The Maryland Patient Safety Center today announced that Blair M. Eig, MD has been appointed President and CEO of the organization. Dr. Eig was selected following a nationwide search by the Center’s Board of Directors for a new leader for the state’s official patient safety center.

Prior to taking on this new role, Dr. Eig served as Chief Medical Officer of Holy Cross Health for nearly two decades. Prior to that, he practiced pediatric and adolescent medicine in Silver Spring, Maryland from 1987 to 2001. In addition to earning his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, he also holds an MBA from American University and an MA in biochemistry from Brandeis University.

Dr. Eig has been a strong advocate of patient safety on a state and national level throughout his career. He was instrumental in the creation of the Quality Improvement Council and the Patient Safety Committee at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring as well as the Quality and Patient Safety Committee at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital.

This commitment to patient safety combined with his extensive experience as a clinician will help him enhance and expand the Maryland Patient Safety Center’s mission and work. The center is dedicated to being nimble and responsive to meet the needs of the healthcare community and formulate new programs and initiatives to improve healthcare safety and quality for patients throughout Maryland and across the country.

“Dr. Eig is uniquely qualified to lead the Maryland Patient Safety Center at a time in which patient safety could not be more important,” said Barbara Epke, Vice Chairman of the MPSC Board of Directors and Chairman of the Search Committee. “Dr Eig has a well-developed knowledge of Maryland’s quality-based reimbursement system, and has been a tireless advocate and leader for quality related policy and education in this state. He has gained broad respect among health care leaders and clinicians throughout the region and will be able to use his extensive knowledge and experience to forge new paths in patient safety.”

In addition to his work in patient safety, Dr. Eig was an energetic leader at Holy Cross Health. He led or was a key contributor to many important initiatives at the organization over the years, including the creation of the critical care, stroke, STEMI, behavioral health, and neuroscience programs and the creation of the Heroin and Opioid Prevention Effort (HOPE) Committee. Dr. Eig has also been a champion of medical education, building partnerships for Holy Cross with George Washington University, Children's National Medical Center, Howard University, and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

“As a lifelong resident of the state of Maryland, I am honored to serve in this new role,” said Dr. Eig. “Working with all aspects of healthcare – hospitals, clinics, physician offices, urgent care centers, ambulatory surgery centers – and our government partners, I hope to build on the significant accomplishments of the Maryland Patient Safety Center and make our region the safest location for healthcare in the nation.”

About the Maryland Patient Safety Center

The Maryland Patient Safety Center brings together healthcare organizations and providers to improve patient safety and healthcare quality for all Marylanders. The goal of the Center is to make healthcare in Maryland the safest in the nation by focusing on the systems of care, reducing the occurrence of adverse events and improving the culture of patient safety at Maryland healthcare facilities. For more information, visit www.marylandpatientsafetycenter.org.