Jason is the Network Director of Continuous Systems Improvement in the Jeffords Institute for Quality for The University of Vermont Health Network. Continuous Systems Improvement provides quality improvement, project management, change management support and quality improvement education for The University of Vermont Health Network and community partners across the region. Projects include operational and clinical system redesign in areas of quality, regulatory, infection prevention and patient safety.
Jason has over 27 years of experience managing quality programs and leading quality improvement initiatives.
Jason chairs the Board of Directors for the Vermont Program for Quality in Health Care, Inc. (VPQHC) and vice chairs the Board of Directors for Northwestern Counseling & Support Services, Inc.
He is a part time lecturer for Quality in Healthcare at the University of Vermont College of Nursing & Health Sciences.
He has facilitated complex problem solving with State and community partners that led to better access to treatment for substance use disorder in Chittenden County. He led an in-depth analysis of Washington County Mental Health as part of a taskforce and facilitated the Vermont Department of Health 10-Year Strategic Plan.
As the Director of Quality & Risk Management at Northwestern Counseling & Support Services, Inc., a 500-employee Designated Agency, he implemented community-based outcomes using Mark Friedman’s Results Based Accountability (RBA) program to integrate care across providers. He prototyped the first of its kind patient-and-family-centered outcomes report using the RBA model. Work included standardizing protocols for how mental health professionals support the Vermont State Police in responding to a mental health crisis. In addition, he managed corporate compliance, health and safety, and regulatory affairs, maintaining CARF accreditation for three service divisions.
Jason led the implementation of quality initiatives to transform a pharmaceutical plant to a Lean workplace while at Mylan Inc., a 35,000-employee organization, and global healthcare and pharmaceutical manufacturer. One project led to $617,000 in savings and improved efficiency by 86 percent, creating capacity to generate $11 million in revenue.
At Gannett Co. Inc., a 32,000-employee media and marketing company, Jason led quality and capital initiatives, where he was responsible for building a quality program using Lean and Six Sigma methodologies, taking a newspaper from second to last (83 out of 85) in quality rankings to as high as fourth.
Jason holds a Master of Science degree from Syracuse University, Master of Science degree in Healthcare Administration from Champlain College and is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt – Healthcare Specialization (CLSSMBB), a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), Certified Healthcare Quality Management CHCQM, a Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS), American Society for Quality Manager Quality/Organization Excellence (CMQ/OE) and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).
