During Thursday’s quarterly meeting of the University Health System Board’s Quality Subcommittee, Board members recognized recent accomplishments made by the Health System, discussed the opening in late May of a new surgical clinic in Pantops and introduced the interim dean of the School of Nursing and new CEO of the Medical Center.
The HSB Quality Subcommittee is responsible for overseeing clinical performance and performance improvement within the Health System. The Committee monitors metrics such as patient safety, clinical care quality and patient experience and is made up of a variety of Health System leaders including U.Va. Health CEO Mitchell Rosner and Colin Derdeyn, interim dean of the School of Medicine.
The Committee began its open session by hearing a presentation from JoAnna Monroe, director of accreditation and regulatory standards for U.Va. Health, who discussed the opening of the new plastic surgery clinic in Charlottesville. She stated the new clinic will help expand U.Va. Health’s plastic surgery appointment capacity and represents their commitment to growing as an organization.
The plastic surgery clinic opened in early May and provides a range of clinical offerings including facelifts, rhinoplasties and lipidema surgery. The clinic also offers a range of minimally invasive plastic surgery offerings including Botox, laser skin treatments and filler.
Monroe then discussed recent accreditations from the American College of Emergency Physicians — a coalition of more than 38,000 emergency medicine physicians, residents and medical students that work to promote the “highest quality of emergency care.” According to Monroe, the University Medical Center Emergency Department was awarded a level three geriatric emergency department accreditation. Level three accreditations are given to emergency departments that implement one or more initiatives aimed at improving care quality and the experience of geratric patients. There are also level two and level one accreditations that can be given to emergency departments, which are a higher levels of recognition.
Monroe said that the accreditation highlights efforts made by the system to better support the geriatric patient population, especially at a time when the overall population is aging.
Monroe also reported that the Health System received “A” safety grades in spring 2026 safety grades issued by the Leapfrog Group for all three of their community hospitals — the Prince William Medical Center, the Haymarket Medical Center and the Culpeper Medical Center.
The Leapfrog Group is an organization that collects, analyzes and publishes hospital safety information. “A” grades from the group represent a strong commitment to improving patient safety, decreasing hospital stay time and decreasing mortality rates.
The University Medical Center received a “B” grade from the Leapfrog Group, which is on par with that of another Level 1 Trauma Center in the Commonwealth, Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. The grade also places the Medical Center behind two Level 1 Trauma Centers — Inova Fairfax and VCU Medical Center — which both received “A” grades, while ranking ahead of two others, Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and Chippenham Hospital, who both received “C” grades.
Next, Monroe discussed that the Haymarket Medical Center received a five-star CMS cleanliness rating. Moroe also shared that the University Medical Center received two sustainability awards — the 2026 Greenhealth Companion Award and the Circle of Excellence in Green Building awards — which recognize efforts to use sustainable practices in U.Va. Health environments and while building facilities, Monroe said.
Monroe also stated that U.Va. Health’s Continuum Home Health services received a high-performing rating by the U.S. News and World Report, which places them in the top 17 percent of home health services. She also said that the service currently has a 5/5 patient experience score.
Lastly, Monroe said that the Prince William and Haymarket Medical Centers were named on Becker’s list of 100 great community hospitals for 2026.
The Committee concluded by recognizing Jeanne Alhusen, former associate dean for research in the School of Nursing, on her appointment as interim dean of the School of Nursing. Alhusen was appointed following former Dean Marianne Barenholdt’s resignation. The board also introduced Tammy Snyder, who was recently appointed CEO of the University Medical Center.
The Committee will reconvene next quarter, although exact meeting time is not yet specified. Meetings can be attended in person and via Zoom. Zoom links, meeting minutes, dates, times and locations can all be found on the Committee's website when announced.
Michael Racz is a staff writer on the news desk. He is a second-year student in the College majoring in Biology with plans to go to Medical School. Outside of The Cavalier Daily, Michael is a member of the Emergency Medicine Scribe Program and the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. He enjoys writing about health topics and student self-governance.
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