Steve B. Lowenthal, MD, MPH, FACS
Consultant, Joint Commission Resources, Inc.
Dr. Lowenthal is a board certified urologist with more than 25 years experience in health care with expertise in organizational quality and safety processes, and medical staff affairs including bylaws design, credentialing, privileging and peer review (professional practice evaluation). He has been a senior executive for the past 10 years in various health care organizations throughout the country. Currently, Dr. Lowenthal is the Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer at Rush-CopleyMedicalCenter in Chicago, an academic community hospital, which is part of the Rush System for Health. He has black belt training in Six Sigma methodology and has implemented innovative quality and safety initiatives focused on designing processes that reduce “defects” resulting in reliable, reproducible outcomes.
After a 15 year clinical career in Southern California, Dr. Lowenthal embarked on a full-time career in hospital administration serving as Senior/Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for health care facilities in Chicago and Maryland. Prior to returning to Chicago, he worked on a two-year project to build a new hospital in Lafayette, Colorado. Some of Dr. Lowenthal’s responsibilities in building this facility included the design and implementation of the electronic medical record, recruitment of the initial medical staff, writing the initial bylaws, implementing a centralized peer review process, developing the initial credentialing infrastructure and creating all quality and safety initiatives.
During his clinical years, Dr. Lowenthal served as a member of the hospital’s Board of Directors, Chief of Surgery and as President of the medical staff’s IPA. His years in clinical practice, medical staff leadership and hospital senior management have provided him with a robust and unique perspective on effective ways to facilitate cultural transformation in health care organizations engaging physicians to be leaders in the change movement.
Dr. Lowenthal received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and his Doctor of Medicine from the ChicagoMedicalSchool. He completed his urology training at the University of Southern California, received a Master’s of Public Health degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin and Six Sigma Black Belt training from Global Quality Systems in San Diego, California.
Dr. Lowenthal is a Fellow of the AmericanCollege of Surgeons, a Diplomat of the American Board of Urology, and a member of the American Urological Association, American Medical Association and of the AmericanCollege of Medical Quality.