Three Teams Graduate RITE Program
February 12, 2025
Three teams from the Department of Surgery graduated from Stanford's Realizing Improvement through Team Empowerment (RITE) program on Monday.
The projects and teams recognized were:
- Reducing Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections Pre-operative Length of Stay
- Team Lead: Dr. Ariel Knight
- Coach: Tara Lahiji-Neary
- Sponsors: Drs. Joe Forrester and Bill Frederick
- Reducing Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Pre-operative Length of Stay
- Team Lead: Dr. Cassie Sonntag
- Coach: Amin Etemad-Rezai
- Sponsors: Drs. Joe Forrester, Morad Hameed, and Sam Wald
- Enhancing operating room efficiency by optimizing pre-operative checklist utilization and lab draws
- Team Lead: Dr. Clemens Ortner
- Coach: Ryan Darke
- Sponsor: Sam Wald, MD, Jay Shah, MD
“It’s a proud moment for all of us,” said Etemad-Rezai, who is a quality programs manager in the Department. “[The first two] projects are both part of our FY25 [Improvement Capability Development Program] ICDP under the Patient Flow and Capacity Operational Pillar, and the success gained is significant for our organization’s goals and for our patients in reducing length of stay.”
Dr. Arash Fereydooni, a vascular surgery resident, worked on the third project with Vascular Clinical Assistant Professor Dr. Kenneth Tran, Dr. Kelsey Kukuruza, Claire Goldschmidt (MHA, BSN), and Sophia Prendiville (CRC).
"Ultimately, our aim was to reduce OR turnover times and minimize first-case start delays in Vascular Surgery," said Fereydooni. "Through this initiative, we strove to improve healthcare provider wellness and enhance patient satisfaction."
Forrester will also sponsor the department’s participation in the Spring RITE Cohort, which begins on February 19.
Reducing the Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) Rate in the SICU
Team Lead: Dr. Harrison Chau (Fellow)
Coach: Etemad-Rezai
Learn more about Stanford Surgery’s commitment to quality improvement.
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