Leadership Dialogue

In this episode, Joanne M. Conroy, M.D., 2024 AHA board chair, talks with Steve Diaz, M.D., chief medical officer at MaineGeneral Health in Augusta and an AHA board member. Diaz is an emergency medicine physician by training and has been involved in many of MaineGeneral’s health care quality and safety initiatives.

Conroy and Diaz focus on many aspects of patient safety, including accountability, prioritizing teamwork, overcoming barriers — particularly in rural emergency care — and using artificial intelligence. Diaz describes how AI can help improve care management, personalize treatment plans, support administrative tasks and more.

Creating a culture of safety at MaineGeneral has included “flattening” the hierarchy and recognizing people who speak up, Diaz explains. He discusses how to measure a culture of patient safety, handle quality reviews, and have difficult conversations to address challenging issues and behaviors — and then provide support and follow-up. “We want our team to know that we walk the walk,” Diaz emphasizes. “If we say we’re going to hold people to this standard, we follow through no matter what.”