Leader spotlight: Jamie Grebosky, MD

Dr. Grebosky is a familiar face at Asante, having served as the vice president of Medical Affairs for ARRMC and AACH before rising to the role of chief medical and quality officer. He now oversees clinical care at all three hospitals as well as Asante Physician Partners. Most recently, he help reorganized Asante Ashland leadership in the wake of former CEO Sheila Clough’s departure.

What will be different at AACH as a result of the recent restructuring? We will focus on several areas:

1. Listening sessions. Our team is interested in hearing your thoughts and opinions about how we can continue to improve patient care. We will schedule a session in your area so you can provide input to leadership.
2. Patient experience. We have traditionally done well in this area. We want to focus on this facet of quality and aim to be a CMS five-star facility for patient experience.
3. COVID-stable operations. We need to better understand how AACH operates in our new reality.
4. Critical care services. We’ll focus on providing high-quality, effective critical care services for our sickest population.

What are the benefits of consolidating some of the hospital’s services under a system structure? It ensures that Asante can efficiently and effectively deliver care. Our focus remains on our patients and community. The restructuring of AACH gives us the opportunity to further standardize care across the system and continue being good stewards of our resources. It is our goal to provide every patient with consistently high-quality care anywhere in the system and to drive affordability for our patients.

What won’t change? Our commitment to high quality, patient safety and our employees. Asante Ashland has a special culture it we want to ensure that continues.

 What drew you to the administrative side of health care? My wife, Becky, has a master’s degree in human factors and my mother-in-law holds a PhD in the subject. Both worked in quality with Lovelace-Sandia Health Systems in New Mexico, where I started, so they dragged me into quality projects early on in my career.

I decided I wanted to do leadership work full-time, so I went back to school and joined Mary Washington Health System in Virginia as vice president of medical affairs.

Why did you choose to join Asante? When I came to look at the area an interesting thing happened. After taking a trail run on Grizzly Peak (it was a stunningly beautiful fall day) I stopped at Standing Stone Brewery in Ashland and struck up a conversation with someone at the bar. When I mentioned I was interviewing for a job at Asante he said, “Let me tell you, that is the best place on earth.” It turns out he was a medical malpractice attorney in California.

He said when he had a heart attack, he insisted on going to Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center rather than another hospital. I talked with three or four other community members and they all gave glowing reviews about the community and about Asante in particular.

Where else has your career taken you? In 2002 I took a sabbatical and led community-based care team operations for the Whangarei division of Maori Health Centers in New Zealand. Practicing medicine in another country was always something Becky and I wanted to do. It was a great experience to live and work in a different country for a year.

As a child, what did you see yourself doing when you grew up? As a boy, I dreamed of being a veterinarian. It wasn’t until I was older that I decided being a doctor and helping people was the right path for me.

What would surprise people about you? I am an animal person. It’s not uncommon to see me on the trail with our two dogs — Ruby running by my side and Coco in a pack on my back. I even take Coco kayaking.

What public figure would you invite to dinner party? William Carlos Williams. He was a physician, poet and a key part of Americas modernist movement. I still read his poetry to reflect.

Favorite movie: “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”

Favorite book: “The Great Gatsby”

Favorite music: Ska — English Beat and General Public are my favorite bands.

Favorite hobby: Anything outdoors. Running, hiking, backpacking and kayaking, along with traveling. Our family tries to take yearly backpacking trips to various countries to explore and experience their culture.

Favorite animal: Golden retriever. It’s also my spirit animal.

What’s the wisest thing anyone has ever told you? My dad once said, “It’s a long life, keep your nose clean and you will enjoy it.”  He was a man of few words, but what that saying meant was be honest and act with integrity, and everything will be OK.

JAMIE GREBOSKY, MD

Education

• Medical degree: Penn State College of Medicine
• Internship and residency: Eastern Virginia School of Medicine
• Other: Master’s degree in health care management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Past work

• Leadership roles at Mary Washington Hospital, Virginia; University of New Mexico School of Medicine; Family Practice Center; Albuquerque

Family

• Wife, Becky, and sons Spencer and Carson

Home

• Ashland