Kutner named chief medical officer of UCH

Jean Kutner, head of the University of Colorado School of Medicine’s Division of General Internal Medicine, will become University Hospital’s first chief medical officer beginning July 1.

Kutner is a nationally recognized leader in geriatric medicine and palliative care and co-chairs the Palliative Care Research Cooperative (PCRC) Group, a National Institutes of Health-funded consortium that has broken new ground in interdisciplinary studies in the field.

Kutner’s appointment puts a School of Medicine faculty member at the center of decision making for the hospital, the School of Medicine and the UCHealth system. It follows an early 2013 Provider Satisfaction Survey at UCH that showed some providers felt they weren’t adequately involved in the hospital’s decision-making process, and that the priorities of faculty and the hospital were not always aligned.

“This appointment puts a physician at the table,” said UCH President and CEO John Harney. “There will be one point person who intersects with medical staff.”

Kutner will sit at the crossroads of all strategic, clinical, and operational decisions for the hospital and system, representing “the academic perspective.” She will be one of four members of Harney’s senior management team, along with Chief Nursing Officer Carolyn Sanders, Chief Operating Officer Tom Gronow and Chief Financial Officer Barbara Carveth.