West Orange, NJ, November, 2020 – President and Chief Executive Officer of RWJBarnabas Health Barry H. Ostrowsky has announced the promotion of Deborah Larkin-Carney, RN, BSN, MBA, to Senior Vice President, Quality and Patient Safety and Patient Experience.
“Deb has been a true partner on our system’s journey to becoming a high-reliability organization; we could not have achieved our successes without her knowledgeable insights and hard work. I cannot think of a better person to now also lead our patient experience efforts. Deb will bring enormous skill and passion to the role,” stated John F. Bonamo, M.D., MS, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical and Quality Officer, to whom she will continue to report.
In her expanded role, Ms. Larkin-Carney will continue her responsibilities for the oversight of the quality and safety programs for RWJBarnabas Health’s 13 hospitals, and serve as a key member of the Safety Together team, the system’s HRO (high-reliability organization) initiative. HRO has realized multiple improvements across the system.
Patient Experience is a core part of the system’s high-reliability culture. To further Patient Experience, Ms. Larkin-Carney will develop protocols for each facility to center focus on the patient’s voice in their care; partner with their caregivers; and ensure they are treated in a respectful, safe environment.
Prior to the merger that created the RWJBarnabas Health system, Ms. Larkin-Carney designed, implemented and oversaw all publicly reported aspects of the quality and performance improvement program for Barnabas Health, and drove an integrated approach to quality across the system.
Ms. Larkin-Carney has deep experience in designing and implementing quality initiatives. Previously, at Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, she directed, executed and monitored performance improvement initiatives of the organization with integration of the hospital and medical staff. She also oversaw compliance with regulatory standards and preparation of the organization and was responsible for CMS/JCAHO National Hospital Quality Measures and other external benchmarking projects.
Ms. Larkin-Carney began her career in nursing and is a registered nurse in New Jersey. She has held titles of increasing responsibility within the health care field. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from University of Kentucky, and an MBA in Healthcare Management from University of Dallas. She speaks frequently about key quality and safety issues at industry events, and is involved in several professional and community organizations working to further quality patient care, including American Association of Critical Care Nurses, Sigma Theta Tau – Nursing Honorary Society; Coastal Critical Care Consortium; Hospital Quality Professionals of NJ; National Association of Healthcare Quality; and American Society of Professionals in Patient Safety. In 2018, Ms. Larkin-Carney was the recipient of the prestigious Baldrige Award. She is a resident of Chesterfield New Jersey.
About RWJBarnabas Health
RWJBarnabas Health is the largest, most comprehensive academic health care system in New Jersey, with a service area covering nine counties with five million people. The system includes eleven acute care hospitals; three acute care children’s hospitals and a leading pediatric rehabilitation hospital with a network of outpatient centers, a freestanding 100-bed behavioral health center, two trauma centers, a satellite emergency department, ambulatory care centers, geriatric centers, the state’s largest behavioral health network, comprehensive home care and hospice programs, fitness and wellness centers, retail pharmacy services, a medical group, multi-site imaging centers and an accountable care organization. In meeting its mission of creating healthier communities, RWJBarnabas Health seeks to address the clinical and social determinants of health, improve health outcomes, promote health equity, and eliminate health care disparities.
RWJBarnabas Health is in partnership with Rutgers University to create New Jersey’s largest academic health care system. The collaboration will align RWJBarnabas Health with Rutgers’ education, research and clinical activities, including those at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey - the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center - and Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care. To learn more, please visit www.rwjbh.org.