Jill Schwieters Honored with Prestigious Baldrige Foundation's Leadership Award for Health Care Excellence

CHICAGO, March 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, Inc. has announced Jill Schwieters, a distinguished healthcare executive and entrepreneur, as one of the recipients of the prestigious Baldrige Foundation's Leadership Award for Health Care Excellence. This recognition celebrates Schwieters' outstanding contributions to the healthcare industry and her exemplary leadership in driving innovation and excellence.

As a seasoned healthcare executive and visionary entrepreneur, Jill Schwieters demonstrates exceptional leadership, setting an example for executives and entrepreneurs in healthcare. Carrie Harris-Muller, Senior Vice President and Chief Population Health Officer at OhioHealth and a board member of the National Center for Healthcare Leadership, commended Schwieters, stating, "Jill Schwieters embodies leadership with humility, clarity, and courage, setting a standard for healthcare executives and entrepreneurs. Her transformative and innovative approach pushes the boundaries in healthcare, making her a well-deserving recipient of the prestigious Baldrige Foundation's Leadership Award."

Jill brings value and impact to any organization she touches. As senior managing director of Surgical Directions, she drives organizational strategy, builds strategic client and partner relationships, leads key growth initiatives, and oversees executive leadership development. Jill founded and led Cielo Healthcare to over $100M in annual revenue while delivering transformational results for clients, and her team served as the global leader in healthcare recruitment process outsourcing for over 6 years consecutively as voted on by their clients.

Prior to founding Cielo Healthcare, Schwieters served for nearly 15 years at the Wheaton Franciscan Health System, which was formative in her desire to drive innovation and improve the patient and employee experience. As the board chair for the National Center for Healthcare Leadership (NCHL), a national nonprofit organization focused on advancing healthcare leadership and organizational excellence, Jill has been a strong advocate for leadership practices and opportunities across the country. Jill believes great leaders attract great talent and great talent provides exceptional patient care.

Leslie Basham, President & CEO of Surgical Directions, expressed her congratulations, saying, "Jill brings value and impact to any organization she touches. She is a great leader and strategist and is generous with sharing her talents to help our people, our clients, and the patients they serve. I'm thrilled, yet not surprised, that Jill is receiving the Baldrige award."

The Baldrige Foundation's Leadership Awards ceremony will be held as part of the annual Quest for Excellence® conference near Washington, D.C. on April 9, 2024, where Schwieters will be formally recognized for her outstanding achievements in healthcare leadership. For a more detailed biography of Jill Schwieters, click here.

ABOUT SURGICAL DIRECTIONS 

Surgical Directions is a healthcare solutions company that helps health systems, provider groups and ASCs improve perioperative, procedural care and anesthesia services through consulting, technology, and leadership. We partner with organizations using peer-to-peer leadership, process expertise and predictive analytics to profitably grow their organizations. Our team of experienced practitioners and consultants tackles critical issues while achieving financial, operational, and clinical outcome excellence. Surgical Directions has successfully served 500+ hospitals, ASCs, and medical groups to increase patient access and, most importantly, improve patient care. Additional information is available at SurgicalDirections.com.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP (NCHL)

NCHL is dedicated to advancing healthcare leadership and organizational excellence by building diverse, inclusive, and collaborative relationships in the US and abroad. NCHL is widely recognized as the premier source for evidence-based healthcare leadership practices, cultivating communities for peer collaboration across organizations, and collectively developing industry models and benchmarks to improve healthcare. Additional information is available at NCHL.org.

SOURCE Surgical Directions