The new hire, who has been working in Geisinger's C-suite for five years, says the system needs to nurture its nursing workforce.
Janet Tomcavage, MSN, RN, took over this month as chief nursing executive at Geisinger, based in Danville, Pennsylvania, the 13-hospital health system announced Monday.
Tomcavage is a familiar face at the organization, where she has served as chief population officer for about five years. She has led programs that aim to improve quality and affordability, recently launched a home-based care model for medically complex patients, and served as chief administrative officer for Geisinger Health Plan, according to the announcement.
Tomcavage is also a recognized leader in the broader community, having won the Pennsylvania Nightingale Award for clinical excellence in an advanced nursing role.
"I became a nurse and went into healthcare because I wanted to help people in need," Tomcavage said in a statement. "Nurses serve in some of the most important roles in healthcare and make a difference every day in the lives of our patients."
"I'm excited to take the lessons I've learned along my journey from bedside nurse to educator to leader and help position Geisinger's more than 6,500 nurses—in all positions, from LPNs to RNs to advanced practice nurses—for their own future successes," Tomcavage said.
Geisinger needs to grow, recruit, and nurture its nursing workforce in order to live up to its potential in solving healthcare's biggest challenging, which include management of chronic disease and addressing social determinants of health, she said.
Geisinger President and CEO Jaewon Ryu, MD, JD, said in the statement that the creation of Tomcavage's new role demonstrates the organization's priorities.
"Nurses make a huge difference every day in the lives of our patients, and this new position reflects our ongoing commitment to nurses and to their professional growth," Ryu said in the statement. "Janet brings outstanding experience in the full scope of nursing and all aspects of inpatient and outpatient care, and I'm excited for her and for all our nurses as she transitions into her new leadership role."
The announcement comes after Geisinger's former Chief Nursing and Patient Experience Officer, Susan Robel, MHA, BSN, left last spring to become chief nursing executive for Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the date on which Tomcavage's new job began. She took over as chief nursing executive effective August 1, which was this month, not this week.
Steven Porter is an associate content manager and Strategy editor for HealthLeaders, a Simplify Compliance brand.