ROCHESTER, NY Rochester Regional Health (RRH) is proud to announce that Renee Demski, Executive Vice President of Quality, Patient Safety and Performance Excellence, and Lori Paine, DrPH, Vice President And Patient Safety Officer have both been named to the 2025 list of “Patient Safety Experts to Know” by Becker’s Healthcare, a leading source of healthcare industry news.
Becker’s created the list to honor patient safety experts who are reducing patient harm and strengthening disease management. The individuals featured are recognized for their instrumental work in reducing hospital-acquired infections, preventing adverse events, and ensuring strict regulatory compliance related to safety standards.
Demski oversees the Quality and Safety Institute at RRH and leads the organization’s focus on eliminating preventable harms, improving patient outcomes and experience and improving operational efficiency. Under her leadership, the hospital-acquired infection rate has dropped by more than 40%.
"This recognition highlights the unwavering commitment of our teams across Rochester Regional Health," said Demski. "Empowering frontline staff to identify and resolve safety issues with support if needed, has the biggest impact on culture and patient outcomes. Together we are building a culture of safety that ensures patients and families receive the safest, highest-quality care every day."
Dr. Paine leads strategic and tactical patient safety initiatives for RRH. In addition to her leadership role, she teaches at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and advises patient safety professionals on strategic planning, human factors and safety culture improvement. She regularly publishes scholarly articles, contributes to healthcare policy and has served on expert panels for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the National Quality Forum.
"It is an honor to be recognized among colleagues across the country who share the same mission," said Paine. "Patient safety is about more than preventing harm—it’s about creating safe systems that put patients at the center and enable our healthcare teams to reliably deliver on our mission."
The Becker's Hospital Review editorial team accepted nominations for this list and curated it to showcase the great work of leaders from hospitals and health systems across the nation. Leaders and organizations cannot pay for inclusion on this list.
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About Rochester Regional Health
Rochester Regional Health is an integrated health services organization serving the people of Western New York, the Finger Lakes, St. Lawrence County, and beyond. The system includes nine hospitals; primary and specialty practices, rehabilitation centers, ambulatory campuses and urgent care facilities; innovative senior services, facilities and independent housing; a wide range of behavioral health services; and Rochester Regional Health Laboratories and ACM Global Laboratories, a global leader in patient and clinical trials. Rochester Regional Health is the region's second-largest employer. Learn more at www.rochesterregional.org.
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