Michigan Society of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons Quality Collaborative Program Leads
Richard L. Prager, M.D.
Dr. Prager leads the Michigan Society of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons Quality Collaborative Initiative. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and completed medical school at the State University of New York, in Brooklyn. He completed his general surgical and thoracic surgical training at the University of Michigan.
He began his career at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., as an assistant professor in the Section of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery with interests in adult cardiac, as well as general thoracic surgery. He then joined the Cardiac and Thoracic Surgical Group at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor. During this time, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital was selected as a demonstration hospital for coronary artery bypass, and Dr. Prager was the medical director of this national project. Over the ensuing years, he became the associate head of the Department of Surgery and head of the Section of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery, and the medical director of the Mercy Health Services Cardiovascular Network. In 1999, he moved to the University of Michigan as a professor of surgery in the, Adult Cardiac Surgical Division with ongoing interests in adult cardiac surgery, health outcomes research, patient safety, organizational efficiencies and education.
Dr. Prager is chair of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Adult Audit Task Force; Society of Thoracic Surgeons Task Force on Quality Initiatives; and the STS Work Force on Associate Members. He is director of the University of Michigan's Cardiovascular Center and recently assumed the role of program director of the Thoracic Surgery Residency.
Gail F. Bell, M.S.N., R.N.
Bell is the data management supervisor of the Michigan Society of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons Quality Collaborative.
She received her B.S.N. from Mercy College in Detroit and her M.S.N. from the University of Detroit Mercy.
Bell began her career as a staff nurse in clinical oncology and then critical care at Saint Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital in Pontiac, Mich. From 1996 through 2005 she was the Society of Thoracic Surgeons data manager at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland.
Patty Theurer, B.S.N., R.N.
Theurer is the quality initiatives coordinator of the Michigan Society of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons Quality Collaborative.
She received her B.S.N. from Madonna College in Livonia, Mich.
Theurer began her career as a staff nurse in critical care at Providence Hospital in Southfield. She worked in various roles in the operating room at Providence, including staff nurse, manager of Open Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Services, and cardiothoracic assistant for more than 18 years. In addition to her clinical and operating room responsibilities, she was also very involved in adult cardiac surgery STS data collection at Providence Hospital.
About the Coordinating Center
The University of Michigan serves as the Coordinating Center and is responsible for collecting and analyzing comprehensive clinical data from the participating hospitals. It uses these analyses to examine practice patterns, to generate new knowledge linking processes of care to outcomes, and to identify best practices and opportunities for quality and efficiency improvement. The center further supports participants in establishing quality improvement goals and assists them in implementing best practices.
