medicine
Associate Chief of Quality for the Division of Hospital Medicine
Associate Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program
Associate Professor & Hospitalist

The Vice-Chair for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety leads this program in the DOM (including the core and fellowship programs) and oversees/supervises the quality programs for each division. The Departmental and Quality & Divisional Quality officers collaborate to address quality issues across all departments and divisions.

Dr. Alexander G. Somerville
Quality Chief Resident

The Quality Chief Resident mentors and supervises residents for the quality improvement and patient safety programs under the mentorship of the Program Director and Vice-Chair for Quality.

The Quality coordinators assigned to the DOM help in the quality data collection, analysis, and projects. The core and fellowship program directors serve as mentors for their respective trainees and ensure robust participation in the department's quality endeavors.

Additional Quality Resources

Our quality assurance goes above and beyond in creating family-centered patient care with patient safety as our highest priority. In addition to the teams above ensuring the highest-quality care for our patients, we also host a wide range of quality assurance reporting and resources for our students and staff.

If you’d like to learn more about quality assurance at the Department of Medicine at SUNY: Upstate Medical University, we encourage you to give us a call today at (315) 464-5298. Our admin, Yolanda King, will be happy to assist you over the phone. You may also send her an email at kingy@upstate.edu.