Tom Sequist, MD, to lead new Partners Department of Quality and Patient Experience

Tom Sequist, MD, has been named Chief Patient Experience and Equity Officer for the new Department of Quality and Patient Experience. In this new role, Dr. Sequist will report directly to Partners HealthCare President and CEO Anne Klibanski, MD, and lead system strategies for both patient experience and patient health care equity, while continuing his leadership of Partners quality and safety.

This work will ensure that patients and families experience interactions that are based on respect and dignity, that we provide coordinated and efficient care and that patients achieve the best clinical outcomes possible. As a core component of this work, Dr. Sequist will work with leaders across our system on a strategy to eliminate disparities in the delivery of clinical care to patients at our institutions and in the communities where we deliver care.

“There is incredible work happening across our system in the areas of patient experience and health care equity, and I am confident that Tom will help us execute a strategy that will optimize these initiatives so that together, we can have the greatest impact for our patients,” said Dr. Klibanski in a message to system leaders.

Dr. Sequist previously served as the Chief Quality and Safety Officer for the system and leads the Quality, Safety & Value department, a role he held since 2013, working with system leaders to measure and improve the delivery of health care across the continuum. In keeping with our commitment to come together as a system, Dr. Sequist will continue his work with the executive teams at all our institutions and bring the same system-wide approach to his new role. 

“In all of the work that I do, health equity is the issue and topic that is most important to me and is really my driving passion,” said Dr. Sequist. “And as we grow and invest in more tools and technologies to help improve the experience for our patients, we cannot lose sight of the fact that there are still very significant health disparities across our communities and even within our own institutions. This new department will allow us to align the many talented teams across our system who are focused on quality, equity and experience so that we can ensure that all of our patients, regardless of their background or income, are receiving the care they need where they need it, when they need it and how they need it.”  

Dr. Sequist will work with Gregg Meyer, MD, Partners Chief Clinical Officer, to develop an integrated framework among Quality and Safety, Population Health Management and Digital Health that helps us focus on delivering an optimal patient experience.

Dr. Sequist is a practicing primary care physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and has been committed to diversity and access to care for underserved communities for more than two decades. He serves as the Director of the Four Directions Summer Research Program at BWH and is the Medical Director of the BWH Physician Outreach Program with the federal Indian Health Service. He is a Professor of Medicine and Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School and will continue his active research portfolio.